Top 10 most and least expensive cars to insure
Here's a post all the domestic-or-nothing crowd should enjoy reading. Of the 10 most expensive cars to insure as listed by Insurelane, only one is American-made, and it's no longer produced. And on the least expensive list, seven are Big Three branded (nine if you count Volvo and Mazda as Fords).
It should come as no surprise that the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and Subaru WRX aren't cheap to protect, while GMC Safari and Pontiac Montana owners can probably pay their premiums with the half-eaten Cheerios found in their back seats.
As we all know, lots of factors determine your personal rate (age, driving record, number of cars you've totaled right there in your insurance agent's parking lot, etc.), but imports will generally have higher rates over comparable domestics due mostly to more expensive replacement parts.
See the top five on each list after the jump.
[Source: Insurelane]
The most expensive cars to insure are:
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
- Mercedes CL-Class
- Dodge SRT-4
- Subaru Impreza WRX
- Jaguar XK
- Volvo XC90
- Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
- GMC Safari
- Buick LeSabre
- Nissan Pathfinder Armada
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
E-Insure 3:05PM (10/27/2009)
Finding Cheap Sports Car Insurance
by E-INSURE Services Inc. 19. October 2009 05:11
http://journal.einsure.com/
Along with the hot wheels, cool trim, leather interior and killer sound system, your sports car came with another line item add-on that wasn’t part of the MSRP: sports car automobile insurance. Insuring your shiny fast ride can add thousands of dollars to cost of ownership over the life of the car…unless you’re a savvy shopper. Here’s what you need to know to help you find cheap sports car insurance (or at least reasonably priced).
For starters, different insurance companies have different definitions of what is and isn’t a sports car. This is typically based on a VIN (vehicle identification number) system published by the Insurance Services Office or the company’s own ranking system. Either system takes into account such factors as engine type and size, manufacturer, body style, transmission, horsepower, wheel base, etc. It all goes into helping the insurance company determine your car’s potential speed and performance mobility.
In general, if it looks like a go fast machine and acts like a go fast machine, it is one as far as the insurance company is concerned. That fact will be reflected in your auto insurance quotes, because high-performance vehicles are statistically involved in more serious and costly accidents and are more attractive targets for car thieves.
Tricking your sports car out will make it harder to find cheap auto insurance. Adding high-performance doodads tells potential insurers that you’re thinking of driving like Dale Jr. Go easy on the modifications.
Feel free to pile on the safety and anti-theft devices. Look for Thatcham-rated Category One or Two systems. Thatcham is a British non-profit organization dedicated to containing or reducing the cost of auto insurance claims. They rank car security systems. Onboard tracking devices, airbags, anti-lock brakes and automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts on sports car insurance, too.
Some insurers offer limited-mileage policies if you agree to cap the distance you drive in a policy year. Other discounts may be available if your car is garaged when not in use, if you belong to a car owners’ club or if you only drive your convertible sports car during summer months. Shopping around for sports car insurance quotes will help you uncover other discounts.
Your driving record, age and even your credit rating will also affect what you pay for sports car insurance. In general, the older you are, the fewer claims, tickets and accidents you’ve had and the higher your credit score, the more likely you are to find cheap car sports car insurance.
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NoNameDenton 6:03PM (2/18/2007)
Guess I will need a well paying job if I ever want to buy and get insurance for a Jaguar XK
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Ty 6:07PM (2/18/2007)
The WRX is on the list but not the WRX STi/STI? I drive an '04 STi, 26 yrs old, good credit, clean driving record and pay ~$105/month.
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James 6:50PM (2/18/2007)
my MKV Jetta (2.5 VE) is shocking cheap to insure, and really fun to drive. Good deal i think!
and of course the SRT-4 is expensive to insure; they're driven almost entirely by retards.
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Big jim 6:59PM (2/18/2007)
my old dream car Ford Thunderbird made it on the top 10 least expenive, what did they forget the cars has a V-8
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Stoneman 7:03PM (2/18/2007)
Stoneman's cheapest to insure list.
Mazda 3
Honda Civic (not Si)
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Honda Fit
Chevy Cavalier
Chevy Cobalt
Dodge Viper*
* 1/39th size car only.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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jcuoit 7:12PM (2/18/2007)
Pontiac Montana came 6th and 9th on the least expensive list? It must be really cheap to insure if they feel it necessary to mention it twice.
