Insurance costs?

[GlennH]

I would imagine the opposite is true with Tesla Model 3. So expensive to work on and such a delay that they will be totaled before most other cars would.

However, a Tesla will also avoid getting into accidents better than any other car.
It sounds like some insurance companies take that into consideration, with the wide rang of quotes people are getting -- Assuming the companies actually pay off in a similar fashion...

As was pointed out by others, Insurance Companies consider MANY factors so it is hard to do an apples to apples comparison. My concern is that there may well be a wide variation in how well they pay off when you do get in a wreck. That information seems hard to come by until it is too late.

 

[MrMassTransit]

Has anyone researched what auto insurance companies actually pay off the best?

I have see horror stories like being forced by the insurance company to take a car that should have been totaled in an end to end collision and getting it "fixed" instead of totaled -- probably because of the cost of Teslas.

I agree, that’s more important to me than a low rate. I did some research and USAA and Amica came up as very highly rated in terms of processing claims. I got a quote from Amica, it was 2x what I pay today. From what I have read, State Farm doesn’t fair too badly, but they are not the top. I have stuck with them because they covered me on a homeowner’s claim (condo unit where there was a fire elsewhere in the building) when many of my neighbor’s insurance companies did not stand behind them. If Amica could get within a few hundred per year of State Farm, I’d consider them just based on their outstanding reputation in the marketplace. I’d be interested in hearing what others have experienced/researched on this point. I’m really not interested in shopping around to save since I feel that SF has my back - but if I can upgrade to even better coverage for a reasonable increase, I’d consider it.

 

[MrMassTransit]

To follow up on my previous post, here's some independent research on that topic:

JD Power 2018 US Auto Claims Satisfaction Study

 

[N54TT]

To follow up on my previous post, here's some independent research on that topic:

JD Power 2018 US Auto Claims Satisfaction Study

Anyone know why USAA I didn’t meet the study award criteria?

 

[tvad]

Anymore know why USAA I didn’t meet the study award criteria?

Probably because USAA restricts its customers to current and former US service members, whereas the other companies have no such restriction.

 

[N54TT]

Probably because USAA restricts its customers to current and former US service members, whereas the other companies have no such restriction.

Gotcha. Thanks!

 

[srs5694]

Has anyone researched what auto insurance companies actually pay off the best?

I have see horror stories like being forced by the insurance company to take a car that should have been totaled in an end to end collision and getting it "fixed" instead of totaled -- probably because of the cost of Teslas.

Consumer Reports has looked at this, but you may need to be a subscriber to read the full ratings:

Car Insurance Buying Guide

 

[djroberts]

I haven't ordered my Model 3 yet, but I was curious .. someone I was chatting with says that Teslas and other EVs have higher insurance rates. The liability is cheaper with all of the safety features, but due to all the expensive tech and sensors everywhere, the costs to repair are way higher than a gas car, and that makes the insurance rates go up a lot. Is this true? When you switched to your Tesla the first time, did you notice a significant increase? Just curious

Collision is high and had been rising. My insurance just went up 60 per month. They say it's due to the high price of repairs.

Shopping around is not always effective but worth a try. Insurance companies collect data on you and if your low risk it can be hard to beat your current rate since your higher risk to a company that doesn't know you. This gets worse with time.

 

[tvad]

I recently drilled down on this topic, and after extensive research which included several customer satisfaction studies, I decided to stay with our present insurer. One thing mentioned in a study (might have been a JD Power study), is that customer satisfaction varies based on geography. For example, Mercury Insurance customers outside California were less satisfied than customers within California...most of whom were very satisfied with Mercury.

It might be worthwhile to read the state-specific JD Power studies based on your location.