Is the risk of accidents higher with electric cars?

Electric cars are not more dangerous for their occupants, but they would be more difficult to control.

According to a study conducted by Axa’s Swiss subsidiary, electric cars cause more accidents than internal combustion models. Generally more responsive to acceleration, they tend to surprise some newcomers. Axa states that, compared to owners of combustion engine cars, “drivers of electric cars cause 50% more collisions, resulting in damage to their own vehicle.”

Axa establishes a direct link between power and the severity of accidents. The more powerful the vehicle, the greater the damages caused, both for the driver and for third parties involved in the accident.

Axa’s work is based on two surveys and a poll conducted on a sample of 1,285 customers. But the insurer also carried out accident simulations in parallel, with a Tesla Model S on one side, and two Volkswagen Golfs (one electric and one internal combustion) on the other.

A crash test in Tesla to highlight “the lower chassis risk”

The crash test with the Model S involved sending the car over a fake roundabout. Rocks and a metal structure were placed on the installation. Although the sequence did not reveal anything shocking, Axa relies on this experience to claim that the battery of an electric vehicle is not sufficiently protected. “Manufacturers are called upon not to underestimate ‘the lower chassis risk’ and to provide appropriate protection, especially by equipping this part of the vehicle with a titanium plate or a highly resistant material of equivalent quality,” states the insurer.

The other crash test involved causing a frontal collision between two Golfs at a speed of 50 km/h. The lighter internal combustion Golf was at a disadvantage in this head-to-head. It indeed sustained some additional bodywork damage, but these would not impact passenger safety.

Axa researchers also examined the risk of fire. According to them, it is not higher in electric cars. But when they catch fire, the situation would be more complex to manage due to the combustion of the battery cells.

Also read: Is the technical inspection more expensive for electric cars?