Autosure’s support for EVs

This story first appeared in the September issue of EvTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

At Autosure we like to do the right thing by customers, our partners, our country and the world.

That’s why we’re keen to support the growth in clean energy and why we’ve got in behind electric vehicles in such a major way.

Part of the evolution we like to be at the forefront of new technology, so that we can use our innovative business model to develop new products and services tailored to our dealers and their customers.

That’s why we were quick to create a Mechanical Breakdown Insurance (MBI) policy designed specifically for electric vehicles in early 2017.

Since then we’ve continued to listen to and seen the change in the automobile New Zealand market.

More and more manufacturers are getting on board with electric vehicles, delivering more models with longer ranges, faster charging times and lower prices.

The New Zealand Government is supporting electric vehicles, with a range of initiatives.

And globally a shift in consumer spending habits, along with a growing sense of environmental responsibility (especially among younger drivers), is sending electric vehicles mainstream.

That’s why we’ve now done away with the separate policy and incorporated an Electric Vehicle Package into our new Mechanical Breakdown Insurance policy released in May this year.

Providing a policy that covers electric vehicles is a great way of helping our dealer network sell more electric vehicles and enable them to give customers confidence for the road ahead.

Our policy provides useful cover at a reasonable price, plus it covers all makes, models and types – Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), eg, Nissan Leaf, Range-Extended Electric Vehicles (REEV), eg, BMW i3, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), eg, Mitsubishi Outlander and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), eg, Toyota Prius.

Electric vehicles have many great features that set them apart from traditional petrol vehicles, but they also have many features in common.

And all of these can break down.

So that’s why Mechanical Breakdown Insurance is a great protection for electric vehicle owners to have.

Repairer networkas New Zealand’s largest used car warranty provider, we feel we have the responsibility to help build a repairer infrastructure to provide back-up for our policies and peace of mind for our dealers and their customers.

So we moved quickly in 2017 to create a specific list of electric vehicle repairers.

We have more than 4500 repairers on our database and thoroughly assess each repairer in terms of training, safety and tools before recognising them as Autosure Approved Repairers.

Those on our specialist list have taken the time to complete safety and/or knowledge courses on electric vehicles and we’re expanding the list as demand increases, so we’re confident in our strength to support electric vehicle policyholders from Kaitaia to Invercargill.

The future Electric vehicles may look pretty much like any other car from the outside, but it’s a different story under the bonnet.

However, with proper training and processes repairs can be done safely, efficiently and often with the repairer staying a lot cleaner.

No matter how fast technology is changing, at Autosure our focus is the customer.

Our policies are designed to protect vehicle owners, providing peace of mind that they’ll get sorted if something happens – whether their vehicle is powered by petrol, diesel, electricity or the sun.

And whatever vehicles dealers are selling today (and tomorrow) they can rely on Autosure having a product and service offering to support it.

If you would like to find out more about our protection products for electric vehicles, contact us on 0800 267 873, or talk to your local Autosure account manager who will be happy to help.