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JF 7:25PM (2/18/2007)
How does the calculation work? Is it with a ratio between the car's price and it's insurance premium? Just seems to me like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini would cost a heck of a lot more than a dodge SRT-4.
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HAT3R 7:31PM (2/18/2007)
My Bugatti Veyton is costing 3k a month, no joke and I have clean record, I live in NYC though
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tikirob 7:31PM (2/18/2007)
I thought my base G6 was going to make my insurance go up from my Neon SXT but it got a lot better.
Rob
http://www.autoshortlist.com
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Michael Karesh 7:37PM (2/18/2007)
I'm sure exotics are excluded. I can't remember where, but at one point I spoke with someone who owned an exotic about their insurance. They had a company that insured it for just a few days a month. No specific days, just a few. He was on his honor to not drive it more often.
That said, what you see on Autoblog notwithstanding, people don't wrap exotics around telephone poles nearly as often as they do Evos. I suspect that the STI is considred a WRX for the purposes of this list. One that must be close to the top is the S2000. Insurance rates on it scared me away.
I suspect the Jag is on there because even minor bumps can be freakishly expensive to insure. The hood extends all the way to the low nose of the car. This is on the old XK. Many people don't like that the hood doesn't do the same on the new XK; instead it stops short, and a urethane fascia goes the rest of the way, with an unseemly seam between them. Now we know why.
Don't trust in these insurance cost lists, because in the end every insurer costs cars out differently. My wife has a car that was on a similar list, and it's not cheap to insure with my company.
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MikeW 8:05PM (2/18/2007)
Shouldn't the SRT-4 ACR be cheaper to insure than the plain jane ultra skinny tire SRT4?
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Damon Lavrinc 7:54PM (2/18/2007)
Can anyone in the insurance biz confirm a rumor that the EVO has a 25% loss ratio?
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That One Person 8:42PM (2/18/2007)
#6...I was wondering that same thing. But I also remember that there were long wheelbase and short wheelbase versions. Also, there was an AWD version. That could have something to do with it being on the list twice.
Anyways, my Regal is only like $75 a month to insure. And anything import, around here at least, will probably make you homeless within six months.
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NoNameDenton 8:49PM (2/18/2007)
#9 if you own a Bugatti why are you on such a lowly site like AutoBlog, shouldn't you be out buying caviar and telling people what they should think because your rich
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bland moves 8:53PM (2/18/2007)
hmmm, in the most expensive category, most are racer boy cars. why is the jag and the mbz up there? Is there something inherently more expensive to fix wiht those cars?
I'm assuming of course that the jag and the mbz probably have similar accident rates as other lux cars like lexus, bmw, other mbzs etc.
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AZMike 10:24PM (2/18/2007)
the cost of replacement parts is only part of the premium calculation.
more important is the frequency that owners of a particular make have accidents.
for example, I bought a new Hyundai Accent back in 2000. the monthly premium was roughly twice as much as the Cadillac deVille I had at the same time. apparently, Hyundai Accent drivers were in accidents fairly often; a lot more than deVille drivers were.
this says nothing particularly damning about Hyundai drivers: most cheap small cars have fairly costly rates. insurance companies base their rates on "symbols": the deVille was a 6, and the Hyundai, a 23. your driving record can have some bearing on the rates, too. it had just really surprised me, because I haven't had a single violation in over 30 years.
Mike
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Bow tie optional 9:09PM (2/18/2007)
@hat3r
psht, you only pretend to own a Veyron? well i pretend to own a champ car, I commute with it everyday to my made up job downtown and let me tell you my insurance is 10k a month! (I live in north dakota tho...) wowzers thank god i also pretend to be filthy rich or else there would be no way my made up stories would make sense.
...And to everyone who says I'm a liar, you guys are just haters wishing you were like me.
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why do I care? 9:40PM (2/18/2007)
WTF is a Stoneman cheapest to insure list? Who cares and why do you have anything to say about it? I was not aware this was an opnion poll...
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Stoneman 9:55PM (2/18/2007)
#16 the only thing you are aware of is your own ignorant attitude. Get stuffed.
Stoneman
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