If you're selling auto insurance, you likely have clients that are interested in purchasing and insuring one of the newest electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles have come a long way in the past four years, as the market has seen a strong growth in sales and the number of makes and models available to consumers.
|Insurance cost
Mercury Insurance put together a list of the 10 most affordable electric vehicles to insure.
Mercury's research and development team examined the 2017 electric vehicles available at car dealerships today or in the near future to compile a list of the most affordable vehicles to insure. The list was created based on the Mercury price for full coverage — liability, comprehensive and collision — in California.
|Consumer interest increasing
“Consumer interest and intent to buy electric vehicles has increased substantially,” said Chong Gao, senior product manager, R&D for Mercury Insurance. “We put together this list to help inform your decision, because many people don't consider what it will cost to insure a vehicle before they buy it.”
Mercury Insurance developed the list using a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record, who lives in Newport Beach, California, and travels 13,000 miles per year. The full coverage with a $500 deductible includes liability limits of $100,000 in injuries per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 in property damage.
Here are the 10 most affordable 2017 all-electric vehicles to insure:
(Photo: tesla.com video screenshot)
|10. Tesla Model 3
Tesla has characterized the Model 3 as its inroad to mass-market drivers — the base model, before options or incentives, at $35,000, will be roughly half the price of the company's cheapest Model S, according to Bloomberg.
Related: Choosing a plug-in electric car
(Photo: bmwblog.com)
|8. BMW i3 (tie)
The new BMW i3 received the inaugural 2017 World Urban Car award at the New York International Auto Show, in April.
The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq electric vehicle is shown at the New York International Auto Show, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
|8. Hyundai IONIQ Electric (tie)
The Ioniq Electric is EPA-rated at 124 miles of range from the 28-kwh battery pack that powers an 88-kilowatt (118-horsepower) electric motor.
(Photo: ford.com)
|7. Ford Focus Electric
The Ford Focus Electric is now in its sixth model year, although it's still sold in limited numbers and only in certain regions of the U.S. This 5-door hatchback is currently the only full battery-electric vehicle (EV) sold by Ford, as noted by CarGurus.
(Photo: mitsubishi-motors.com)
|6. Mitsubishi i-MiEV
With a base price of less than $24,000, the i-MiEV is the least expensive electric car available in the U.S., according to Kelley Blue Book.
(Photo: smartusa.com)
|5. Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
The 2017 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Cabriolet is actually the only convertible EV on the market.
The ForTwo battery is 17.6 kWh, and range is up from 68 miles to between 70 and 80. It now has a faster on-board charger, so it takes only about 3 hours to bring the battery from empty to full — twice as fast as it was before, notes CNET.
The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf is shown during the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
|4. Volkswagen e-Golf
Now in its third year, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf is the first and so far only all-electric VW offered in the U.S. and Canada. The 2017 e-Golf's range is substantially improved over previous versions. This year, VW says the e-Golf will travel up top 124 miles on a charge, according to The Car Connection.
The VW e-Golf has launched only in 10 Northeast and West Coast states, although the company says it will expand distribution in future.
Related: 20 best cars for the money in 2017
(Photo: nissanusa.com)
|3. Nissan Leaf
The Leaf arrives into the 2017 model year all but unchanged as Nissan prepares a redesigned second-generation model for launch at some future date, according to Green Car Reports.
With the 30-kWh pack, the Leaf gets an EPA-rated 107 miles of range. A full charge from a 240-volt Level 2 AC sources takes around 7 hours with the 3.6-kW charger, and around 6 hours with the 6.6-kW charger, according to Nissan.
(Photo: kia.com)
|2. Kia Soul EV
The 2017 Kia Soul EV offers more space for people and cargo than many other small battery-electric cars, but you can only buy it in limited regions.
The range for a fully charged Soul EV is 93 miles.
Related: 10 states with the worst drivers
(Photo: fiatusa.com)
|1. Fiat 500e
The 500e is unchanged for 2017. The 500e is powered by an 83kW electric motor with a single-speed transmission that provides a range of 87 miles, according to Autoblog.
Related: America's 10 most stolen vehicles
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Jayleen R. Heft
Jayleen Heft is the digital content editor for PropertyCasualty360.com. Contact her at [email protected].
