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If you are planning on buying a Tesla- AARP/Hartford will not insure it.

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If you are planning on buying a Tesla- AARP/Hartford will not insure it.

I have had AARP/Hartford auto insurance for a number of years.  I just tried to add a Tesla to my policy and was shocked to find out the Hartford will not cover it.  I had to find an new auto insurance carrier.

Apparently a few insurance companies won't cover Tesla vehicles.

I suggested that AARP find another partner that can meet the needs of it's members.

Just another thing to think about when shopping for an automobile

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Honored Social Butterfly

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FRONT PORCH IS NOT THE CORRECT AREA TO POST ABOUT YOUR ISSUES WITH AARP'S AUTO INSURANCE OFFERINGS.

 

IT IS ABOUT RISK. WHAT IS THE RISK OF WHAT YOU WANT TO INSURE. JUST WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THE BATTERIES CATCHING ON FIRE.

PRINCIPLES OF INSURANCE 101!

 

YOU ARE JUST WASTING YOUR TIME POSTING HERE.

TRY CONTACTING YOUR STATE AARP OFFICE FOR WHERE TO GET A QUOTE.

 

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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Bronze Conversationalist

I was reading on the EV's if the battery is just slightly damaged in an accident (no matter how minor), the costly battery must be scrapped out as it is compromised.    

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Honored Social Butterfly

A lot of insurance companies are no long insuring Ultra High Priced cars. A lot of companies are not insuring easily stolen cars like a Kia.

If you are looking to buy an extra expensive vehicle l suggest you shop the insurance market first before you buy the new car.

Also you can keep the insurance rate down by having a $3000.00 or $4000.00 collision deductible.

 

Ford Full Sized Pickup

Topping the list of the most stolen vehicle in America in 2020 is the 2006 Ford F-150. This is the second year the pickup has topped the listing, with over 44,014 units stolen in 2020, 13% higher than in 2019. Pickup trucks are clearly a favorite amongst thieves, especially given their power, reliability and versatility. The F-150 in particular, however, may be the most popular option given how it boasts a great hauling capacity, a spacious interior and a powerful engine.

 

So, why are these cars so easy to steal, and is Hyundai interested in finding a fix for this matter? Well, the lower priced models of Hyundai and Kia cars don't have an engine immobilizer or a theft deterrent system. This is because Hyundai has too keep on offering cheaper products and has cut costs here. Thus they are absent from their lower priced models.

 

 

 

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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Now that's the reason my comprehensive jumped on my Hyundai (I expected this), yet when they find the fix scheduled for June, I'm sure it isn't going to drop.  

 

I remember years back my company refused to insure a Pontiac Fiero, & Geo

Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick as well. 

 

Will never be a Tesla, EV or a Hybrid in my garage in my lifetime.  

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Periodic Contributor

The irony is that The Hartford insured my iMiEV (EV, but certainly not a ‘super car’ ) for five claim free years before I purchased the Polestar 2.  The simple fact is that insurance companies such as The Hartford follow cold blooded underwriting guidance, and care nothing about AARP customers or reducing the impact of fossil fuel vehicles. 

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Honored Social Butterfly

They mostlikely would not cover a home if you bought or built a new house in a flood plain.

I'm sure that many companies would not cover you if your hobby was jumping out of airplanes or racing stock cars.

IT IS ABOUT RISK. WHAT IS THE RISK OF WHAT YOU WANT TO INSURE HAPPENS. JUST WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THE BATTERIES CATCHING ON FIRE.

PRINCIPLES OF INSURANCE 101!

 

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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I wish people would stop whining on about batteries catching fire. Far more gasoline vehicles go up in smoke with often deadly consequences than battery fires.

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You present a straw-man argument. You're comparing apples to oranges considering the number of internal combustion engines on the road compared to EV's.

It's a legitimate concern. Due to the chemical makeup of EV batteries, they are more likely to spontaneously combust compared to an IC engine. It may be rare, but it happens. And when they do catch fire, they burn much hotter, putting everything around it at risk, included a house, other cars, etc. No to mention, they are extremely difficult to extinguish.

