THE SHORT ANSWER
Konsumenternas covers electric cars, plug-in hybrids and hybrids together and points out that cover for their batteries differs between policies. According to Konsumenternas, one of the biggest differences between car insurance policies for electric cars is how the traction battery is paid for after damage.
Charging raises other questions: whether the charging cable is included, whether the home charger belongs to car insurance or home insurance, and what applies when the battery runs flat. This guide shows where in the terms you find the answers. What applies when you buy the car is covered in the guide to car insurance when buying a car. [1][2]
Keep these points in mind
- The battery is usually covered through mechanical breakdown insurance, with large differences after a few years.
- The maker's warranty and the insurance are separate agreements with separate terms.
- The charging cable, home charger and towing on a flat battery are handled differently in different terms.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
Read how the battery is covered and for how long
If you have partial or comprehensive cover, Konsumenternas says mechanical breakdown insurance is included, and most insurers pay there for damage to batteries that power electric and hybrid cars. Some insurers do not cover batteries at all. If the car only has third-party insurance, no damage to your own car is paid.
Then read the deductions for age. According to Konsumenternas, after five years payment varies between 20, 50 and 100 percent of a new battery, and after ten years it usually ends completely. Mechanical breakdown cover usually applies until the car is 8–12 years old or has been driven 100 000–150 000 km, but several insurers have higher mileage limits for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, in some cases up to 200 000–250 000 km. One insurer says its mechanical breakdown cover applies to the high-voltage battery without a deduction for age, for electric cars under 10 years old that have been driven less than 120 000 km. More on deductions is in the guide to excess and deductions for age.
[3][1][5]Tell the maker's warranty apart from the insurance
Konsumenternas says the manufacturer's warranty on the battery can play a large role. According to the Swedish Consumer Agency, giving a warranty is voluntary for a company, and how long it lasts and which damage it covers is set by the warranty terms. Find the warranty document and read the end date and which faults the warranty covers.
The warranty and the insurance can affect each other. In one insurer's pre-purchase information from May 2026, no payment is made for damage that is covered by, or can be paid under, a supplier warranty. If you bought the car from a business, the Swedish Consumer Agency says you also always have a three-year right to complain about faults in the car, whatever warranties you have. You need to complain as soon as possible, and at the latest within two months of discovering the fault.
[1][8][6]Check the charging cable and the home charger
According to Konsumenternas, it is standard for the factory-fitted battery charger in the car to be included in car insurance, while an external charging unit, low-voltage wiring and cables, for example, fall outside. That does not always leave the cable without cover: one insurer says a charging cable stolen while locked in the car or plugged into a public charging station is paid for through the car's theft cover. Theft cover is part of partial and comprehensive cover, not of third-party insurance alone.
The home charger may belong to a different policy. Konsumenternas says some insurers include a home charger or charging post that you own in the car insurance. The same insurer as above says instead that the home charger is not covered by the electric car's policy but by home insurance, such as house insurance. So read the terms of both the car insurance and the home insurance; what house insurance usually covers is described in the guide to house and holiday home insurance.
[1][5][3]Read what applies to a flat battery and to fire
Towing when the battery has run flat differs between insurers. According to Konsumenternas, some pay for towing on a flat battery and others do not, and rescue insurance normally does not apply when the stop is caused by running out of fuel. One insurer says towing to the nearest charging station is included if you have at least partial cover and run out of charge. Read the section on rescue or roadside assistance in your own terms.
Fire damage to the car is paid by fire cover, which is part of partial and comprehensive cover. According to Konsumenternas, it applies to fire, lightning and explosion. It can also pay for damage to electrical cables from a short circuit and resulting damage to electrical components, but some insurers pay for short circuits through mechanical breakdown cover instead. One insurer says damage to the car from a fire during charging is covered by the car insurance with the excess for fire, and that buildings you own are paid for by house insurance.
[2][3][5][6]
Charging at home and the risk of fire
The Swedish National Electrical Safety Board says there may be a risk of fire if you charge from an ordinary wall socket, known as a Schuko socket. It is usually at high currents that a fault in the installation causes overheating and a risk of fire. According to the agency, charging at a correctly installed home charger or charging post carries a very low risk.
According to the agency, whoever owns an electrical installation is responsible for it being looked after, maintained and checked on an ongoing basis. The agency also asks you to check that the electrical contractor you plan to use is registered with it. Also read what your home insurance terms say about electrical installations.
