Canadian collision claims for electrified vehicles continued to climb in 2025, with repairable claims up 26 per cent for plug‑in hybrids and 29 per cent for mild hybrids, according to Mitchell’s latest Plugged‑In: EV Collision Insights report.
The study also found market values for total loss battery electrics fell 13 per cent in Canada, while average severity for repairable BEVs declined two per cent. Claim costs for mild hybrids held steady at $6,267 in Canada, and costs for plug‑in hybrids were flat.
Mitchell noted that the rise in claims reflects more electrified vehicles on Canadian roads, even as new sales momentum cooled in parts of North America.
“Even as BEV adoption slowed in North America last year following the end of government tax incentives, the auto insurance and collision repair industries still saw claims volume rise since more of these automobiles are on the road than ever before,” said Ryan Mandell, Mitchell’s vice president of strategy and market intelligence. “Due to their dense electrical architectures, software‑driven systems and interconnected, sensor‑heavy designs, these vehicles require additional diagnostic and calibration operations when damaged that can add cost, complexity and cycle time to each repair.”
In 2025, BEVs averaged 1.70 calibrations per estimate, compared with 1.63 for hybrids and 1.54 for internal combustion models. The report attributes the difference to advanced driver assistance systems and sensor suites that demand more post‑repair calibrations.
Parts usage patterns also diverged by powertrain. Original equipment parts remain more common on BEV estimates, with 86 per cent of parts dollars designated for OEM components and 13 per cent of parts listed as repairable. For ICE vehicles, the shares were 62 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. Mitchell notes that the mix reflects availability of certified alternatives, repairability of components and the complexity of EV systems.
The Canadian results sit alongside a mixed picture in the United States. Mitchell reported that new BEV sales fell about two per cent south of the border in 2025, yet repairable claim share still increased as the parc grew. U.S. repairable claims for PHEVs rose six per cent and for MHEVs climbed 20 per cent year over year. Total loss market values dropped across most powertrains in both countries, with BEVs experiencing the largest declines, a trend the report links to accelerated depreciation, lower cost models entering the market and shifting consumer sentiment.
Mitchell explained that the data highlights how repair workloads are shifting as electrified vehicles proliferate. The company expects calibrations, diagnostics and parts selection to remain key drivers of cost and cycle time as shops adapt to newer propulsion systems and more software‑defined vehicles.
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