Insurers race to cover critical EV parts

August 25, 2025

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Kenyan insurer unveils cover for EVs 

Britam, a leading Kenyan insurer, has unveiled an EV insurance policy to cover fully electric and hybrid vehicles. The cover safeguards the battery and electric motor, the most expensive components of an EV. It also covers personal charging equipment and an out-of-charge rescue service to ensure stranded EVs are towed to the nearest charging station. 

  • EVs are costlier than fuel vehicles, and also come with expensive parts and components like batteries. This makes insurance pivotal for EV ownership, as the replacement cost could be beyond the reach of many users. 

  • Insurance for EVs currently costs more than for fuel vehicles, mainly because of higher replacement costs. As EV prices gradually decline, premiums will likely come down. 

  • Our take: Insurers should look beyond electric cars and also cover electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers, which are more prevalent… Read more (2 min)

Alpha Paul Onyango has been a motorcycle taxi rider in Kenya’s capital Nairobi for nine years. For most of this time, he was riding a Boxer BM 100 petrol motorcycle. Eight months ago, he decided to switch to an electric motorcycle from Ampersand. He has been able to reduce his energy costs, helping him make more money. “It is also way cheaper to maintain,” he says. 

  • Mr Onyango saves both on energy and maintenance costs with his electric motorcycle. A $2 battery swap brings in around $6.2 in revenue, he says.

  • The biggest challenge for him is a relative lack of swapping stations. He also wants to see firms make spare parts cheaper and more accessible to riders. 

  • Our take: Read Mr Onyango’s full view here… (4 min)

South Africa’s electric vehicle adoption is slowed by prolonged policy debates, delayed execution and high costs, says EV consultant Anazi Zote Piper. The 2021 Auto Green Paper remains largely unimplemented. EV adoption is still in its infancy, with most models priced beyond the reach of many buyers. Affordable Chinese brands could bridge the gap, she says.

  • Anazi Piper is an EV consultant and former Mobility Content & Stakeholder Manager at VUKA Group. She played a key role in mobilising and overseeing Smarter Mobility Africa, an annual mobility event in South Africa. 

  • Load shedding remains a significant barrier for fleet electrification, as companies risk being unable to charge on time, says Ms Anazi. Investing in independent energy solutions, such as solar, battery storage and smart charging, offers a way forward.

  • Click for the full conversation… Read more (5 min)

Adetayo Bamiduro (right), CEO of MAX, attends a US-Africa event in Nigeria

 

Events

📅 Attend the GITEX Expo in Nigeria (Sept 1)

📅 Register for Automechanica Johannesburg (Oct 28)

📅 Book a slot at Auto Expo in Tanzania (Nov 5)

Jobs

💼 Apply for Regional Operations Lead’s role at Kabisa (Rwanda)

💰 Become Zeno’s Finance Associate (Kenya)

👨🏻‍💼 Join MAX as an Enterprise Channel Lead (Nigeria)

Various 

🚗 EMVC to deploy EVs to Nasarawa State in Nigeria

🚘 ZED Motors & Yango have partnered to electrify public transportation in Benin
🚙 GB Auto launches four new EV models from DEEPAL in Egypt

Seen on LinkedIn 

Natif Anthony, Team Lead at Pamoja Public Square, says, “It’s easier to push consumer adoption by merely turning first adopters into a marketing force than through standing on a pedestal and preaching the virtues of embracing e-mobility from our air conditioned offices that we access by driving fuel guzzling SUVs.”