Electric cars are at least as fire safe as a car with a combustion engine

A car fire. You hope you never have to deal with it. In most cases, car fires involve a culpable technical defect, arson or an accident. That a fully electric or hybrid car would pose a greater risk is a myth, just like the story that a plug-in car is not insured against fire damage.

Fire is rare in electric cars

Car fires are relatively common, but in few cases do they involve electric cars. You might expect that there is a greater risk of fire from the battery of an electric car, but manufacturers have also thought about that themselves. The entire electrical system is extremely well secured. As a result, car fires from the vehicle itself with a technical cause do not often occur in practice, according to Theo Dijkmans, heavy equipment and technology expert at Achmea.

An advantage of an EV compared to a ‘conventional’ car is the lack of a hot engine and highly flammable fuel. In electric cars, fire in the battery pack is the risk factor, because extinguishing it is quite difficult. But that is also a rarity.

Travel well insured

There is no reason for insurers to use a different type of policy for EVs than for cars with a combustion engine. Of course, the premium is linked to the list value of the car and its weight, which is normal. Please note whether items such as a charging cable and other accessories are included in the insurance. On the electric car insurance from Interpolis this is insured as standard.

This is how you safely charge an electric car

It remains important to charge your electric car safely. A risk that many electric car owners overlook has to do with the charging cable. With the tips below from Theo you reduce the risk of something going wrong.

• You can simply charge a car when it rains. In principle, the plug is secured in such a way that water cannot enter it. But if you leave it outside for a really long time, there is a chance that something will go wrong.
• A charging cord could become slightly warmer during charging. But really warm, or even hot, is a bad thing. The same applies to cracks in the outer protective layer through which you can see the electrical cables. A kink in the cord is also usually not a good sign. Then stop using the charging cable or have it checked by an expert first.
• Always grasp the plug itself and not the cord. Never pull on the cord to disconnect the plug from the charger. This is disastrous for the connection between the cord and the plug.

Find out more about Interpolis’ electric car insurance here.