Three of the top five models most likely to get in a crash in the U.S. in 2024 are electric vehicles, according to data compiled by Insurify. 

The Kia Soul EV topped the list with an accident rate of 15.14%. The Mazdaspeed 3 (12.57%), Chevrolet Bolt EUV (11.75%), Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (11.74%), and Volkswagen ID.4 (11.68%) filled out the rest of the top five. 

Others on the list included the Jeep Wrangler/YJ (11.64%), Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid (11.44%), Chevrolet Bolt EV (11.40%), Ram 2500 (11.21%), and Chrysler Voyager (11.21%). 

In a recent Yahoo Autos article, Marcus Lu, of Visual Capitalists, said the instant torque in EVs could be the explanation for higher crash rates. 

“A likely reason for [the high number of EVs on the accident-prone list] could be the way electric motors deliver instant torque, which may surprise drivers who are used to the more gradual power curve of gasoline engines,” Lu said in the article. 

The article also refers to a University of Limerick 2024 study that found EVs are 4% more likely to be involved in an at-fault insurance claim, and hybrids are 6% more likely. 

According to the study, electric and hybrid drivers exhibit different behaviors than drivers of traditional vehicles. 

Last year, Hertz sold 20,000 of its U.S. EV fleet to reinvest in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. 

Stephen Scherr, Hertz’s chief executive, told The New York Times that the EVs were involved in more crashes. 

“Electric cars accelerate more quickly than gasoline vehicles, and they are heavier,” Scherr told the newspaper. 

EV crashes come with different risks than ICE vehicles. Current roadway safety infrastructure is not made for heavier EVs; their battery fires are more difficult for fire departments to manage, and damaged batteries trigger extensive safety protocols for fire, police, tow truck drivers and collision repair facilities. 

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been researching how roadway safety infrastructure performs during EV crashes. 

The test is the first-of-its-kind using an EV pickup truck, according to a release published last year. The weight of battery packs used in EVs is known to cause the vehicles to be heavier. 

“There is some urgency to address this issue,” said Cody Stolle, assistant director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, in the release. “As the percentage of EVs on the road increases, the proportion of run-off-road crashes involving EVs will increase as well.”

During a special presentation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting in 2023, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Senior Test Coordinator Sean O’Malley said the most recently weighed EV, a 2023 Rivian R1S, came in at more than 7,000 pounds — almost 3,000 pounds more than a 2023 Honda Civic. That’s a difference in weight equivalent to a 2023 Ford Ranger.

Last year, South Korea created an EV certification program following an electric Mercedes-Benz fire that damaged 140 vehicles and displaced residents. 

The incident followed a lithium battery fire that caused severe traffic problems for about 44 hours on 1-15, the main freeway between Las Vegas and Southern California. 

Brian O’Connor, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) senior fire protection engineer, previously told Repairer Driven News that firefighters and the general public need more education and better tools to counter EV fire risks. He said studies show gas or diesel vehicles are more likely to catch fire, but EV fires are more difficult for first responders to manage. 

Typically, an EV battery takes longer to extinguish than a gas or diesel vehicle, O’Connor said. He said it also takes more effort from first responders to get water on the battery, often under the vehicle’s floor. The location can be different for each make and model. 

A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article from 2024 found that some fire departments are letting EV fires burn out rather than waste the gallons of water needed to extinguish the fires. It noted a September Nissan Leaf fire in Franklin, Tennessee, that needed 45,000 gallons of water compared to a gas vehicle fire, which typically requires between 500 and 1,000 gallons. 

O’Connor said letting a fire burn out might work for some fire departments if the vehicle fire is on a rural road or away from other structures. He said it isn’t a reasonable plan for every scenario. 

Collision repair facilities also have to consider the risk of battery fires. 

Damaged EVs involved in a collision should be stored 50 feet from other vehicles and structures because of fire risks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Isolation bays, which include concrete walls and drainage systems, are recommended for storing damaged EVs.

The University of Limerick study notes that EVs are 6.7% more expensive to repair than gas vehicles.

According to the Plugged-In EV Collisions Insights report, the average claims severity for repairable BEVs was relatively flat at $6,236 in the U.S., a YoY decrease of 3%, and $7,241 in Canada, a YoY increase of 2%.

For mild and plug-in hybrids, severity averages ranged from $4,726 to $5,583 in the U.S. and $6,104 to $6,261 in Canada.

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Photo courtesy of onurdongel/iStock 

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