Electric Car Chat

What Can Void Your EV Insurance Claim And How To Avoid It

• Graham Hill • Season 2 • Episode 14

Share episode

Send us a text

We unpack the EV insurance exclusions most drivers miss, from tyres and OTA updates to towing rules and touchscreen distraction, and show how contributory negligence shrinks payouts. Practical steps, real examples, and a checklist you can act on today.

• standard exclusions that still apply to EVs
• maintenance proof, battery health checks, software updates
• declaring OTA performance changes to insurers
• EV-rated tyres, grip loss, and negligence risk
• correct recovery and towing limits, warranty gaps
• water ingress, wading depths, and write-offs
• unauthorised battery repairs and modification disclosure
• business use accuracy, mileage truthfulness, hire and reward
• cyber attack and software failure exclusions
• highway code breaches and touchscreen distraction evidence
• home chargers charging cable safety and third party liability
• wear and tear, pre-existing damage, and documentation
• final checklist for staying covered

We also cover the situations most owners meet only when it’s too late: recovery crews towing with wheels on the road instead of flatbedding, towing caravans without confirming policy and warranty terms, wading into flood water beyond the car’s depth, and commissioning unauthorised battery repairs. Add modern risks like cyber exclusions and software failures, plus the evidence trail from data logs and dash cams when insurers assess touchscreen distraction, and the case for disciplined habits becomes obvious. Route charging cables safely to avoid trip claims, be honest about mileage and business use, and keep meticulous records.

By the end, you’ll have a working checklist: maintain by the book, keep receipts, declare meaningful updates and mods, verify towing rules in writing, fit EV-rated tyres, avoid deep water, secure charging setups, and match your policy to how you actually drive. If this helped, follow the show, share it with an EV driver who needs a reality check, and leave a quick review so more people can protect their cover.

If you prefer to read the podcast rather than listen to it - open the transcipt as shown above. 


To buy a copy of Electric Cars - The Truth Revealed visit grahamhilltraining.com. Buy the current copy and receive the totally updated version in early 2026. If you are interested in sponsoring this podcast or would be interested in working together please visit grahamhilltraining.com/contact


Hi, Graham Hill, back again, still making a ruckus!

Right, we've talked about betterment, we've talked about timing your insurance purchase, we've talked about fronting. Now it's time to discuss something that could invalidate your entire insurance claim - exclusions. The things your policy doesn't cover, or situations where your insurer can refuse to pay out.

And with electric cars, there are some EV-specific exclusions that could catch you out badly if you're not aware of them. Some of these are obvious, some are less so, and some are downright surprising. So, let's go through them, because the last thing you want is to have an accident, think you're covered, only to find out you've invalidated your policy.

The Standard Exclusions Still Apply

Before we get to the EV-specific stuff, let's be clear - all the standard exclusions that apply to petrol and diesel car insurance still apply to electric cars. Your insurer won't pay out if:

You're driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Obviously. But it bears repeating because it's one of the most common reasons for claim refusal.

You're driving without a valid licence, or you're disqualified from driving.

The car's being used for purposes not covered by your policy - like using your personal car for commercial deliveries, private hire work, or driving instruction without the right cover.

You're driving recklessly, dangerously, or in a way that's considered deliberate or malicious.

The damage was caused intentionally, either by you or someone acting with your permission.

These are all excluded.

The Service Schedule Trap

Now, here's one that applies to both warranty and insurance, and it's particularly important with electric cars. Many insurance policies - especially comprehensive ones - require you to maintain the vehicle according to the manufacturer's schedule.

Miss a service, and you could find your claim rejected. The insurer's argument will be that lack of maintenance contributed to the failure or accident. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, but good luck proving otherwise without your service history.

With electric cars, this is particularly relevant because some insurers are now asking about battery health checks and software updates. If your manufacturer recommends an annual battery health check and you haven't had one in three years, that could be a problem.

Keep every service receipt. Keep every inspection report. Keep documentation of every piece of maintenance work. You'll need it if you make a claim.

OTA Updates and Performance Changes

Here's an EV-specific one that's causing confusion: Over-the-Air software updates.

Many modern electric cars receive software updates wirelessly, just like your phone. Sometimes these updates are minor - bug fixes, interface improvements. But sometimes they significantly change the car's performance characteristics. They might increase power output, change acceleration curves, or modify the car's handling characteristics.

