If you're in the market for a new vehicle, your biggest consideration may be the purchase price, but the annual cost to insure that vehicle is another major factor as well.
When determining the insurance cost for a particular car, the price of the car is just the starting point and the insurance premium for a vehicle is usually not directly proportional to the purchase price. Insurance companies consider many other factors. For example, what is the average repair cost if the car is involved in a crash? How much damage will it likely cause to other vehicles? Based on historical data, is the vehicle more likely be in a crash compared to other models?
To answer these questions, insurers look at characteristics such as engine capacity, number of cylinders, overall vehicle size, vehicle type, horsepower, model year, and advanced safety features. Once the vehicle’s characteristics are weighed, the final insurance premium is determined by the driver component. This involves factors such as driving record, annual mileage and years of driving experience.
Each year, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center reports the least and most expensive vehicles to insure in California based on internal actuarial data. Vehicles with a starting MSRP of $100,000 or more were excluded. The results were divided based on vehicle type, and the premiums reported are the average for each model. The following tables provide the top ten least and most expensive average premiums by vehicle category.
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These premiums were calculated using the following driver profile and coverage: