New report provides overview of the most notable annual trends in BEV, mild hybrid electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid EV claims
San Diego—Claims frequency for collision-damaged, repairable battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose to 2.71% in the U.S. and 3.84% in Canada in 2024, a year-over-year increase of 38% and 34% respectively, according to Mitchell’s recently released Plugged-In: EV Collision Insights report.
“In addition to an uptick in the number of claims for repairable, collision-damaged BEVs, we also saw an uptick in the number of total losses last year,” said Ryan Mandell, Mitchell’s director of claims performance. “While not unique to BEVs, this increase in total loss frequency can be attributed to the continued overall decline in vehicle values and surge in catastrophic claims activity in the second half of 2024.”
The report features an overview of the most notable annual trends in battery electric vehicle (BEV), mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) collision claims.
Mitchell notes that, according to CNBC, BEVs and hybrids represented 20% of all new U.S. vehicle sales in 2024, and Cox Automotive is predicting that number to climb to 25% in 2025 despite U.S. policy changes that could hinder BEV adoption.
According to Argonne National Laboratory and Electric Autonomy, there are over 100 different BEV models sold in the U.S. and 75 in Canada with dozens more expected by the end of this year.
U.S. total loss frequency for BEVs increased to 10.2% in 2024 (up from 8% in 2023). This is commensurate with other propulsion types, which also experienced a total loss gain of nearly two percentage points as vehicle values continued to decline and catastrophic claims activity increased in the second half of the year.
Canadian BEV total loss frequency also increased from 5.9% in 2023 to 8.7% in 2024, according to the report. BEV values declined more rapidly than any other propulsion type due to pricing changes brought on by several OEMs, improving manufacturing costs, increasing average vehicle age, and adding to consumer concerns about high-voltage battery health for used BEVs.
At the close of the year, the average total loss market value for BEVs was $33,346 in the U.S. (down 22% from 2023) and $40,203 (CAD) in Canada (down 18.5% from 2023).
For repairable BEVs, average claims severity was $6,236 in the U.S. in 2024, a year-over-year decrease of 3%, and $7,241 (CAD) in Canada, a year-over-year increase of 2%, states Mitchell.
Mild hybrids (which combine an internal combustion engine, or ICE, with a small electric battery) and plug-in hybrids (which include a secondary ICE but rely on a larger, high-voltage battery as the primary propulsion source) had an average severity of $4,726 and $5,583 respectively in the U.S. and $6,104 (CAD) and $6,261 (CAD) respectively in Canada last year.
In comparison, repairable ICE-powered automobiles had the lowest average severity of all powertrains in 2024 at $5,066 in the U.S. and $5,576 (CAD) in Canada. However, the report notes that when looking at just newer ICE vehicles — which are similar to electrified alternatives in their complexity and cost to repair — average severity was much closer to that of BEVs and plug-in hybrids: $6,127 in the U.S. and $6,818 (CAD) in Canada.
As electrification increases in a vehicle’s architecture, so does the degree of system interconnectivity. This level of electrical complexity and digital communication results in an increased likelihood of disruption to sensitive components, potentially away from the primary point of impact.
Consequently, the report states that the number of diagnostic fault codes increases, as does the need for ADAS calibrations. Last year, the per-estimate average for calibrations was 1.61 for BEVs, compared to 1.45 for ICE vehicles, 1.46 for mild hybrids and 1.58 for plug-in hybrids.
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