Now, here's the question nobody's quite sure about yet: if you accept an OTA update that increases your car's performance, should you notify your insurer?

The conservative answer is yes, you should. If an update takes your car from 0-60 in 5 seconds to 0-60 in 4 seconds, that's a material change to the vehicle's performance. Your insurer calculated your premium based on the original spec. If you've now effectively got a more powerful car, they should know about it.

Will most people notify their insurer about every OTA update? Probably not. But if you have an accident and the insurer discovers an undisclosed performance update, they could argue you modified the vehicle without informing them. That's grounds for refusing the claim.

My advice? If an update significantly changes performance, notify your insurer. If it's just fixing bugs or updating the sat-nav, you're probably fine. But when in doubt, ask. Check the policy as some insurers insist on you letting them know if any OTA update is activated for whatever reason.

The Tyre Issue - This Is Important

Right, this is a big one, and it's something most EV drivers don't know about. It's about tyres, and it could seriously affect an insurance claim.

Here's the situation: Electric cars are heavier than equivalent petrol cars - typically 200-400kg heavier due to the battery pack. Although weights are reducing as batteries become more efficient resulting in greater range from smaller batteries. They also produce instant maximum torque, putting huge stress on tyres during acceleration.

Because of this, tyre manufacturers have developed EV-specific tyres. These have reinforced sidewalls to handle the extra weight when cornering, better grip to cope with the instant torque, lower rolling resistance to maximise range, and noise reduction technology because electric cars are quieter which, as a result, would amplify the tyre noise from standard tyres that’s not noticed when driving a noisier petrol or diesel car.

Now, here's the crucial bit: It's not illegal to fit standard tyres to an electric car. You're not breaking any laws. But - and this is important - if you have an accident that involves loss of grip or control, and you're running standard tyres instead of EV-rated tyres, your insurer could argue contributory negligence.

Let me explain what that means. Let's say you're cornering in wet conditions and lose grip, hitting another car. The accident wasn't your fault in the sense that you weren't speeding or driving dangerously. But the insurer investigates and finds you're running standard tyres on a heavy electric car. They could argue that your choice of tyres contributed to the loss of grip, and therefore you were partially at fault.

That means they could reduce your payout, or in extreme cases, refuse the claim entirely. The argument would be that while using standard tyres isn't illegal, it's not best practice, and it contributed to the accident.

Now, EV-specific tyres are more expensive - typically 10-20% more than standard equivalents. So, there's a temptation to save money by fitting cheaper standard tyres. But think about the risk. If you have a claim rejected or reduced because of your tyre choice, that "saving" could cost you thousands.     

The so-called myth busters and even a fleet trainer has declared that you don’t need to fit EV specific tyres with a trainer suggesting that he achieved 25,000 miles plus out of standard tyres. Totally ignoring the other benefits of fitting EV specific tyres and the potential loss of some or all of an accident claim. 

So, when a so called myth buster calls out the myth that you must fit expensive EV tyres on your electric car then busts it by saying that you can fit any tyre as long as it matches the recommended dimensions, legally he’s right but by following the advice you could be putting you and your passengers at risk of injury or at best risk of having an insurance claim partially or totally denied.

Check what tyres your car came with from the manufacturer. If they're EV-rated (look for markings like "EV-compatible," "EVc," "EVr," or specific EV tyre model designations), stick with EV-rated replacements. Don't risk your insurance coverage to save £50 per tyre.

And here's another issue - recovery data shows that EV drivers are more than twice as likely to have tyre issues compared to petrol car drivers. Part of that is the extra weight, part of it is the torque. If you're using standard tyres that aren't designed for these stresses, you're just increasing the risk.

Towing Restrictions - Both Ways

Right, let's talk about towing, because there are exclusions in both directions - being towed, and towing things yourself.

Being Towed:

If your electric car breaks down and needs to be towed, it must be done correctly. Many EVs need to be flat-bedded with all four wheels off the ground because towing them with wheels touching the road can damage the electric motor or electronics.

Your insurance policy should cover correct recovery, but if damage occurs because the recovery service towed it incorrectly, there could be issues about who's liable. Was it the recovery service's fault, or did you fail to provide proper instructions?

Your car should have a towing section in the handbook with specific instructions. Make sure your insurer and breakdown provider have these instructions. Because here's the thing - if your car gets damaged during incorrect towing, and you didn't provide the proper instructions, your insurer might argue you didn't take reasonable care to prevent damage.