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Periodic Contributor

Dave,

The risk of this EV catching fire is very very low.  Has your iPhone exploded?   Risk assessment requires data, and The Hartford hasn’t bothered to collect that data.  GEICO has a better approach. 

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The problem isn't a spontaneous explosion, but that caused by a compromised battery. Have you ever watched videos of an EV on fire? They are extremely hard to put out, and on many occasions, when they are put out, they reignite later. If an EV battery explodes/catches fire, it is a guarantee there will be nothing left of the car, and nothing left of anything around it. That's a huge risk.

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Honored Social Butterfly

In the past there have been battery problems. 

Hitting the Books: How Tesla engineers solved the problem of exploding EV batteries

Because you can't sell cars that have a 1 in 150 chance of randomly going boom.
 

 

A. Tarantola08.21.21
 

Between CEO Elon Musk's often erratic antics, strident competition from existing industry titans, and a public that is still not fully sold on the idea of traveling via electrical charge, Tesla's road to prominence has not been a smooth one. But facing a federal investigation into its driver assist systems, is far from the biggest roadblock the company has navigated. As journalist Tim Higgins explains in his new book, Power Play, back in the early aughts, Tesla's engineering team had to overcome an even tougher challenge: keeping the first iterations of its EVs from randomly exploding.

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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Hello-

As of June 2022- Hartford still won’t cover, when I asked why they would cover the house and garage my Model S sits in but not the car, they said it’s because they consider it a “super car”!

that is the dumbest thing I ever heard of- so then I called tesla and they actually covered it in my state at a great price but then I lost the car discount on the homeowners insurance- 

just sucks I say! 

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Periodic Contributor

Hartford turned me down on a used car that I just bought. 2014 Kia Sportage SUV. I guess my 5 year good driver rating with GEICO for 50 years is not good enough for them. Don't waste your time on them, I hear they'll raise your rates 40% to 70% without any reason by the threads on this site.

08/02/2020 See below response when I tried to get insurance:

 

"Thank you for contacting The Hartford.
Based on the information provided, The Hartford is unable to issue insurance coverage at this time."
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Newbie

I just bought a Model 3. Hartford's excuse for not coveing Tesla, I was told by a representative, is that they see Tesla as in the same class with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, etc., which is absurd.

 

AARP, hear me: A big part of what keeps me a member is the insurance. If Hartford doesn't get with the program, I will likely move ALL my insurance to another company.

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This is not the place to contact AARP/HARTFORD about insurance coverage for any area.

 

As noted before: 

My first thought is that there is not enough accident history to set rates for these vehicles. It has been a long time since I took principals of insurance. I would suggest you shop the insurance market. I'm sure they are a very small percentage of the vehicles that would be covered. Not enough to add them under the blanket coverage of many inuance companies. It is all about spreading their risk across a large cross section of vehicle types.

 

There are just 300,000 Tesla cars on the road compared to the 35,000 new Camry's sold in March 2018.

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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This absolutely IS the place for this sort of discussion. It is AARP related and henc should be easily available to members looking for information on services provided under the AARP umbrella.

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Newbie

Not helpful, Dave.

What IS the place??

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Honored Social Butterfly

For auto insurance go to:
https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/all/hartford-auto/

This is a chat group.
Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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Periodic Contributor

Your link is to The Hartford, not AARP. Useless.

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A chat group?

Really?

There's nothing at the URL you provided that allows me to let AARP know that they should pressure Hartford to cover Teslas or find a new insco.

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Honored Social Butterfly

If you clck on the link this is what you will find. 

 

AARP® Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford
DETAILS
DISCLOSURES
Auto Insurance

The AARP® Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford offers savings and benefits designed to reward members for being safer, more experienced drivers. The program offers a Lifetime Renewability benefit in most states – coverage will be renewed each year as long as you meet a few simple requirements. No-cost, no-obligation quotes are available. Added savings if you bundle your home and auto policies.

