I took the time to read the majority of this thread...
2016 Model S 90D - Property Damage Claim Post Mortem
I have to admit, my heart skipped a beat several times and I really felt for the OP and others that have gone through hell and back (sometimes not back) with claims. I just bought my first Tesla (2016 90D) and really would like to protect myself as best as possible.
It is clear that Tesla's are viewed differently by different companies. Any advice out there on carriers that handle themselves with integrity and fairness?
Dave
It's important to note that that thread is almost three years old. This is an eternity in how fast Tesla has been moving and changing. Insurance companies were still reeling from the # of cars sitting in shops for simple collisions for months and months waiting for the parts supply lines to fulfill demand. The rental costs were killing their bottom line. Also, it was around this time that Tesla allowed 3rd parties the honor to work on their cars. All of this has shifted the costs of repair under insurance claims.
Insurance carriers are also starting to get the data on how difficult it is to successfully steal a Tesla, how much less frequently they get into accidents and also how much less the medical payouts are for cars that are involved in collisions due to safety features.
Some insurance providers are slower to update their cost structure and premiums based on all of the above. This isn't a good or a bad thing necessarily but don't be surprised if the slower to react companies have higher premiums based on older data.
Shop. Shop. Shop.
In our case, our insurance company (Bristol West, a sister company of Farmers) didn't even want to insure our first used Model S. At all. Our agent suggesting migrating to Farmers which was going to cost more money but the hike was astronomical. After about 15-years of loyalty we learned that that loyalty was clearly a one-way-street. We used that change to shop around and we're so glad we did.
USAA was decent for us but ultimately Progressive was the lowest premiums and it wasn't even close.
We insured a 4dr sedan, pick-up truck and our primary residence previously. At one point, we had three Model S, a 4dr sedan, a pick-up and our home all on the same policy. Once we narrowed it down to two Model S cars and our primary residence our annual insurance policy with Progressive was LOWER than it was previously with Bristol West for the first arrangement I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph and it had better coverage.
I think a lot of people who talk of how expensive they are to insure don't shop enough providers. Everyone is different so you may find a better deal with another provider but you'll never know unless you check with all of them.