Tesla explicitly states in their warranty that damage from improper towing isn't covered. Most insurers take a similar view. If you call for recovery, make absolutely sure the recovery operator understands how to tow your specific electric car safely. Some breakdown services such as the RAC have some very clever contraptions that can be carried in smaller breakdown vans, enabling the driver to lift all four wheels off the ground although these are generally only used to get you to the nearest charge station if you’ve run out of battery charge. They wouldn’t be suitable for long distances.

Anything more serious and the car will need to be picked up by a flat bed truck making sure that no damage is caused by towing the vehicle as instructed by the manufacturer or the insurance company. And if you break down in a flood, leave it to the experts as getting a local farmer to drag you out with his tractor or 4x4 could result in major damage and loss of a claim.

Towing Caravans/Trailers:

Now, if you're thinking about using your electric car to tow a caravan or trailer, check your policy carefully. Some insurers exclude towing, some limit it, some cover it fully.

And even if your insurance covers towing, your warranty might not cover damage caused by the towing. Tesla, for example, has specifically excluded towing damage from their warranty in some markets. The logic is that towing puts extra stress on components, increasing wear.

So, you could find yourself in a situation where your insurance is fine with you towing, but if towing causes a component to fail, your warranty won't cover the repair. And if the failure causes an accident, your insurer might argue contributory negligence again.

If you plan to tow, get it in writing from both your insurer and check your warranty terms. Don't assume it's covered just because the car has a tow bar.

Water Ingress and Battery Damage

Electric cars are designed to be water-resistant - you can drive through normal rain and even reasonable floods without issues. But there are limits.

Your insurance typically won't cover you if you deliberately drive through deep water that you should have known would damage the car. Driving through a flood that's clearly too deep? That's contributory negligence.

But here's where it gets tricky - how deep is too deep? With a petrol car, it's fairly obvious - if water reaches and blocks the exhaust pipe or the air intake, you're in trouble. With an electric car, the battery pack is sealed, but not hermetically sealed so it's not designed to be even partially submerged.

Most manufacturers give a maximum wading depth in the handbook - typically 300-400mm for electric cars. Exceed that, and you're risking water ingress into the battery pack or electrical components. If that causes damage, as a few unfortunate drivers have found, this is not a warranty claim. Your insurer could also refuse the claim on grounds that you exceeded the vehicle's design limits.

The catch is, when you're faced with a flooded road, you often can't tell exactly how deep it is. My advice? If it looks deep, don't risk it. Turn around. Because if you damage your battery pack by driving through deep water, you're looking at a potential write-off, and your insurer might not pay out. In fact, I would strongly suggest that you avoid driving through floods at all costs unless it’s an absolute emergency.

Unauthorised Battery Repairs and Modifications

This is becoming more of an issue as electric cars age and batteries need attention. If your battery develops a fault outside the warranty period, you might be tempted to use an independent repairer rather than the manufacturer's service centre, especially if it's cheaper.

But - and this is crucial - if an unauthorised repair or modification to the battery causes damage or contributes to an accident, your insurance might not cover it.

For example, say you have some battery cells replaced by an independent garage to save money. Six months later, there's a battery fire. The insurer investigates and finds the non-OEM repair. They could argue that the unauthorised repair caused or contributed to the fire, and refuse the claim.

This is even more important with modifications. Some people modify their electric cars to increase range or performance - installing third-party battery management systems, upgrading cells, that sort of thing. Unless you've informed your insurer and they've specifically agreed to cover the modified vehicle, you've invalidated your policy.

The rule is simple: any work on the high-voltage battery system should be done by qualified technicians, using approved parts, and you should inform your insurer of any modifications. Don't risk it.

Commercial Use and Mileage Limits

This catches out a lot of people. If you've declared your car is for "social, domestic and pleasure" use only, but you're actually using it for business purposes, your policy could be invalid.

So what counts as business use? Well, driving to work at a fixed place of employment is usually fine under social and domestic cover. But if you drive to multiple client sites, if you carry business equipment, if you use the car as a mobile office - that's business use, and you need business cover.

We’ve seen an increase in drivers using their cars for home deliveries of parcels, food etc. Business cover does not cover these activities. You need what’s known as ‘Hire & Reward’ cover, otherwise known as Courier Insurance or Food Delivery Insurance. Without this cover you could invalidate your policy when using your car for these purposes. 

