After the recent house fire in Alam Damai, Cheras, involving an EV being charging, the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) has issued an official statement clarifying home insurance policies and advising property owners on necessary precautions.
To start, permanently installed (hard-wired) EV wallboxes are classified as building fixtures and fittings under standard home policies. Informing your home insurer ensures that your Sum Insured accurately reflects new home modifications and updated rebuilding costs.
Also, declaring electrical upgrades creates an official record, reducing delays or disputes with claims adjusters after an incident like this one.
Meanwhile, did you know that standard property insurance policies generally cover fire damage regardless of ignition source (EV wallbox included), but claims can be repudiated if there is proof of illegal wiring, uncertified installations, or deliberate statutory breaches.
What EV Owners Should Do After Reading This
1. Notify your home insurer in writing that a permanent EV wallbox charger has been installed at your home.
2. Review your property’s Sum Insured (PIAM offers a free online Building Cost Calculator to estimate updated costs).
3. Verify professional installation to ensure the wiring, Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB), and wallbox carry valid certifications (e.g., Energy Commission / Suruhanjaya Tenaga).
4. Consider expanding Public Liability coverage to safeguard against fire or electrical damage spreading to adjacent properties.
The fire that completely destroyed this double-storey terrace house in Alam Damai, Cheras, sparked quick responses across multiple sectors unlike previous incidents like the one in Section 19 Petaling Jaya.
Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba)
Bomba confirmed the fire broke out while an EV was being charged at the house porch, but clarified that investigations are still determining whether the root cause was the vehicle itself, the charging wallbox, or the home’s electrical wiring.
Bomba Director-General Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad announced plans to propose safety guidelines specifically for private residential EV chargers. Current regulations only cover commercial/public premises.
Homeowners were cautioned to ensure proper wire sizing and Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) suitability, given that 7 to 8 hours of continuous overnight charging creates a sustained thermal load.
Insurance Sector (PIAM)
PIAM directly addressed online rumors that insurers refuse coverage for EV fires, clarifying that standard fire and property policies cover fire damage regardless of the ignition source, provided there is no fraud or illegal wiring.
PIAM clarified that permanently installed wallboxes count as building fixtures. They urged homeowners to declare wallbox installations so their policy’s Sum Insured accurately reflects rebuilding costs.
PIAM recommended upgrading third-party liability coverage (standard home policies typically cap this at RM50,000) to protect against electrical fires spreading to adjacent homes in terrace or high-density layouts.
In conclusion, to date industry body data highlighted that over the past three years, fire incidents involving EVs in Malaysia have stayed low and stable ( which is less than 25 cases across all EV categories). PIAM noted that traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles statistically maintain a higher overall fire risk exposure than EVs.
