I’ve wondered about this too, especially since EV batteries are basically the most expensive part of the car. It’s wild how “wear and tear” seems to be the catch-all excuse for denying claims. Does anyone know if extended warranties from the manufacturer are any better? I keep seeing those offered, but I’m not sure if they’re just another money pit or actually worth it. Insurance fine print is like a maze... I swear, you need a decoder ring just to get through half of it.
Insurance fine print is like a maze... I swear, you need a decoder ring just to get through half of it.
Tell me about it. I once spent two hours trying to figure out if my classic Mustang’s carburetor was covered under “acts of God” (spoiler: nope). Extended warranties always sound good until you actually need them—then suddenly “normal degradation” is the villain. Anyone else feel like these companies have a secret dictionary for denial reasons?
Tell me about it.
I get where you’re coming from, but I think it’s not always as bad as it seems. The “secret dictionary” thing is real sometimes, but I’ve found that if you actually dig into the policy (yeah, it’s a slog), you can usually figure out what’s covered and what isn’t. For example, with EV batteries, most insurance policies treat sudden failure differently from gradual wear. If your battery just dies out of nowhere—like, not because it’s old or you’ve run it into the ground—some comprehensive plans might actually cover it, especially if it’s due to something like a power surge or even vandalism.
The trick is to go step by step:
1. Check if the failure was sudden or gradual.
2. Look for exclusions around “wear and tear” or “mechanical breakdown.”
3. See if there’s a separate section for electrical components or batteries.
It’s tedious, but I’ve avoided a few headaches by reading the fine print before assuming the worst. Not saying insurers don’t try to wriggle out of stuff, but sometimes they’re just following their own (confusing) rules.
Honestly, I’d be careful about assuming you can always “figure it out” just by reading the policy. Even when you dig into the fine print, there’s a lot of gray area—especially with newer tech like EV batteries. I’ve seen claims where the owner was convinced it was a sudden failure, but after an inspection, it turned out to be a slow degradation issue that just happened to get worse overnight. That’s where insurers tend to draw the line and say it’s wear and tear, not a covered event.
And those exclusions for “mechanical breakdown” or “gradual deterioration” are sometimes worded so broadly that they can apply to almost anything. Even if you find a section about electrical components, it might still exclude batteries specifically or limit coverage to certain causes. I’m not saying it’s impossible to get coverage in these cases, but I wouldn’t count on it unless you’ve got something really clear in writing.
I guess my point is, even with all the research, sometimes you’re still at the mercy of how the company interprets things... and that can be unpredictable.
Had a similar thing happen with our hybrid a couple years back. The battery just stopped holding a charge, which felt sudden to us, but the mechanic said it had probably been degrading for months. Insurance basically shrugged and pointed at the “gradual deterioration” clause. Kind of frustrating.
sometimes you’re still at the mercy of how the company interprets things... and that can be unpredictable.
That’s exactly it. You think you’re covered until you actually need it, then it gets murky real quick. I ended up relying on the manufacturer warranty instead.