Couple in convertible car smiling, Auto Insurance
 
How to Access

Enter or mention your AARP membership number to get a quote online or by phone.

SEE AVAILABILITY IN YOUR STATE

or call The Hartford at 1-800-684-5518

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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I own a Tesla and use SF.  I just tried to call for a quote given that I get at least one solicitation from Hartofrd a month throuh AARP.  Why not...?

It would have saved everyone time and money if it read on the solicitation "We don't Insure Teslas."

Oh well.

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My first thought is that there is not enough accident history to set rates for these vehicles. It has been a long time since I took principals of insurance. I would suggest you shop the insurance market. I'm sure they are a very small percentage of the vehicles that would be covered. Not enough to add them under the blanket coverage of many inuance companies. It is all about spreading their risk across a large cross section of vehicle types.

 

There are just 300,000 Tesla cars on the road compared to the 35,000 new Camry's sold in March 2018.

Posted by Dave the Lighthouse Keeper
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@porterjames2 wrote:

I have had AARP/Hartford auto insurance for a number of years.  I just tried to add a Tesla to my policy and was shocked to find out the Hartford will not cover it.  I had to find an new auto insurance carrier.

Apparently a few insurance companies won't cover Tesla vehicles.

I suggested that AARP find another partner that can meet the needs of it's members.

Just another thing to think about when shopping for an automobile


Wow, did they say why? There are many Teslas where I live and it’s on my to-buy list in a few years.  That’s very odd...

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Periodic Contributor

I tried with same result - agent said it’s because they are expensive to repair after accident -applies to all Teslas. I asked about e Mustang - they will apparently cover those . Could the  reason be that  Tesla also sells insurance?

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Much of Tesla's tech is proprietary. They are practically the only ones who can repair Teslas, so the repair costs are very expensive. A mechanic can't even hook up an OBD scan tool to a Tesla, they don't allow it.

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Honored Social Butterfly

Try Progressive and some other major auto insurers - They are classified as a luxury vehicle so there is a high / higher premium.  

 

It did use to be that only Tesla would insure the Tesla auto but now that has changed.  Some insurers cover them; others don’t.

It's Always Something . . . . Roseanna Roseannadanna
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I have had my Tesla since 2018 and have had it insured, at various times, by Progressive, Liberty, and Tesla (Texas).

These companies have quoted me the lowest premiums over the years since I bought the Tesla.

The only insurance company that REFUSED to quote on the Tesla was The Hartford (AARP).

There may be others but I haven't found others while doing online insurance quotes. 

Our insurance expires next month so last week I started searching for a lower premium. 

I searched The Hartford (AARP) again using only our Ford (wife's car).  The quote for her car only was a few dollars less than our latest quote for both cars from Progressive.

I'm not sure what happened to the low premiums that The Hartford (AARP) historically offered, but I couldn't find them even for a conventional vehicle. 

Obviously, we will stay with Progressive.

I switched away from Tesla because last year they had a large rate increase. 

Also, for those thinking about going with Tesla, be warned that their safe driving monitor is very sensitive to close following, quick starts, quick stops, sharp turns, and driving late at night.  All those things count against you.

In the six months I had Tesla I had a 100% safety score for 4 months and a 99% safety score for 1 month and a 98% safety score for the last month.  They bill you each month and for the first two months you pay for a 90% safety score regardless of your actual safety score (mine was 100% for those months).  Then for the next 4 months you pay based on each months score.  The calculation on unsafe following is based on a formula that includes a penalty against you if someone pulls in front of you at an unsafe distance.  The details of this safety score program goes on for many pages which are too numerous to detail here.  Just be aware that the Tesla owners groups are filled with stories about people getting low safety scores.  The only way to avoid these penalties is to use the Full Self Drive function ALL the time.  Any driving infraction while using this function does not count against you on your safety score.  

If you don't have this on your Tesla, I don't see that the average driver would be able to score much above 95%.

The difference in monthly premium between the 90% score and the 100% score is about $12 per month (for the Tesla only).  The premium for any non-Teslas that you have is unaffected by your Tesla Safety Score.

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