EV Suffers Minor Fender Bender, Owner Stunned as Repair Bill Skyrockets to $42,000 When Mechanics Start Work
Even a small bump on an electric vehicle can mean big money in repairs, as one Rivian owner has discovered. In May, Rivian R1T owner Chris Apfelstadt went public with the cost of a February accident in which his truck…
Even a small bump on an electric vehicle can mean big money in repairs, as one Rivian owner has discovered.
In May, Rivian R1T owner Chris Apfelstadt went public with the cost of a February accident in which his truck was rear-ended. The bottom line was an eye-popping $42,000, according to the auto news website The Drive.
“I expected it to be expensive, but it was still a shocking number,” Apfelstadt said, according to The New York Times.
Between the cost of the repair and the rental car Apfelstadt used in the interim, the whole venture came “very close to maxing out the other driver’s $50,000 insurance payout limit,” The Drive reported.
The Times report said huge repair bill for electric vehicles is a reason that the average cost of fixing a vehicle — gas- or electric-powered — has risen 36 percent since 2018, which has contributed to the 17 percent hike in insurance premiums in the 12 months that ended in May.
The Times summed up the repair world by writing that vehicles, including many electric ones on the market, “have become so complex and luxurious that seemingly simple repairs can cost a small fortune.
“The modern digital architecture is so advanced that systems beyond point of impact are being disrupted,” Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance for Mitchell, a company that provides information to insurance companies and auto repair businesses, told the Times.
“Getting a car back to pre-loss condition is harder than at any point in history, and will only become more challenging,” he said.
The Times reports said Rivian, the maker of Apfelstadt’s vehicle, has a limited repair network of about 200 shops, unlike Ford’s 2,800 dealers.