Uninsured B.C. Tesla driver claims coverage ‘too expensive’ during traffic stop: RCMP

The Tesla Inc. logo on a customized Model 3 electric vehicle on display in the Yokohama Rubber Co. booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Chiba, Japan, on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. The annual event runs through Jan. 12. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg (Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg)

A Tesla driver in Metro Vancouver who told police that insuring the vehicle was too expensive was handed a hefty fine and had his licence plate seized, according to the RCMP.

The uninsured Model 3 driver was pulled over in Richmond on Jan. 31 after Automated Licence Plate Recognition technology identified an “unlicensed vehicle,” Mounties said in a news release.

“The officer engaged police emergency lights and stopped the vehicle. The male driver produced a valid B.C. drivers’ licence and was identified as the owner. The driver stated that because the insurance was too expensive for him and he did not drive the vehicle often, he did not purchase insurance,” the statement from police said.

In addition to being handed a $568 fine for driving without insurance, the car was towed and its plates were removed and returned to ICBC.

The incident was among those outlined in the Richmond RCMP’s January road report.

Other notable traffic stops included one where a truck driving erratically was stopped on suspicion that the driver might be impaired.

“The officer pulled up beside the vehicle and saw a man driving. When he pulled the vehicle over, he noticed a shuffling going on inside the vehicle and a woman moved into the driver’s seat,” the release from the detachment said.

“The officer had the actual driver, the man, step out and demanded he provide a sample of his breath, which registered FAIL.”

That driver was issued a 90-day immediate roadside prohibition, had his vehicle impounded for 30 days and was fined a total of $776.

In another notable traffic stop, the driver of a pink BMW – who had a learner’s licence and was driving without a supervisor – was handed an eight-month prohibition due to his “extensive driving record and recent convictions.”

In total, Richmond RCMP handed out 832 tickets in January, including 187 for speeding, 64 for distracted driving, and 34 for impairment.