Are you assuming a cheaper EV means cheaper insurance?

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New EV brands arriving in NZ are changing insurer assumptions.

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Plenty of drivers do. You see a sharp deal on a new EV, then get blindsided when the insurance quote doesn’t match the sticker price. I’ve spent 25 years on the industry side of design, manufacturing, aftersales and insurer partnerships, and here’s the uncomfortable truth: insurers price the cost and complexity of fixing your car, not just what you paid for it.

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Jess in Tauranga learnt this the hard way. Her mid-spec EV was $6k cheaper than a rival, but premiums quoted higher than expected. The reason wasn’t “EVs are expensive to insure” in general. It was the brand’s thin local repair network and unknown parts lead-times. Once she targeted insurers with the right info about repairers and parts access, her quotes dropped by several hundred dollars.

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Polestar is already established here with sales and service support, which reduces insurer uncertainty. Geely and Zeekr are entering via NordEast (Giltrap) from 2025, which is good news for cover availability but, early on, insurers will still price in unknowns until the repair network and claims data settle (ebbett.co.nz; drivelife.co.nz).

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What are you missing that insurers care about most?

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The big misconception is thinking insurance follows the purchase price. It doesn’t. Insurers in NZ price “repairability risk”: how quickly and predictably they can get your EV safely back on the road. Think of your premium like a barometer of downtime and parts complexity.

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That’s why two cars with similar values can attract very different premiums. If one has a deep dealer footprint and approved repairers with battery isolation training, its claim costs are more predictable. The other might be perfectly safe and well-built, but if parts need to come from overseas with limited local diagnostics, that uncertainty gets priced in.

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Smarter questions to ask before you buy or insure:

Who fixes it locally, and has my insurer approved them?
How fast can critical parts and glass/sensors arrive here?
What exactly is covered on the battery and charger, and what isn’t?

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What does the NZ data say right now?

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Insurers openly cover EVs, including batteries for sudden accidental damage, fire or theft under comprehensive policies; they don’t cover wear, tear or degradation (AA Insurance; Tower). Tesla even has a dedicated product with Vero (vero.co.nz), showing insurers adapt when repair ecosystems are clear.

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Useful context and “I didn’t know that” moments:

Average comprehensive car insurance in NZ sits around NZD ~1,236/year, but EVs and premium models often sit above that average (quashed.co.nz).
Real-world Tesla Model 3 quotes commonly fall around NZD ~1,500-2,500/year for typical, mid-risk profiles (banked.co.nz).
Consumer-shared quotes for mid-range EVs (e.g., Kona/Niro) are often in the NZD ~1,100-1,400/year band, again depending on driver and agreed value (reddit r/nzev).
Polestar 2 premiums reported by owners have been in roughly NZD ~1,500-2,500/year depending on spec/value and driver profile (reddit r/nzev; evdrive.co.nz for value context).
New-to-NZ Chinese brands (Zeekr/Geely) can be quoted, but early pricing may carry a +5-25% “uncertainty” load until dealer and approved repair networks bed in and claims data build (drivelife.co.nz). Insurers are also alert to global headlines when forming appetite; reporting on certain brands’ insurance-linked sales practices in China has raised scrutiny (reuters.com).

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Repair networks and tooling determine how long repairs take.

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Hidden costs of getting it wrong

Picture two owners in Wellington buying similar-value EVs. One chooses a brand with an established dealer and repairer network. When a car park scrape damages the quarter panel, a sensor and a charge port, parts are sourced locally, the repairer is already approved by their insurer, and the car is back in two weeks.

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The other owner’s car needs the same fix, but the certified repairer is in another region, the parts come offshore, and calibration tooling is limited. Add higher excess, extra time off the road, and the friction of juggling a hire car over school holidays. The money matters, yes, but so does the stress and time sink. Pride in your new EV can fade fast when you’re chasing updates for weeks.

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A reader story I hear often: Aroha in Christchurch picked based on the “best premium” alone and later found glass/sensor cover wasn’t comparable and the repairer wasn’t EV-certified. She saved $120 on the premium, then lost days to logistics and ended up paying more out-of-pocket than the saving.

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How should you judge insurability before you buy?

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Use the CABLE framework. It’s simple, and it works:

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C Cover clarity: Confirm battery, charger, cable and home-wallbox coverage for sudden accidental damage, and exclusions for wear and degradation (AA Insurance; Tower).
A Access to repairers: Ask your insurer which EV-certified repairers they approve for your exact brand/model, and whether dealer-authorised repairs are required.
B Battery/warranty: Understand battery replacement thresholds, diagnostics requirements and whether the insurer pays OEM rates for battery modules.
L Logistics and parts: Ask the dealer about local parts stocking and typical lead-times for glass, sensors, bumpers, and charge ports.
E Evidence and appetite: Check for ANCAP/Euro NCAP ratings, distributor commitments, and whether the brand has a NZ service network. New brands (Zeekr/Geely) are now building this with NordEast/Giltrap, which should improve insurer comfort over time (drivelife.co.nz).

