Least Expensive and Most Expensive Cars to Insure

Filed in archive Buying Stuff on January 21, 2008

People always look at the price they pay for a new car or truck, but sometimes they forget to think enough about the ongoing costs, such as how much gas a particular vehicle will guzzle (or save). Another cost that may not immediately occur to you is how much your new car will cost to insure.

Insure.com just released its 2008 list of the least- and most-expensive cars and trucks to insure. It's an interesting list, although I think this caveat is important: "Based on a list of the 20 top-selling vehicles in the nation, Insure.com calculated average car insurance premiums across three states and multiple insurers to put together the 2008 report." So this is a ranking of the insurance costs associated with the 20 most popular vehicles; if you're looking at something not at the top of the popularity scale, these lists won't help.

Nevertheless, here's what they came up with:

Least Expensive to Insure

1. Chrysler Town & Coiuntry
2. Ford Escape
3. GMC Sierra pickup
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Ford Econoline Club Wagon
6. Ford Fusion
7. Ford F-Series Pickup
8. Honda Civic
9. Toyota Camry
10. Toyota RAV-4

Most Expensive to Insure

1. Dodge Ram Pickup
2. Chevy Silverado C/K Pickup
3. Toyota Prius
4. Honda Accord
5. Nissan Altima
6. Toyota Corolla
7. Ford Focus
8. Chevrolet Cobalt
9. Honda CR-V
10. Dodge Caravan

If you're wondering why certain vehicles are more likely to rank highly on one or the other of the lists, here's Insure'com's explanation: "Vehicles can land on the most expensive list for numerous reasons. They may be targets of theft, which can increase comprehensive premiums for all owners of that model; they may have high repair costs, which can increase collision premiums; or passengers may suffer more injuries in accidents, which can affect personal injury protection premiums.