And this is where electric cars create a particular issue. Many people buy EVs thinking they'll save money on company car tax and use them primarily for work. But if you've got a cheaper "social and domestic" policy because you said it was mainly for personal use, when actually it's your daily work vehicle covering 20,000 business miles a year, there's a mismatch.

If you have an accident during a work journey and your insurer discovers you've underreported business use, they can refuse the claim.

Oh, and if you’re an employer who allows the use of a private car whilst on company business, known as the ‘Grey Fleet’ you have a legal obligation to ensure that the employee has a full driving licence, is insured for work mileage, has the car serviced per the manufacturer’s instructions and is road legal. 

Similarly, if you've declared 6,000 miles a year to get a cheaper premium, but you're actually doing 15,000 miles, that's misrepresentation. Insurers calculate risk partly based on mileage - more miles means more risk. If you've lied about it, your policy could be void.

Cyber Security and Software Failures

Here's a new one that's specific to modern, connected electric cars. Your insurance typically excludes loss or damage caused by cyber attacks or software failures.

Read your policy carefully. Many insurers have exclusions that read something like: "Loss or damage caused by a cyber act, including any software failure or the vehicle computer system not functioning as designed."

So, if your car gets hacked and someone remotely causes it to crash, your insurer might not cover it. If a software bug causes the car to malfunction and you have an accident, that might not be covered either.

Now, in practice, proving that an accident was caused by a software failure rather than driver error is difficult. But it's worth knowing this exclusion exists, because as cars become more connected and autonomous, cyber security and software reliability become bigger issues.

Track Days and Off-Road Use

This is fairly standard, but worth mentioning. If you take your electric car on a track day - even a supervised, organised one - most policies exclude any damage. You need specific track day insurance.

And if you go off-roading in your electric SUV, damage caused by off-road use might not be covered either, even if the car is marketed as capable of it.

The issue is that track use and off-road use put the car under stresses it wouldn't encounter in normal road driving. Insurers don't price for that risk under standard policies.

Racing and Competitions

Absolutely excluded on every policy I've seen. If you enter your electric car in any form of race, rally, speed trial, or competition, you're not covered. Even if it's just a friendly drag race at a car meet - technically, that's a competition, and your policy won't cover damage or accidents.

Highway Code Breaches and Contributory Negligence

Right, this is a really important one that many people don't think about. Breaching the Highway Code can affect your insurance claim through something called contributory negligence, something I’ve already mentioned - even if the accident wasn't entirely your fault.

Let me explain how this works. If you're in an accident and you've breached the Highway Code, your insurer can argue that you contributed to the accident or made it worse. They won't refuse the claim entirely - contributory negligence is a partial defence - but they can reduce your payout, sometimes substantially.

The Common Breaches:

Let's start with the obvious ones. If you're eating or drinking while driving and you have an accident, that's contributory negligence. You were distracted, your attention wasn't fully on the road, and even if the other driver was primarily at fault, you contributed by not being fully in control.

Using your mobile phone while driving - even hands-free, if it can be shown you were distracted - that's contributory negligence. Touch that screen to change a playlist, and if you then have an accident, your insurer could reduce your claim.

Not wearing a seatbelt doesn't prevent you from claiming, but it can significantly reduce your compensation. The argument is that you made your injuries worse by not protecting yourself. Courts regularly reduce compensation by 15-25% for not wearing a seatbelt, even when the accident wasn't your fault.

The Less Obvious Breaches:

Here's where it gets interesting. Rule 248 of the Highway Code states you should park in the direction of the traffic flow at night. If you park facing the wrong way and someone hits you, your insurer could argue contributory negligence.

Why? Because your rear lights aren't facing approaching traffic. Oncoming drivers see your front of your car, which at night doesn't have the same visibility as rear lights. If someone hits your parked car because they couldn't see it properly, and you're parked facing the wrong way, the insurer could reduce the payout.

Is it a strong argument? Debatable. But insurers will use it if they can, especially if the accident happened at night or in poor visibility conditions.

Other Highway Code Breaches That Can Affect Claims:

Failing to check your mirrors before changing lanes or direction. If you're in an accident and dashcam footage shows you didn't check your mirrors, contributory negligence.

Driving too close to the vehicle in front – known as tailgating. Even if the car in front brakes suddenly, if you're too close, you've contributed by not maintaining proper distance. This type of accident is a good reason for fitting a dash cam. There is such a thing known as ‘Cash For Crash’. 

