Totally get where you're coming from on the battery anxiety. I've been cautious about EVs myself, mostly because of the uncertainty around long-term reliability and insurance coverage. A friend of mine had a hybrid battery fail just outside warranty—wasn't pretty financially. But I do think insurers will eventually catch up and offer better protections as EVs become mainstream. Until then, your approach of driving less and sticking with what you know sounds pretty sensible to me...
"A friend of mine had a hybrid battery fail just outside warranty—wasn't pretty financially."
Yikes, that's exactly the kind of story that makes me nervous. I'm shopping around for my first insurance policy right now, and honestly, the EV battery thing has me hesitating. My cousin bought a used EV last year, and while he loves it overall, he had a minor battery issue recently. Insurance basically shrugged it off as "wear and tear," leaving him stuck with the bill. Makes me wonder if insurers will ever really step up their game on this...
Insurance basically shrugged it off as "wear and tear," leaving him stuck with the bill. Makes me wonder if insurers will ever really step up their game on this...
I get the hesitation, but honestly, I'd say insurance isn't really meant to cover stuff like battery degradation or failure—that's more the manufacturer's job. Most EV makers offer pretty long battery warranties nowadays (usually around 8 years or 100k miles), so as long as you're within that, you should be pretty safe. The real issue pops up later on with older used EVs... then it gets trickier. Insurance companies probably won't change their stance anytime soon—they've always dodged wear-and-tear issues.
Had a similar issue with my hybrid a couple years back. Battery started acting weird just after warranty expired (typical, right?). Insurance basically said the same thing—wear and tear, not their problem. Honestly, I get it... insurance is more for accidents or sudden damage, not gradual stuff. Still, makes you wonder if they'll ever adapt coverage as EVs become the norm.
Interesting point, but do you really think insurers will ever cover battery degradation? I mean, from their perspective, wouldn't that open up a huge can of worms—how would they even measure what's normal wear vs. a sudden failure? Plus, wouldn't premiums skyrocket if they started covering gradual battery issues? Feels like something manufacturers or extended warranties might handle better... just thinking out loud here.
