I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I think you might be overthinking it a bit. I mean, yeah, battery replacements are stupid expensive, but how often does that actually happen outside of a freak accident or some manufacturing defect? Most of the time, if your battery just dies out of nowhere, it’s probably still under the manufacturer’s warranty.
“I’d rather pay a little more for peace of mind than gamble on being in the lucky majority.”
I get the peace of mind thing, but I’ve been driving my Bolt for three years now, and the only issue I’ve had was a flat tire from a pothole. My buddy’s Leaf is pushing 100k miles and his battery’s still kicking. If you’ve seen “weird failures,” fair enough, but I just can’t justify the extra cash for coverage that probably won’t get used. Maybe I’ll eat my words one day, but for now, I’m rolling the dice.
I totally get wanting to save a few bucks, but I’ve seen battery issues pop up at the worst times. My cousin’s Kona EV dropped to half range out of nowhere—turned out it was a cell failure, just outside warranty. It was a nightmare. If you’re someone who keeps your cars for a long haul or does lots of road trips, the peace of mind is worth the extra upfront cost, at least for me. Sometimes those odds catch up with you when you least expect it...
If you’re someone who keeps your cars for a long haul or does lots of road trips, the peace of mind is worth the extra upfront cost, at least for me.
Totally get where you’re coming from. Battery failures can be a real headache, especially just outside warranty. Standard auto insurance usually won’t cover mechanical breakdowns like battery failure, so that extra warranty or coverage can be a lifesaver in the long run. Peace of mind really does have value, especially with EVs.
I’ve actually been through this with our Leaf. We keep our cars for ages, and when the battery started acting up just after the warranty ended, I learned the hard way that insurance wasn’t going to help. Here’s how it played out for us:
First, I called our insurance thinking maybe there was some kind of coverage for “major component failure.” Nope—unless it’s caused by an accident or something external, they don’t touch it. Next, I checked if our extended warranty (which we almost skipped) would cover it. Thankfully, it did, but only because we’d paid extra for the “platinum” level.
If you’re planning to keep your EV long-term, I’d say look closely at what’s actually covered under both your insurance and any extended warranties. Don’t just assume one will pick up where the other leaves off. It’s a pain to read all that fine print, but it saved us thousands in the end. Not everyone needs that extra coverage, but if you’re like us—road trips, kids, lots of miles—it’s worth considering.
That’s a solid reminder about reading the fine print—those warranty tiers can be confusing. I’ve always wondered, did you have to jump through a bunch of hoops to actually get the extended warranty to pay out? Sometimes it feels like they make you fight for every penny...