This is where a car swerves in front of you and brakes hard, causing you to run into the back of the car in front. The claim is that you ran into the back of the car for no reason resulting in whiplash injuries to the driver and passengers along with damage to both cars.

The insurance companies are alert to this type of claim but you still need to treat them very cautiously. Good dashcam footage and witness statements can help you to avoid these illegal claims.   

Back to the highway code breaches:

Not giving way when the Highway Code says you should. This is particularly relevant at roundabouts and junctions. If you have right of way but the Highway Code recommends caution and you don't exercise it, contributory negligence.

Overtaking when it's not safe to do so. Rule 166 says don't overtake on corners, for example. Do it anyway and have an accident, and you've contributed.

Speeding. Obviously. Even a few miles per hour over the limit can be used as contributory negligence. The argument is that if you'd been at the speed limit, you might have been able to stop in time, or the impact would have been less severe.

The Touchscreen Danger - This Is Critical:

Now, here's a big one that's particularly relevant to electric cars, and it's becoming a serious issue: touchscreen distraction.

Many modern electric cars have moved almost all controls to a central touchscreen. Want to adjust the climate control? Touchscreen. Change the wiper speed? Touchscreen. Adjust the mirrors? Touchscreen. Even open the glovebox in some Teslas? Touchscreen.

Here's the problem: using that touchscreen while driving is just as distracting as using a mobile phone. In fact, studies show that interacting with touchscreens can badly affect reaction times more than being over the legal drink-drive limit or under the influence of drugs.

Let me give you a real example. In Germany, a Tesla model 3 driver hit a tree while adjusting the windscreen wipers on his touchscreen. He was fined and lost his licence for a month. The court ruled that using the touchscreen for what should be a simple control distracted him from the road, and that was careless driving.

Now, Germany's rules are stricter than the UK's at the moment, but the UK is moving in the same direction. And more importantly, from an insurance perspective, if you have an accident while fiddling with your touchscreen, your insurer is going to ask: "What were you doing at the time of the accident?"

If the answer is "I was trying to turn the wipers on through three menu screens," or "I was adjusting the climate control," your insurer can argue - and probably will argue - contributory negligence. You were distracted. You weren't paying full attention to the  road. Even if the other driver was primarily at fault, you contributed by being distracted. And with the latest cars’ ability to collect and store data it could easily match the exact time of impact with controls that were in use at the same time and identify that, say, you were using the touchscreen.

And here's where it could get worse. Rule 149 of the Highway Code is very clear: you must not use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. That's illegal. But Rule 150 also says you must exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times. If you're navigating through touchscreen menus while driving, are you exercising proper control?

An insurer could argue - and some are starting to make this argument - that using a touchscreen for non-essential functions while driving is similar to using a mobile phone. It's a visual and mental distraction that takes your attention away from the road.

The really worrying bit is this: research shows that it takes an average of 2-3 seconds to complete a task on a touchscreen. At 60mph, you travel 88 feet per second. So in 2.5 seconds, you've travelled 220 feet - that's over 60 metres - without properly looking at the road. That's the length of about 15 cars.

If you have an accident during that time, or immediately after, and it can be shown you were using the touchscreen, your insurer could potentially refuse the claim entirely on grounds of careless driving. At minimum, they'll apply significant contributory negligence.

Now, I'm not saying you can never touch your touchscreen while driving. If you're stopped at traffic lights, stationary in traffic, pulled over safely – that should be fine. But if you're moving, especially at speed, every second you spend looking at and tapping that screen is a second you're not watching the road.

This is becoming such an issue that EuroNCAP - the safety testing organisation - announced that from 2026, they'll be marking down cars that rely wholly on touchscreen controls for essential functions. They're requiring physical controls for things like wipers, indicators, hazard lights, and the horn. Why? Because touchscreens are just too distracting.

So here's my warning: treat your car's touchscreen like you would your mobile phone while driving. If you wouldn't pick up your phone to do it, don't do it on your touchscreen either. Set your climate control before you start driving. Set your navigation before you move off. If you need to adjust something while driving, either wait until it's safe to pull over, or if you have a passenger, get them to do it.

Because if you have an accident while using that touchscreen, your insurer is going to look very carefully at whether you were exercising proper control of the vehicle. And with the research showing touchscreen use impairs reaction times more than alcohol or drugs, you're going to have a very hard time arguing that you were in full control.

