Model Y insurance premiums don't have to be higher as per new Tesla repairability study

The gigacast rear of the Tesla Model Y is actually cheaper to repair after a crash than traditional multilink component structures that car makers use to build the body of their vehicles.

Contrary to popular opinion, a new long-term study of Model Y collisions and repair costs found out that Tesla has improved the repairability of its bestselling vehicle. So much so, that it is now cheaper to fix or even replace the single piece of cast aluminum that forms the rear of its SUV than it is for comparable damage to cars with traditional multi-panel structure.

The Thatcham Research shop works with big car insurance names to provide insights into repair costs and the money they need to charge to recoup them. Tesla owners have often complained that insurance is more expensive than for other vehicles, and with a good reason, as the Model Y premiums are up to 40% higher compared to the average for the category.

Part of the reason that insurers often prefer to total electric vehicles than fix them, are the slow and expensive repairs should structural damage to the battery or other units be incurred during a crash. Rental giant Hertz even reneged on its deal to order 100,000 Teslas and sold what had been delivered at a loss, citing high repair costs and rapid depreciation rates.

When Tesla started using one-piece gigacast body components for its vehicles like the Model Y, competitors and insurers alike sounded the alarm on the cheaper for the manufacturer gigacasting practice, saying that it will bring EV insurance rates even higher. Tesla then addressed the repairability issues, and Thatcham Research embarked on a two-year study to determine if it has succeeded.

After analyzing various Model Y crash damage scenarios from real insurance claims, they found out that repairing the gigacast rear is nearly $3,000 cheaper than comparable damage to the multi-panel Model 3. A similar pattern emerged for repairs done on ICE vehicles, or fellow EVs like the Mercedes EQE or the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Tesla's introduction of swappable $40 cast rear rail assemblies has been deemed a game changer by Thatcham's Billyeald, especially for minor impacts from low-speed collisions of the type that occur during urban driving. "What Tesla has come up with is to section these areas and then the repair parts can be bolted and glued so you are not having to work the aluminum sections and the repair process becomes all mechanical, making it much more manageable," he clarified.

For more significant damages at higher speeds, the Model Y also had repair price advantages before other vehicles, since Tesla decided to simply provide the whole gigacast rear to service centers at cost, saving insurers $700 per claim in the process. The fly in all that Model Y repairability honey, however, is that when the aluminum gigacast section has to be welded, the SUV needs to be taken to service centers licensed by Tesla, and smaller repair shops might not have enough space for dealing with the huge part, which could slow down the process.

Still, according to the study's lead engineer, when manufacturers like Tesla think about repairability in the design stage, they resort to fix-friendly solutions like welded instead of riveted joints. "On the Tesla, you can drill the welds out with a couple of additional bolted fixings… and then you are just putting rivets back," he opined, praising the thoughtful design as easier to work with than traditional multi-panel assemblies.

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