Electric car battery repairs now ‘within reach’

The ability to repair damaged electric car batteries may soon be within reach, experts are forecasting.

This could prove pivotal in ensuring EVs remain economically viable as they age, even if part of the battery is damaged.

It could also help significantly reduce car insurance premiums for electric cars.

Today, few electric car batteries are repairable, despite them often being the most expensive component in the car.

This can lead to even relatively new electric cars being written off by car insurers if the battery is damaged.

Some types of EV battery damage are already repairable by manufacturer-approved specialists – but many aren’t. There are currently no standard processes to asses batteries for potential repair.  

Ashley Minors from Boswell Automotive says there "is an argument that the insurance sector writes off EVs too easily and the perceived cost and difficulty of battery repair and replacement is very much part of the issue."

The situation is slowly starting to change, he told a recent meeting for members of industry trade body the VRA – giving experts hope that viable battery repairs are now on the horizon.

"Some insurers are doing progressive work in this area, such as creating training schemes to ensure greater availability of battery specialists who can carry out repairs, while partnering with battery recyclers where repair is not possible," said Minors.

He explains that it's part of a general effort on the part of insurers to help minimise the cost of EV premiums and claims.

"As more and more data on EV operation is accumulated and knowledge on EV repair shared, they can make more informed underwriting decisions."

"There is a huge amount of working going on," agrees David Gray from Cox Automotive EV Battery Solutions.

EV battery repairs, he explains, are currently dependent on the model and the battery technology.

"It doesn’t work for all battery technologies or for all types of damage, but there are instances now where we can carry out viable economic repairs that will allow dealers to retrieve cars into saleable condition."

Gray now predicts that developments in this area will progress quickly, although he did add that "a repairable battery design tends to be a more expensive one and the technology used by some manufacturers creates issues."

Many in the industry are hoping such can be quickly resolved and genuinely repairable electric car batteries can finally enter the mainstream – helping save both the planet and our wallets.

Ask HJ

Does the premium tax apply to all EVs from April 2025?

If I purchase an EV over £40k and it is registered by the end of March would I escape the premium vehicle surcharge in subsequent years?

An electric vehicle registered before 1st April 2025 will not be liable for the expensive car supplement, but will pay the standard rate of VED.

Answered by David Ross

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