Ireland | Motor Insurance

[anthony]

Hi,

I was just wondering what sort of hurdles people have faced with insuring diy electric conversions in the the ripoff republic of Ireland?
Issues with type approval, certification, NCT, registration details etc?

Thanks

[Kevin Sharpe]

I was just wondering what sort of hurdles people have faced with insuring diy electric conversions in the the ripoff republic of Ireland?
Issues with type approval, certification, NCT, registration details etc?

In our experience following this procedure results in a lower insurance bill than when the car had an ICE;

Automotive Engineer Inspection/Report -> VRT change to electric tax class (requires automotive engineers report and limited inspection by tax inspector) -> NCT (requires VRT) -> Insure car

It's important to get the automotive engineer involved at an early stage because they focus on safety and will spot things you've missed. Under no circumstances exceed the vehicles published axle weight limits because the vehicle will then require a complete custom car evaluation.

[Stephen Darbey]

Hi Kevin.

Very Interesting subject. I have pondered this on many occasions. Very interesting that the Gross kerb weight should not be exceeded.

Thanks
Stephen

[johnspark]

This is an important post.

[fitzroy]

Hi,

I'm new to all this. I am thinking of converting an old car to electric.

Does anyone have the name of (1) a good Automotive Engineer and (2) an individual in a good insurance broker or in an insurance company who would deal with insurance for the converted electric car?

Many thanks,

Brian

[Kevin Sharpe]

Automotive Engineer Inspection/Report -> VRT change to electric tax class (requires automotive engineers report and limited inspection by tax inspector) -> NCT (requires VRT) -> Insure car

This statement contains an error... you don't need the "inspection by tax inspector" stage (only required if you're importing the car into Ireland).

Here's the process Damien followed on BEXUS and Grey Goose which are now both taxed as electric vehicles for €120 p/a;

Automotive Engineer Inspection/Report -> VRT change to electric tax class (requires automotive engineers report) -> NCT (requires VRT) -> Insure car

[Kevin Sharpe]

Does anyone have the name of (1) a good Automotive Engineer

I'd recommend asking your local NCT centre for the name of an Automotive Engineer who works on insurance assessments. They are accessing the safety and quality of your work, not the electrical systems.

As stated above make sure you are under the published axle weight limits and have not cut into the chassis.

and (2) an individual in a good insurance broker or in an insurance company who would deal with insurance for the converted electric car?

I'm using a national insurance broker and the fact that it's electric drive is not a red flag (lots electric cars on the road). Obviously, the fact it's a modified car is important but if you have the Automotive Engineers report, VRT, and NCT they don't seem to be overly concerned.

[fitzroy]

Hi Kevin,

Many thanks for that advice. Could you let me have the name of the insurance broker? That would certainly short-circuit the process; I have already spent too long trying to explain what I'm on about!

Thanks again and best wishes,

Brian

[Phill]

Hi All,
Newby to the forum.
I have been sniffing around the idea of doing an electric car conversion for a while. I also did a good bit of research into an electric motorbike conversation and the solid brick wall that I ran into was insurance.

The discussion on this thread suggests insurance isn't an issue for car conversions. Has anyone tried to do a motorbike conversion and have they been able to insure it? I would have done it last year but I wasn't going to spend a load of time and cash on something I couldn't use at the end of it.

P

[marcexec]

Stupid question but could one get the VRT refunded after a completed conversion? It's based on CO2 and NOx emissions...