New cars and trucks are packed with sensors and technology
that protect and pamper drivers and passengers. But those features are also
raising the cost of repairs after accidents.
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The average cost of making damaged cars good as new has
soared 36% since 2018, and may top $5,000 by the end of this year, according to
Mitchell, a company that provides data and software to insurance companies and
auto repair businesses. That big increase is the main reason that insurance
premiums have been soaring — up 17% in the 12 months through May.
New SUVs and pickup trucks, including a rapidly growing
number of electric models, have become so complex and luxurious that seemingly
simple repairs can cost a small fortune, auto experts said. Insurers are often
on the hook for much of those costs, leading them to raise their rates.
Materials designed to crumple or deform in a crash to
protect pedestrians or passengers, for example, can be hard or impossible to
repair. Many bumpers must be replaced after low-speed dings because the safety
sensors embedded in them may no longer work properly after repairs. Other
systems, even some that do not appear to be damaged, must be inspected or
recalibrated.
“The modern digital architecture is so advanced that systems
beyond point of impact are being disrupted,” said Ryan Mandell, director of
claims performance for Mitchell. “Getting a car back to pre-loss condition is
harder than at any point in history, and will only become more challenging.”
Industry experts have been particularly focused on the cost
of repairing electric cars and trucks, which aren’t built like gasoline cars
and have different parts. In addition, many mechanics aren’t trained to work on
them. In recent months, news reports and stories shared on social media about
astronomical repair bills for electric cars and trucks have captured the
attention of car enthusiasts.
Consider the case of Chris Apfelstadt and his Rivian R1T
pickup truck, which was rear-ended by a Lexus in February at a stoplight in
Columbus, Ohio, while he was driving and his infant son was in the back seat.
The damage was initially deemed relatively minor, and the
other driver’s insurer offered him $1,600. The actual cost to fix the bumper at
a business certified to repair Rivian vehicles — one of just three in Ohio —
was $42,000, roughly half the truck’s selling price.
“I expected it to be expensive,” said Apfelstadt, who owns a
lighting company, “but it was still a shocking number.”
A key reason is that the accident damaged a sleek panel that
extends from the truck’s rear to front roof pillars. Repairing and repainting
it set off a cascade of pricey work, including removing the interior ceiling
material, known as the headliner, and front windshield.
Auto experts acknowledge that repairing electric models is
more expensive on average than repairing gasoline vehicles. But a fuller
analysis of claims and repair data shows that electric vehicle repair costs are
not markedly higher than costs for gasoline cars of similar age and price, and
that they’re sometimes less.
“The idea that EVs are being totaled left and right is the
horror story that keeps insurers up at night,” Mandell said. “Has that
happened? Yes. But the incidents are few and far between.”
Data from Mitchell shows that in 2022 electric vehicles cost
about $6,800 on average to fix after accidents, about $2,400 more than the
average for all cars. Battery-powered cars tend to require more expensive
parts, the company said, and repairing them takes more time and may require
work by specialist mechanics.
But a big reason electric cars tend to cost much more to
repair, at first glance, is that most of them are newer luxury models. Tesla’s
cars, which sell for between $40,000 and around $110,000, account for 75% of
collision claims for battery-powered models.
Fixing electric vehicles from mainstream brands such as
Hyundai or Nissan costs only about $800 more than their gasoline counterparts,
according to Mitchell. And in the premium segment, typical repair costs for
battery-powered and gasoline vehicles are roughly the same, around $7,000, for
model years 2018 and later.
Other data suggests that electric vehicles fare relatively
well. About 18% of gasoline cars involved in crashes are totaled, while only
about 6% of battery-powered vehicles are deemed unrepairable after accidents,
according to Mitchell.
Matt Moore, a senior vice president at the Highway Loss Data
Institute, a research organization that serves the insurance industry, said
insurance and repair data undercut the idea that batteries or electric
technology racked up burdensome repair costs. For 11 models that are available
in gasoline and electric versions — including the Hyundai Kona and Volvo XC40 —
repair costs for the electric models are just 2% higher, according to the
institute’s analysis.
Gasoline or electric, Moore said, more expensive, rare and
higher-performing cars tend to be involved in fewer but more severe accidents
in part because they are more likely to be driven by people who speed and take
other risks.
“They hit fast and hit hard,” he said. “Every collision is a
mix of man and machine.”
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