[7]Why the price can differ
According to Konsumenternas, the premium depends on how great the risk is that the car is damaged or that you injure someone else with it. Questions that affect it include your age, how long you have held a driving licence, where you reside, what type of home you have, the car's age, make and model, and how far you drive each year.
One insurer says the difference in price for car insurance between an average petrol or diesel car and a comparable electric car is low. In the same insurer's pre-purchase information, the price also depends on whether the car is a direct import. For a car not imported by the brand's Swedish general agent, a double excess applies there to mechanical and electronic breakdown until the car is 8 years old or has been driven 100 000 kilometres.
[4][5][6]Read the battery and charging terms in your own documents
Keep the car's policy document, terms and pre-purchase information in My Forsio, together with your home insurance. You then have the battery terms, the excesses and what applies to the home charger in one place, and each detail shows the passage it came from. If the terms are missing from your documents, the detail is shown as Not verified, not as confirmed absent.
Forsio does not assess the battery's condition, and does not decide whether a fault is covered by the warranty or the insurance, or which policy covers the home charger. The insurer and the warranty provider decide that. Forsio is not an insurance intermediary and does not provide insurance advice.
Fictional example
The battery is included, the home charger is an open question.
Sara has a three-year-old electric car with partial cover and a home charger on the house. She reads the documents one evening.
- Traction battery under mechanical breakdown
- Included up to 8 years or 150 000 km
- Home charger on the house
- Not verifiedThe house insurance terms are not in the documents.
- Towing on a flat battery
- Excluded in the car termsPotential gapAsk the insurer what applies if the car stops.
The battery is covered under the terms. The home charger and towing need reading in other documents or confirming by the insurer.
Common questions
Is the battery included in car insurance?
Usually, if you have partial or comprehensive cover. According to Konsumenternas, mechanical breakdown insurance is then included, and most insurers pay for damage to batteries that power electric and hybrid cars. Some insurers do not cover batteries at all, and the deductions for age differ a lot. Some insurers extend mechanical breakdown cover for electric cars; check whether the extension applies to the whole cover or only to the battery. [3][1]
Is a stolen charging cable paid for?
It depends on the terms. Konsumenternas says it is standard for the factory-fitted battery charger to be included in car insurance, while cables, for example, fall outside. One insurer says a stolen charging cable is paid for through theft cover if it was locked in the car or plugged into a public charging station. Theft cover is part of partial and comprehensive cover. Read what your terms say about the cable, including when it is attached to the home charger. [1][5][3]
Is the home charger covered by home insurance or car insurance?
It varies. Konsumenternas says some insurers include a home charger or charging post that you own in the car insurance. One insurer says instead that the home charger is covered by home insurance, such as house insurance, and that you can be paid if the charging post and home charger are stolen, provided you have house insurance with that insurer. Read both documents. [1][5]
Is towing included if the battery runs flat?
It depends on the terms. According to Konsumenternas, some insurers pay for towing on a flat battery and others do not. One insurer says towing to the nearest charging station is included with at least partial cover, and that the excess for the towing can be zero with an add-on for a rental car and roadside assistance. [2][5]
What is the difference between the battery warranty and the insurance?
According to the Swedish Consumer Agency, giving a warranty is voluntary for a company, and the warranty terms set how long it lasts and which damage it covers. The insurance is a separate agreement with its own terms. In one insurer's pre-purchase information from May 2026, damage covered by, or payable under, a supplier warranty is not paid. If you bought the car from a business, you also always have a three-year right to complain about faults. [8][6]
Is an electric car more expensive to insure?
It depends on the car, the driver and the insurer. According to Konsumenternas, the premium depends on risk, for example on your age, where you reside, the car's make and model and how far you drive. One insurer says the price difference between an average petrol or diesel car and a comparable electric car is low. Cover for the battery, on the other hand, differs a lot between policies. [4][5][1]
MY FORSIO
See what the electric car's policy says about the battery.
Bring the car's policy document, terms and home insurance together in My Forsio. Read the battery, charging and excess details with the passage each came from. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- Konsumenternas: electric cars, plug-in hybrids and hybrids
- Konsumenternas: compare the content when choosing electric car insurance, February 2025
- Konsumenternas: what car insurance includes
- Konsumenternas: car insurance rules and facts
- Example of an insurer's information on electric car insurance, October 2026
- Example of an insurer's car insurance pre-purchase information, May 2026
- Swedish National Electrical Safety Board: safety risks when charging electric cars
- Swedish Consumer Agency: complaining about a car, warranty and the right to complain