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Questions to put to any sales rep or insurer:

Which approved repairers will actually fix my car locally?
What parts are stocked in NZ today, and what’s the typical ETA for sensors and glass?
What’s the battery cover wording, in plain English?
If my car is off the road, what hire-car provisions apply and for how long?

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What steps will get you a fair NZ quote right now?

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\n Shortlist insurers and ask the EV questions that matter\n Quote at least four: AA Insurance, Tower, Vero (including InsureMyTesla where relevant), State (IAG), AMI, Trade Me Insurance, Cove, MAS, Protecta, or use a broker for reach. Confirm EV coverage specifics and repairer policies (aainsurance.co.nz; tower.co.nz; vero.co.nz).\n
\n Share complete, comparable details in one hit\n
- Exact make/model/variant/year, VIN if available, agreed value or RRP with options
- Driver details: ages, licence years, recent claims, no-claims status
- Garaging postcode, annual kms, finance/lease status
- Security devices (alarm, immobiliser, tracker)
- Intended use (private, business, ride-share)
- Any modifications and home charging set-up
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\n Use this quote request template\n “Hi, I’m seeking a one-year comprehensive quote for [make/model/year, VIN if available], agreed value [$]. Primary driver [age], licence held [years], other drivers [details], garaging [suburb/postcode], annual kms [x]. Please quote (a) $500 excess and (b) $1,000 excess. Confirm: battery/charger coverage, glass excess, new-car replacement duration, approved repairer requirements and EV-certified options near [suburb].”\n
\n Compare beyond the premium\n
- Excess options and how they shift price
- Agreed value vs market value and new-car replacement period
- Battery and charger wording, including exclusions
- Glass and sensor cover and excess
- Approved repairer policy and EV-certified options near you
- Hire-car and claims turnaround
- Any limitations for new/rare models
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Indicative premium ranges (illustrative, not quotes)

Polestar 2: roughly NZD ~1,500-2,500/year for many mid-risk profiles; values vary by spec (reddit r/nzev; evdrive.co.nz).
Tesla Model 3: commonly NZD ~1,500-2,500/year across insurers, with wide variance (banked.co.nz).
Mid-range EVs (Kona/Niro): often around NZD ~1,100-1,400/year for typical, mid-value cars (reddit r/nzev).
Typical petrol hatch (e.g., Corolla): many sit lower, roughly NZD ~600-1,200/year depending on driver/vehicle mix (moneyhub.co.nz; quashed.co.nz).
Geely/Zeekr: expect “comparable-to-value” pricing but potentially +5-25% initially while networks and claims data settle; availability improves as NordEast/Giltrap ramps up support (drivelife.co.nz).

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Where do Polestar, Geely and Zeekr stand in NZ today?

Polestar: established sales and service presence, which helps insurer comfort (ebbett.co.nz).
Geely/Zeekr: NZ distribution announced for 2025 via NordEast (Giltrap). As dealer and repair networks expand, premiums should normalise. Early quotes may reflect uncertainty rather than inherent risk (drivelife.co.nz).
Insurers: Major brands explicitly insure EVs and cover batteries for sudden accidental damage under comprehensive policies; wear and tear is excluded (AA Insurance; Tower). Some brands partner with insurers (e.g., InsureMyTesla with Vero) to streamline repairs (vero.co.nz).

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The bottom line for your decision

Don’t assume purchase price equals premium. Insurers price repairability, not just RRP.
Use CABLE to pressure-test insurability before you buy.
Get at least four quotes with identical inputs and ask about repairers and battery wording specifically.
If you’re buying a brand early in its NZ rollout, weigh a short-term insurance uplift against total cost of ownership and the distributor’s service commitments. A few months can make a difference as networks mature.
Keep your options open: a slightly higher premium with a strong local repair pathway can be the “cheaper” choice once downtime and hassle are factored in.

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Keep your options open: a slightly higher premium with a strong local repair pathway can be the “cheaper” choice once downtime and hassle are factored in.

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References (selected)

AA Insurance: Electric and hybrid vehicles coverage (aainsurance.co.nz/living-room/on-the-road/electric-and-hybrid-vehicles)
Tower: EV insurance and battery cover wording (tower.co.nz/ev-insurance)
Vero: InsureMyTesla NZ (vero.co.nz/personal-insurance/insuremytesla-insurance.html)
Polestar NZ retail/service presence (ebbett.co.nz/brand/polestar)
NordEast/Giltrap launch of Geely/Zeekr in NZ (drivelife.co.nz/2025/08/giltrap-group-launches-nordeast)
Tesla insurance examples in NZ (banked.co.nz/tesla-insurance)
NZ average premiums context (quashed.co.nz/compare-car-insurance-nz; moneyhub.co.nz/average-cost-of-car-house-contents-insurance.html)
Global reporting on insurance-related sales practices (reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/china-ev-brands-zeekr-neta-inflated-car-sales-using-insurance-scheme-2025-07-20)

Polestar, Geely & Zeekr: Insurance Costs?