Car insurance Drivers of Chinese EVs struggle to get cover

Firms do not offer cover for some models, or charge more than for equivalent petrol cars. Shane Hickey and Jasper Jolly report

- Shane Hickey and Jasper Jolly

Only Admiral and Aviva would cover the XPeng G6, at an average cost of £936 a year - higher than a petrol Hyundai Kona

(PHOTOGRAPH: MARK ANDREWS/ALAMY)

UK insurers are more hesitant to cover some hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) from China than cars from other countries, research suggests.

While some drivers can save money by buying cars made in China, they may have more limited options to get insurance than those buying electric, hybrid and petrol cars from Europe, America and South Korea.

And when policies are available, they can sometimes cost almost twice as much as those for similar petrol vehicles from outside China.

Chinese brands such as BYD, XPeng and Jaecoo have become common on UK roads. In March this year, the Jaecoo 7 was the UK’s bestselling new car. Dubbed the “Temu Range Rover”, it comes as both a hybrid and a petrol vehicle.

However, figures from sales site Carwow show that sourcing insurance may take some of the sheen off buying a Chinese car. In its survey, half of the requests for quotes were declined.

It took four models - the hybrid Jaecoo 7, the XPeng G6, the BYD Seal U and the Skywell BE11 - and asked five insurers for quotes for a 27-year-old man living in Hampshire.