Premature maybe, but for financial planning's sake I thought I would shop around for insurance quotes. Didn't get very far online, tried StateFarm and Geico, but Tesla is not even listed among the brands. Pinged my insurance agent, but thought I'd check with the rest of you (Roadster owners in particular) if anyone else managed to get anywhere with insurance?
Yup, On friday I asked Geico, for a $100k Model S I think they said it would be about $700/yr If I was just adding it (currently have a '02 lex ls430 and '08 rav4)
That's pretty much the quote Geico gave me for a Roadster a few months ago as well. Liability, collision, and comp with $1000 deductibles. It was not outrageous given that the car cost 3x more than any other car I had ever insured.
Was just wondering about this since I'm close to the front of the S list. I had no problem insuring the Roadster (with 21st Century), but it had been out over a year before I got mine. I'm mainly worried the S won't be in the insurance company computers by the time I take delivery.
Yeah, I'd say so. Hey, when TM calls you to get your option preferences, let us know, will ya? I imagine that you'll be in the first (or one of the first) groups to get a call outside the Founders.
Erie has a new category for electric only cars. Rates were quoted only a couple hundred more than my 2006 Prius. May be worth looking into for a rate comparison. No I don't work in insurance.
I checked with Encompass who is my insurance company and they gave me a preliminary quote of about $1,110 for me. They couldn't give me an exact quote until I gave them the VIN of the car because it isn't in their system yet. I can't recall the exact details of my auto coverage, but it is pretty good coverage, so I think a range from about $700 to $1,200 a year seems in the ballpark from the various insurance companies depending on whom you go with.
Just don't wreck any Model Ss until I get my insurance. I don't want GEICO to think people driving these things are crash prone! :wink:
Thanks for the tips. I was not as successful... Sent an email to my local statefarm agent and got a very confused phone call in return... "This will just take a minute." Right... She was talking about not being able to find the car in "their system" except for "last year's model". I was trying to explain, several times, that it's not in production yet. After a pointed question of "are you sure that's not the Roadster?", sure enough that's what it was (yes, I did specify "Tesla Model S" in my email). Lastly she tried to base the quote solely on purchase price along with "comparable cars, like Lotus or Corvette" before I repeatedly said that this is a family car. "Oh..." I finally got back. After a few more confused minutes, I cut her off, asked her to do some research and get back to me... Honestly, I know this is a fan-based forum and maybe I was testy, but if you a) work with car insurance and b) live in Silicon Valley, what kind of a rock do you have to live under to not know anything about this car? Not to mention not even bothering with a Google search before calling your client? </gripe>
Incompetence is rampant and the general populous is unaware of the EV revolution. Though it is surprising for someone in Silicon Valley not to have a clue. Maybe they outsource their e-mail and you were talking to someone in a call center in Podunkville.
I gave my Walnut Creek-based Liberty Mutual agent a heads-up late last year by sending him URLs and such regarding the Model S; he indicated that he should have no issues finding the car in their system later this year once it's in the fed database.
Liberty Mutual insures my Roadster - the only issue is that my agent wanted a ride . He gave me a 2nd car discount and my rates went up approx $15/month. He just checked the database you're referencing, gg, and said 'no problem'.
I would think it should be closest to Audi A8 as it is all aluminum, similar size, price, and acceleration.
I don't believe you'll get a quote remotely close to actual until the EPA sticker is available and NHSTA crash test results are made public. And then multiply by 2 if you get it in Sig red. :wink:
Prior to crash test results I can't see any insurance company giving you a reliable quote. $1100 is way to high, I pay much less than that on my roadster. The S will have better crash test results. I also would suspect a sedan is less costly than a roadster to insure. Replacing carbon fiber is a lot more expensive than fixing a dent in an aluminum panel.
Asked for a 2nd quote for it and they couldn't give me one. I asked if they could give me one for a BMW 5 series or A7 as an estimate. They said $800 more due to a 2nd car with a 2K deductible. Keep in mind NJ has one of the highest rates in the US due to TRA (territorial rate adjustment), which means regardless of where you live you pay the same amount (if you live in the worst crime ridden, accident prone area, you pay the same amount as someone in a sleepy town that has no crime and very little accidents)