Is a severly damaged/repaird EV something to avoid?

Don't guess. Ask to see the records of the repair. A new battery for a Tesla Model S might be 10 kUSD which in one of your cases only leaves 8 kUSD for the rest of the work and material. Is that a reasonable amount for the damage in question?

As for the 3 kUSD, that's less than it cost to replace one door skin and repaint the side of the car after I scraped my Model S driving out of a multi-story car park. Luckily my insurance paid for it.

Good plint RE batteries, but you want the rest of the vehicle to last, and what constitutes "repaired" varies by your insurance and your shop.

Some places use new, OEM parts.
Many places use remanufactured parts.
Parts suppliers, such as Rock Auto, usually carry both.

A properly remanufactured part should be good to go and an ok replacement. Rock Auto sells parts which are remanufactured and allegedly tested, but I have had them IMproperly "remanufactured" and obviously not tested.

Less damage = not so badly messed-up
= closer to new from manufacturer
= better than a car largely rebuilt (imo)

Get any info you can about BODY / mechanical damage v. battery-related replacements. The high cost might indicate battery replacement and small body work, right (depending upon model)?

I would say that any EV battery pack with damage must be completely replaced. Just too dangerous. Problem in UK with crash damaged EVs - have to be isolated away until battery replaced. Very few skilled technicians. That’s why insurance costs much higher

Some EVs are very expensive to repair. Its not because of the fact that their propulsion is electric (and they have a big expensive battery), but because of how they are designed / assembled: some have a cast aluminium frame which is very expensive and difficult to repair, some have power retractable door handles which are a lot more expensive to replace than conventional always-sticking-out door handles, some have a bunch of cameras and/or sensors in the bumpers which cost a lot to replace, etc