Usually when you purchase a new vehicle, you know you’ll have to buy insurance separately, and — depending on the terms of the sale — pay for maintenance costs somewhere down the proverbial and literal road. Tesla says it’s planning to eventually bundle all of that together for one price.
During an earnings called yesterday reported by Electrek, CEO Elon Musk and President Jon McNeill confirmed the company’s plan to expand a custom car insurance program launched last year in Australia and Hong Kong. The goal is to reduce insurance rates to match its lower accident rate.
“It takes into account not only the Autopilot safety features but also the maintenance cost of the car,” McNeill said. “It’s our vision in the future we could offer a single price for the car, maintenance, and insurance.”
Tesla won’t be handling the insurance side of things itself, however, as Musk notes that the company will be partnering with established insurers, at least, as long as their rates follow the falling rate of accidents.
“Not to the exclusion of insurance providers but if we find that insurance providers are not matching the insurance proportionate to the risk of the car, then if we need to, we will in-source it,” Musk said. “I think we will find that insurance providers do adjust the insurance cost proportionate to the risk of a Tesla.”
As for when Tesla is planning to introduce bundled car insurance and maintenance in the U.S., that is unclear.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist