EV and Charging Equipment Insurance: What's Different

‍‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‍You're not just swapping diesel for batteries -- you're changing the risk picture, and some standard policies don't keep up unless you push them. You want that clear before you have a fire, a cable trip, or a dead pack on the back of a recovery truck.

6.12.1 EV vans -- what to check in your motor policy

For electric vans, the Road Traffic Act still only cares that you have basic third-party cover -- but the real detail is in the policy schedule.

Battery cover

• Is the traction battery fully covered for accident, fire, vandalism, flood and theft, whether it's owned, leased, or on a separate finance deal?
• Some policies treat a leased battery as a "separate item" -- you don't want a gap there.

Charging and cables

• Are you covered if someone trips on your charging lead at a job or at home (public liability / occupiers' liability question)?
• Does the policy cover damage or theft of cables and portable chargers, and on what excess/limits?

Breakdown and "out of juice"

• Does your breakdown add-on include EV-aware recovery (flatbed rather than dragging it) and mobile charging if you run out of range?
• Some breakdown products now specialise in EV battery recovery/recharge because improper recovery can damage packs.

Fire and storage

• Check whether they have any special conditions about battery fires in enclosed spaces (garages, underground car parks, shared yards).
• Some insurers insist on certain separation distances or no long-term charging in specific types of building -- worth knowing if you park in a tight terrace street or under a block.

Use and payload

• Same old rules: overloading, wrong use class, or using a "car" policy for a van full of tools can still void a claim -- EV doesn't change that, it just makes the van more expensive to replace.

Look for brokers or insurers with specific EV van products rather than relying on a rock-bottom online quote that hasn't been designed with electric vehicles in mind.

6.12.2 After an EV accident -- what's different

After a collision involving battery damage, the process is different from a diesel van:

Quarantine and storage

• Some recovery yards require EV vehicles with suspected battery damage to be stored in a quarantine area -- often 15m+ separation from other vehicles and buildings for 48+ hours.
• This adds to recovery and storage costs, which may or may not be fully covered by your policy.

Write-off thresholds

• EV vans are more likely to be written off after relatively minor underside impacts because battery damage is expensive to assess and repair.
• A pothole strike or kerbing that would be a £200 fix on a diesel could write off an EV van if the battery pack is compromised -- because the cost to inspect, test and potentially replace a battery can exceed the vehicle's value.
• This affects your insurance premium calculations and means even minor incidents can turn into total loss claims.

What to ask your broker

• "What's the process after an EV accident -- do you have EV-specific recovery and storage arrangements?"
• "How do you handle battery damage assessment -- do you have approved EV repairers?"

6.12.3 Installing chargepoints -- insurance and competence

If you're fitting EV chargers, you've now got electrical safety, product liability and cyber/payment angles to think about.

Technical side (regulatory)

• Installations must comply with BS 7671 (18th Edition), Section 722 -- dedicated circuits, RCD/RCBO type, correct earthing arrangements, PEN fault protection, etc.
• Domestic work falls under Building Regs Part P, so you need to be registered with a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT etc.) or involve Building Control.
• OZEV-grant work (home/workplace chargepoint grants) usually requires you to be on an OZEV-approved installer list and to meet their insurance/competence requirements.

EV Consumer Code

If you want to access OZEV grants and demonstrate quality to customers, you likely need to be a member of a consumer code scheme -- currently the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code for Charging Equipment (EVCCCE) or equivalent. This has specific insurance minimums that you must meet and maintain.

Insurance you should have in place as an installer

• Public liability -- with a limit that reflects worst-case fire/property damage from a faulty install (think whole house or small block, not just a damaged charger).
• Product / completed operations liability -- many PL policies wrap this in, but check; this responds if your work or a chargepoint you've supplied causes damage later.
• Professional indemnity -- more important if you're designing systems, specifying load management or signing off designs, not just following an engineer's spec. The EV Consumer Code suggests at least £250k PI as a baseline for installer members.

Consumer Protection Act 1987

Under this Act, you can be treated as part of the "producer" chain for defective products if you supply, brand or significantly modify equipment -- so you want product liability properly ticked off, not just assumed.

What to ask your broker

• "Is EV chargepoint installation explicitly covered on my PL/Product liability schedule?"
• "Is my design/spec work covered by PI if a charger I've specified later causes a fire or damage?"
• "Do I meet OZEV's and the EV Consumer Code's minimum requirements for installer insurance?"

6.12.4 Smart chargers and cyber risk

Modern chargepoints connect to the internet for load management, payment processing, and energy tariff optimisation.

• A compromised charger could theoretically be used to access a customer's home network or manipulate energy usage.
• If you install a smart charger that later gets hacked and causes damage or data loss, there may be liability questions.
• Make sure any chargepoints you install have up-to-date firmware and that customers know how to keep them updated.
• See guide 12.7 for broader cyber security advice.

6.12.5 Battery fires and enclosed spaces -- the emerging risk

EV battery fires are rare, but when they go, they're harder to put out and can produce a lot of heat and toxic smoke.

Points to think about

• If you're parking or charging vans in underground car parks, shared garages, under flats -- check your policy and the building's rules. Some landlords and insurers have specific policies or bans.
• For workplace chargers, you may need to follow the DNO/insurer's guidance on separation distances, signage and emergency access, especially in covered or multi-storey car parks.

From an insurance point of view

• Make sure your PL and motor policies don't sneak in exclusions for "high-voltage battery fires" or similar -- if it's mentioned at all, you want clarity about what is and isn't covered.
• If you operate a yard/compound, your property policy (if you have one) should reflect the value of any EVs parked/charged there and any increased fire load.

6.12.6 Landlord and freeholder restrictions

If you're charging at a rented property or in a shared car park:

• The lease may restrict or prohibit EV charging installations or overnight charging.
• Installing a charger without landlord consent could breach your lease.
• If damage occurs from a charger installed without permission, your insurance may argue you shouldn't have been doing it.
• Always get written landlord consent before installing any charging equipment at a rented property -- for yourself or for a customer.

What to do next

For trades driving EV vans

• Ask your existing van insurer, bluntly:
  • "If I switch to an EV van, what changes -- do you fully cover the battery, charging cables, and EV-specific breakdown?"
  • "Any conditions on where/how I can charge or park?"
  • "What's your process for EV accident recovery and battery damage assessment?"
• Get at least one quote from a specialist EV broker and compare cover, not just price.

For trades installing chargers

• Make sure you're up to date on BS 7671 Section 722 and Part P, or get the training before you dive in.
• Check your PL/PI schedules list EV chargepoint installation explicitly and meet any OZEV/Consumer Code installer insurance minimums.
• Talk to your broker about fire and product-liability exposure if a unit you fit later fails.

Sources

• Road Traffic Act 1988 -- legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/contents -- minimum motor insurance requirements.
• Consumer Protection Act 1987 -- legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/43/contents -- product liability for defective products in the supply chain.
• Insurance Act 2015 -- legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/4/contents -- duty of fair presentation for business insurance.
• BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 (IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition) -- Section 722 covering EV charging installations.
• Building Regulations 2010, Part P -- legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2214/contents -- electrical safety in dwellings.
• OZEV grant requirements -- published installer competence and insurance minimums for government chargepoint grants.
• EV Consumer Code -- published standards and insurance requirements for chargepoint installers.
• Fire and Rescue Service guidance on EV battery fires, thermal runaway, and parking/charging in enclosed spaces.

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