中国电动汽车在英国几乎无法投保，尽管它们没有任何问题

尽管中国品牌大量涌入英国，但许多保险公司出于多种原因对承保新型电动汽车犹豫不决

作者：萨姆·D·史密斯

2024 年 3 月 9 日 08:55https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BYD-Seal-Insurance-Main-1024x576.jpg

英国保险公司正在回避中国电动汽车，许多新车型几乎无法投保，而另一些车型的保费则高得令人望而却步。这种现象主要是由于担心维修成本高、技术信息缺乏以及更换零件的交货时间长。

《汽车快报》的一份报告中指出，投保困难的汽车包括比亚迪Seal、长城欧拉03，甚至还有一些名爵车型。英国保险业资助的风险情报公司Thatcham Research将担忧归咎于中国汽车制造商对欧洲维修流程缺乏了解。

萨查姆研究中心的负责人本·汤森很快指出，他认为这些汽车本身没有任何问题。相反，他认为新进入市场的电动汽车制造商尚未适当地参与保险业。

相关：英国电动汽车车主面临飙升的保险费率，支付的费用是内燃机汽车的两倍https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2023-BYD-Seal-1024x576.jpg

“向中国以及印度和越南的组织传达的信息是，不要只是将汽车带到英国市场并认为可以出售它，”汤森德说。“来与我们交谈，了解市场，了解您需要采取的步骤，以便当您将其推向市场时，您确实拥有正确的物流。我们确实拥有独立的维修网络，可以为您的车辆提供支持并使其在市场上可持续发展，从而降低总拥有成本并确保消费者获得他们应得的选择。”

然而，在英国保险费用不断上涨的受害者不仅仅是中国电动汽车。今年早些时候的一份报告显示，电动汽车用户支付的保费几乎是驾驶燃油汽车的用户的两倍。另一篇文章再次聚焦于英国电动汽车保险市场，报道了特斯拉车主面临的不断膨胀的成本。与此同时，一家提供商选择不再为 Smart EQ ForFour 续保。

另一份报告强调了保险公司如何因轻微的电池问题而注销西方主流制造商的汽车。使用电池作为结构元件的车辆更容易被保险公司报废。

进一步阅读：保险公司因电池小问题而将电动汽车全部赔付，这对每个人来说都是一个问题https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2022-Ora-Funky-Cat-1024x576.jpg

然而，英国国家车身维修协会执行董事马丁·罗利（Martyn Rowley）特别指出了中国制造商和零件供应不足的问题。在接受Auto Express采访时，他以 GWM ORA 03（以前称为 Funky Cat）为例：“我们的维修人员出于愚蠢的原因将这辆车报废了，因为如果它是一辆福特汽车，它会飞过车身修理厂。”或者沃克斯豪尔，”他说。“不幸的是，你无法获得零件；他们不适用于该车辆，考虑到这些都是价值数百万英镑的业务，我认为这是荒谬的。”

Auto Express向长城欧拉询问了这些问题，公司发言人证实，他们知道一些车主在获得保险方面面临困难。他们还表示，尽管该公司声称可以确保良好的零件可用性，但他们正在采取多项措施来改进情况。长城欧拉表示，事实上，问题可能在于对品牌不熟悉，“第三方沟通故障”夸大了零件的交货时间。

还有另一个障碍。在中国国内市场，制造商并不总是存在有关如何维修车辆的文档。在其他情况下，修复的可行性不匹配。尽管中国的劳动力成本要低得多，但大型车身维修可能被视为一项简单的工作。在这种情况下，这些信息会从中国转发到西方汽车修理厂。然而，由于欧洲劳动力价格较高，这种修复在经济上没有意义。

尽管英国保险业与中国汽车制造商的期望之间显然存在一些差距，但最终的输家还是消费者。在即将生效的关税之后，这可能成为降低中国电动汽车在英国和欧洲市场竞争力的一个重要因素。https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-MG4-EV-1024x612.jpg

Chinese EVs Become Virtually Uninsurable In UK Even Though There’s Nothing Wrong With Them

While Britain sees an influx of Chinese marques, many insurers are hesitant to underwrite the new EVs for a number of reasons

by Sam D. Smith

March 9, 2024 at 08:55

Chinese EVs are being shunned by insurance companies in the UK, with many new models being virtually uninsurable while others have prohibitively high premiums. This phenomenon is primarily due to fears of high repair costs, lack of technical information, and long lead times for replacement parts.

Cars identified in a report by Auto Express as being challenging to insure include the BYD Seal, GWM Ora 03, and even some MG models. The UK’s insurance industry-funded risk intelligence company, Thatcham Research, attributes apprehension to the Chinese automakers’ lack of understanding of European repair processes.

Ben Townsend, the head of Thatcham Research, is quick to point out that he feels there’s nothing wrong with the cars themselves. Instead, he thinks new-to-market EV makers haven’t appropriat。

Related: EV Owners Face Soaring Insurance Rates In UK, Pay Double What ICE Cars Do

“The message to Chinese organizations, and those in India and Vietnam, is don’t just bring a car to the UK market and think you can sell it,” says Townsend. “Come and talk to us, understand the market, understand the steps you need to take so that when you do bring it to market, you do have the right logistics in place. We do have an independent repair network that can support your vehicle and make it sustainable in the marketplace, driving down total cost of ownership and ensuring consumers get the choice they deserve.”

However, it’s not just Chinese EVs that have been victims of spiraling insurance costs in the UK. A report earlier this year showed that EV users are paying nearly double the premiums of those who drive combustion vehicles. A separate story, again focusing on the UK EV insurance market, reported the ballooning costs faced by Tesla owners. At the same time, one provider opted not to renew cover on a Smart EQ ForFour.

Yet another report highlighted how insurers are writing off cars from mainstream Western manufacturers due to minor battery issues. Vehicles that use batteries as structural elements are more prone to being totaled by insurance companies.

Further Reading: Insurers Are Totaling EVs For Minor Battery Issues, And That’s A Problem For Everyone

However, Martyn Rowley, executive director of the UK’s National Body Repair Association, singles out Chinese manufacturers and the lack of parts availability. Speaking to Auto Express, he cited the GWM ORA 03 (formerly known as the Funky Cat) as an example: “We have repairers that have written that car off for stupid reasons, for something that would fly through a bodyshop if it were a Ford or a Vauxhall,” he says. “Unfortunately, you just can’t get parts; they’re not available for that vehicle, which I think is ridiculous considering that these are multi-million-pound businesses.”

Auto Express asked GWM ORA about the issues, and a company spokesperson confirmed that they were aware of some owners facing difficulties obtaining insurance coverage. They also said they are taking several steps to improve things, although the company claims that good parts availability is ensured. GWM ORA suggests that the issue may, in fact, lie with an unfamiliarity with the brand, with “third-party communication breakdowns” that exaggerate the parts’ lead times.

There’s another barrier, too. In the Chinese domestic market, manufacturer documentation on how to repair vehicles does not always exist. In other cases, there’s a mismatch in the viability of repairs. While labor rates are much lower in China, a major bodywork repair may be seen as a straightforward job. In such instances this information is relayed from China to western bodyshops. However, thanks to Europe’s higher labor rates, such a repair would not make financial sense.

While it’s clear there are several gaps between the UK insurance industry and the expectations of Chinese automakers, the losing party is ultimately the consumer. And in the wake of looming tariffs that may come into play, this could prove to be a significant factor in reducing the competitiveness of Chinese EVs in the UK and European markets.