Electric Car Insurance Rates Level with Conventional Cars in Vancouver

Published: 06-Oct-2008

Electric car owners in Vancouver won't pay more for insurance than those with conventional vehicles, at least for now, according to the Insurance Corp. of B.C.
Vancouver city council decided this week to permit low-speed electric vehicles on streets with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, becoming the first major city in Canada to do so, following the lead of Oak Bay. Transport Canada has expressed concern about LSVs, which are not required to meet the same safety standards -- such as having air bags and anchored seatbelts -- as regular vehicles.

Transport Canada's Maryse Durette said the agency has done crash tests on LSVs and "the test results to date confirm that low-speed vehicles provide a substantially lower level of occupant protection than conventional passenger cars."

As a result, the agency recommends such vehicles be used only on roads in controlled environments such as gated communities or university campuses -- though provinces have the right to make their own regulations.

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