Joanna Johnson
Car Insurance Expert
Updated: 02/2022
Joanna is an expert on understanding how the different laws and regulations in the car insurance industry shape the way that policies work.
Car insurance is one of those necessary things that no one really likes to think about. However, if you get the right car insurance policy, you can save a ton of money every year. Even cutting a mere $20 a month off of your bill will save you $240 per year. Those savings will really add up over your lifetime.
That’s why we put together this guide and FAQ. We want to help make sure you’re not paying more for car insurance than you absolutely have to. This guide will help you understand how car insurance rates are set, how different car models affect the price of insurance, and what kinds of cars you should avoid if you want to save on insurance.
After that, we’ve got a helpful FAQ that will answer all of your questions about finding the cheapest car insurance. Use this information to save money while making sure you’re protected from liability should the worst happen.
Understanding how Insurance Rates are Set
Car insurance companies set their rates according to risk. Essentially, the look at how likely it is they’ll have to pay out on the policy and how likely it is the driver will pay their bill. The higher the risk they have to pay out or won’t get paid, the higher the insurance rates will be. Additionally, the amount they’ll have to pay out in case of an accident influences the rates as well.
There’s a lot of money in car insurance. That means insurance companies use a huge range of factors to determine how much risk a particular driver or car poses. These factors include, but aren’t limited to:
- Car safety
- Car acceleration
- Car type
- Driving record
- