Repairs of electric vehicles are about 25% more expensive than ICE equivalents and take 14% longer.
This is according to a report produced by Thatcham Research, which was funded by Innovate UK.
The Impact of BEV Adoption on the Repair and Insurance Sectors report was produced to help the industry manage the influx of EVs, with data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealing that 267,203 of the 1,614,063 cars registered on UK roads in 2022 were new EVs, representing a 40.1% sales increase over 2021.
The report highlighted that no part of the motor insurance claims process is unaffected by EVs, with profound impacts to workflow, repair capacity, training and skills.
Meanwhile, data-driven modelling produced for this report showed that in 2022, 9,400 vehicles on UK roads were involved in an accident which could result in battery damage. This figure is estimated to reach up to 260,000 vehicles annually by 2035.
However, Vehicle Damage Assessors (VDAs) have very few tools or techniques to sufficiently assess battery damage as part of their assessment.
Thatcham Research is now calling for cross-industry plans to address this and other challenges, a sustainable ecosystem to be created for EVs, and additional investment in research to identify technical solutions and practical interventions to support accelerating those solutions.
