The Best and Worst Cars for Car Insurance

The difference can be as high as $2,000 per year which isn't chump change by any means.

Although car insurance cost is important, it's not practical to make your car buying decision based solely on this factor.

However, smart car shoppers will keep their options open to at least 2 or 3 different cars and will compare insurance costs as part of their buying decision.

Which Cars Are Best to Insure?

All things being equal, the more expensive the car, the higher the insurance costs. This is plain common sense.

But there are other factors that may not be so obvious.

For example, there are cars that are big targets for thieves. These cars are not necessarily expensive, but they are popular and car thieves know they can sell the parts.

Top 10 most stolen vehicles in the U.S. (Source: NICB Hot Wheels Report)

1. Chevrolet Pickup (49,903 thefts)
2. Ford Pickup (48,175 thefts)
3. Honda Civic (27,113 thefts)
4. Honda Accord (27,089 thefts)
5. Hyundai Sonata (21,707 thefts)
6. Hyundai Elantra (19,602 thefts)
7. Kia Optima (18,221 thefts)
8. Toyota Camry (17,094 thefts)
9. GMC Pickup (16,622 thefts)
10. Honda CR-V (13,832 thefts)

Another important factor is the size of the vehicle.

Small cars can be more expensive to insure - even if they cost a lot less.

Passengers in small cars are more likely to be injured in a crash, and studies have shown that small cars tend to get into more accidents (possibly because owners think they can easily maneuver around traffic).

Finally, small cars are more likely to have younger owners - who are responsible for more accidents.

Larger cars tend to protect their occupants better in crashes and will have lower costs for personal injury coverage.

However, the larger a vehicle gets, the more potential damage it can cause to other cars, people and property.

Very large vehicles have much higher liability costs due to this factor.

The sweet spot seems to be with traditional family cars such as large sedans and minivans.

These tend to be driven by older, safer drivers and they provide a good level of protection while not causing extensive damage to other vehicles in crashes.

Insurance cost data sourced from Bankrate and industry reports.

The best thing to do is get insurance rates for 2 or 3 different models that you're considering. If the insurance rates differ by several hundred dollars per year, you need to make this a big factor in your buying decision, especially if you intend to keep the vehicle for a long time.