"wouldn't that open up a huge can of worms—how would they even measure what's normal wear vs. a sudden failure?"
Yeah, exactly my thought. I mean, insurers already get picky about tire wear and windshield chips... imagine them trying to sort out battery health. I'd rather trust an extended warranty for peace of mind on road trips—less hassle, fewer surprises.
Yeah, that's a good point about insurers already being picky—I had a similar experience with windshield chips. Had a tiny chip from a gravel truck on vacation once, and the insurance company tried to argue it was "pre-existing damage." Took forever to sort out. Can't imagine how they'd handle something as complex as battery health.
Honestly, I think the whole EV battery thing is still too new for insurance companies to have clear guidelines. They're probably just as confused as we are about what's normal wear and what's sudden failure. And knowing insurers, they'll err on the side of caution (meaning their own wallets). I wouldn't want to be stuck in some endless back-and-forth while they debate whether my battery died naturally or if it was my fault somehow.
For me, an extended warranty feels like the safer bet—at least for now. Sure, it's another expense upfront, but I'd rather pay a bit more now than deal with headaches later. Especially since batteries aren't exactly cheap replacements. Plus, warranties usually have clearer terms about what's covered and what's not, so there's less room for interpretation or argument.
I guess eventually insurers will catch up and figure out how to handle EV batteries properly—but until then, I'm sticking with warranties and crossing my fingers that nothing goes wrong on our next family road trip...
"Honestly, I think the whole EV battery thing is still too new for insurance companies to have clear guidelines."
Yeah, that's exactly what I've been wondering... how long it'll take insurers to catch up with EV tech. Your experience with windshield chips sounds frustrating enough—imagine trying to convince them your battery wasn't already "damaged." Hopefully, warranties do offer clearer protections for now. Fingers crossed your next road trip goes smoothly, and you don't have to test out those warranty terms!
I agree, insurers are definitely playing catch-up here. From what I've seen, they're still treating EV battery issues as a bit of a gray area—similar to how they handled hybrid tech a decade ago. Warranty coverage might be clearer, but even then, manufacturers often have strict conditions about what's considered "normal wear." Reminds me of when classic cars first got collector insurance; took years before insurers fully understood restoration costs and valuations... guess history repeats itself.
"Warranty coverage might be clearer, but even then, manufacturers often have strict conditions about what's considered 'normal wear.'"
Yeah, that's the tricky part. I had a similar run-in with my previous luxury hybrid—battery started acting weird just outside warranty. Dealer called it "expected degradation," insurance shrugged it off, and I ended up footing the bill. Learned my lesson though; now I check the fine print obsessively and stash a bit extra aside just in case. Feels like insurers and manufacturers both need clearer guidelines on EV batteries... until then, better safe than sorry.