This is particularly important with electric cars because so many of them have moved everything to touchscreens. Tesla, Polestar, some Volvos, the VW ID range - they've all gone heavy on touchscreen controls. It's modern, it's tech-forward, but it's also potentially a liability if it causes you to have an accident.

The EV-Specific Considerations:

With electric cars, there are some specific Highway Code considerations. The Highway Code was updated to include guidance on electric vehicles, particularly around charging cables causing trip hazards.

If you're charging your car and someone trips over the cable, the question will be: did you take reasonable care to prevent the hazard? If you draped the cable across a public footpath with no warning, no cable protector, nothing to make it visible, and someone trips and gets injured, you've breached your duty of care.

Your liability insurance should cover it, but if you've been negligent in how you placed the cable, the insurer might argue you could have prevented it. They might still pay out - they have to under third-party liability - but they might not be happy about it, and it could affect your future premiums.

How Much Difference Does Contributory Negligence Make?

The reduction in compensation depends on how much you contributed. Here are some rough guidelines from case law:

Not wearing a seatbelt: 15-25% reduction in compensation, depending on whether it would have made a difference to injuries.

Using a mobile phone: 10-50% reduction, depending on how distracted you were and how much it contributed.

Speeding: Varies enormously. A few miles over might be 10-20%, significant speeding could be 50% or more.

Drunk driving: If you're injured while drunk driving, expect massive reductions - 50% or more. Some insurers will try to refuse the claim entirely, though legally they have to provide third-party cover.

Getting in a car with a drunk driver when you knew they were drunk: 20-30% reduction. There was actually a recent case where a passenger's compensation was reduced by 20% because the court ruled he must have known the driver was drunk.

The Bottom Line on Highway Code Breaches:

Don't assume that because the other driver was at fault, you'll get full compensation. If you've breached the Highway Code in any way - even a minor way - your insurer or the other party's insurer will look for contributory negligence to reduce what they have to pay.

The Highway Code isn't just guidance - it's used by courts and insurers as the standard for reasonable driving. Follow it. All of it. Because every breach is potential ammunition for an insurer to reduce your claim.

And here's the thing - with modern cars having dashcams, with traffic cameras everywhere, with black box insurance recording your every move, it's much harder to hide Highway Code breaches. The evidence is there. If you were on your phone, if you didn't check your mirrors, if you were speeding, it'll probably be captured somewhere.

So, drive according to the Highway Code, not just because it's the law, but because breaching it can cost you money even when an accident isn't your fault.

Modifications

Any modifications to the car - cosmetic or performance - should be declared to your insurer. This includes:

  • Aftermarket alloy wheels
  • Suspension modifications
  • Body kits
  • Window tinting (in some cases)
  • Performance upgrades
  • Software tuning
  • Battery upgrades

Fail to declare modifications, and your insurer can refuse your claim. Even if the modification had nothing to do with the accident - say you've got aftermarket wheels and you're rear-ended at traffic lights. If the other driver had no insurance and you are forced to claim on your insurance - they can refuse to pay because you misrepresented the vehicle.

Failing to Secure Charging Cables

Here's an EV-specific one. If someone trips over your charging cable while your car is plugged in, and they sue you, your insurance should cover it under third-party liability. But - and this is important - only if you took reasonable precautions.

If you've left your charging cable stretched across a public pavement with no warning signs or barriers, and someone trips and injures themselves, your insurer might argue you didn't take reasonable care. They could reduce the payout or refuse it entirely.

Similarly, if your charging cable or charger is stolen because you left it unsecured and easily accessible, some policies might not cover it, or they'll argue contributory negligence.

The rule is: if you're charging in public or on your driveway where pedestrians might pass, make sure the cable is as safe as possible. Use cable protectors, warning signs if appropriate, and don't create trip hazards.

Personal Belongings

Most policies have very limited cover for personal belongings left in the car - typically £100-£300, and only if the car was locked. Expensive items like laptops, phones, cameras - often not covered at all, or only covered if kept in the locked boot and out of sight.

This isn't EV-specific, but it's worth mentioning because many people assume comprehensive cover means everything is covered. It doesn't.

Wear and Tear, Depreciation, Mechanical Failure

Your insurance doesn't cover normal wear and tear, depreciation, or mechanical breakdown. If your battery gradually degrades over time, that's not an insurance claim. If your motor fails due to age and mileage, not covered.

