Are the drawbacks of electric cars being ignored? This is my honest view as an EV expert

Steve FowlerTue, July 14, 2026 at 4:05 PM UTC

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Steve Fowler with the Fiat Grande Panda (Steve Fowler)

Electric cars have become a familiar sight on Britain’s roads, yet many drivers remain unconvinced they're ready for everyday life. Questions about repair costs, insurance premiums and charging infrastructure still land in my inbox on a regular basis.

Paul Bunstone recently emailed me after watching a BBC report on electric vehicles. He wrote: “I’m concerned that drawbacks to EVs are just being ignored and not highlighted. I watched a report on the BBC and, in a simple crash at 20mph, the vehicle was undriveable, several thousands of pounds in damage was done and repairs would take several weeks. It was far worse than for a petrol or diesel vehicle. Insurance costs for EVs are significantly more expensive and charging sites are in unwelcoming locations. None of these are ever mentioned.”

As it happens, I was involved in that BBC report, speaking to reporter Theo Leggett about the crash test and the wider issue of EV insurance.

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I watched the crash test happen, with a current model Dacia Spring – a car that has been around for quite a while and was designed many years ago. What I found most interesting, especially talking to the insurance and repair experts at Thatcham, who conducted the test, was how quickly both the car and insurance industries are learning about EVs. And we have to remember that in the greater scheme of things, we’re still in the early days of electric cars.

For example, the Spring’s charging socket in the nose of the car – and the way it was connected – was badly damaged in the low-speed impact. Dacia will have learned from that, while Thatcham will use that knowledge to advise both Dacia and other car makers on how they can make changes on future models to avoid such damage, making them safer, easier to repair and, therefore, cheaper to insure.

That brings me on to the point of EV insurance, and yes, there have been lots of stories about exorbitant electric car insurance costs. Ultimately, the insurance industry, which I worked in when I left school, calculates risk based on known knowns. If it doesn’t know, it errs on the side of caution and prices highly.

Until recently, data on electric cars and the risks they pose for insurers, which will result in cost of repair or any other liabilities, was limited. With the number of EVs now being sold and run, there’s a far greater amount of data, whether that’s how they’re being driven or how easy they are to repair. That’s especially true when it comes to batteries – the most expensive part of an EV – and what the cost of repair might be in any incident.

So, costs are coming down and in my own case, when we swapped our family lease car from a small petrol SUV to a mid-size all-electric SUV, we found ourselves paying less for insurance.

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My advice on insurance is always to shop around when you’re buying a new car, just so there’s no nasty shock when you come to insure your new car. The same rule applies when you’re renewing your insurance – always shop around.

Your point about EV charging stations is an excellent one – and the accessibility of charging points is something I feel very passionately about. Again, things are changing – fast.

Rather than being hidden in the darkest corners of a car park, many newer charging stations are in bespoke areas that are well lit and well monitored. We’re also seeing more fuel station-style charging hubs that, again, are modern, clean, bright and often manned.

I’m also pleased to report that more care is going into the sighting and design of charging stations to make them easier to use for people with disabilities, too.

So, to answer all your questions, Paul, we’re on a journey towards full electrification – that’s still our government’s plan. There were, and still are, some initial problems, but everyone is learning fast and things are getting better – and EVs are becoming more and more affordable to buy, run and insure.

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