Insurance is for sudden, unforeseen damage - accidents, theft, fire, vandalism. It's not for maintenance or component failures due to normal use.

Pre-Existing Damage

If damage existed before you took out the policy, or before the policy renewal date, it's not covered. This is why it's important to report any damage immediately, even if you're not making a claim right away.

Let's say you scrape the side of your car on a post, but it's minor so you don't claim. Six months later, you're in an accident that damages the same side of the car. When the insurer assesses the damage, they find the older scrape. They might argue that part of the damage was pre-existing and reduce the payout accordingly.

The Bottom Line

Right, so what's the takeaway from all this? Your electric car insurance policy has a lot of exclusions, some obvious, some not so obvious. But they all have one thing in common - if you trigger one of them, your claim could be reduced or refused entirely.

The key points to remember:

Maintain your car according to the schedule. Keep all service records.

Notify your insurer of any OTA updates that significantly change performance. Whilst that may be obvious check the policy as the insurer may insist that you advise all OTA updates or maybe any that add functions to the touchscreen.

Use EV-rated tyres when replacing tyres. Don't risk contributory negligence claims to save money.

Understand towing limitations - both being towed and towing things yourself. Get it in writing if you plan to tow.

Don't drive through deep water. If in doubt, turn around. There have been instances of water ingress causing serious damage to batteries. My advice, avoid driving through water at all times.

Use authorised repairers for any battery work. Inform your insurer of any modifications.

Be honest about how you use the car - mileage, business use, everything.

Secure charging cables properly to prevent trip hazards.

Declare all modifications, no matter how minor they seem.

Don't drive under the influence, don't drive without a licence, don't use the car for purposes not covered by your policy. These seem obvious, but they're the most common reasons for refused claims.

And here's the most important advice: Read your policy documents. Actually, read them all the way through. I know they're boring, I know they're full of legal jargon, but that boring document is the contract between you and your insurer. If you don't know what's in it, you don't know what you're covered for.

And if there's anything you don't understand, ask. Ring your insurer, get clarification in writing. "I didn't know" isn't a defence when you make a claim.

Using AI to Understand Your Policy

Here's where AI can help again. Upload your insurance policy document to Claude.ai or ChatGPT and ask it specific questions:

"What are the main exclusions in this policy?"

"Am I covered if I tow a caravan?"

"What happens if I use standard tyres instead of EV-rated ones?"

"Do I need to notify the insurer about OTA updates?"

The AI can read through your policy and explain the relevant sections in plain English. It's not legal advice, but it's a useful tool for understanding what you're actually covered for.

You could even upload both your policy and a list of questions and ask it to go through each one. Much easier than wading through 50 pages of insurance jargon yourself.

Final Thoughts

Look, insurance is there to protect you when things go wrong. But it only works if you meet your side of the contract. That means being honest, maintaining the car properly, using it appropriately, and not doing things that are explicitly excluded.

Electric cars have some specific exclusions that petrol car drivers might not be aware of. The tyre issue is a big one. The towing restrictions are important. OTA updates are new territory. Battery repairs need to be done properly. These are all things that could invalidate your claim if you get them wrong.

Don't assume your comprehensive policy covers everything. It doesn't. Read the exclusions. Understand them. And if you're not sure about something, ask before you do it, not after you've had an accident.

Because the time to find out what your policy doesn't cover is now, when you can do something about it. Not after you've had a claim refused and you're facing thousands of pounds in costs that you thought were covered.

Right, that's insurance exclusions sorted. Between this, the betterment podcast, the timing podcast, and the fronting podcast, you should now have a pretty comprehensive understanding of electric car insurance - what it covers, what it doesn't, how to get the best price, and how not to invalidate it.

Stay safe, drive carefully, and make sure you're properly covered. Because the best insurance claim is the one you never have to make.

If you want to order a copy of the book, Electric Cars – The Truth Revealed, 2026 edition which will contain all of the information included in these podcasts and more go to grahamhilltraining.com where you can pay for and download the current eBook. You will then receive the 2026 edition, free of charge once it's launched.

You can also forward order the training course which will be launched in 2026. If you pre-order the training with the book you will be able to buy it for pennies instead of the hundreds of pounds that we expect to sell the training for when we officially launch.

I've been Graham Hill and I'm off to make even more of a ruckus. Bye for now.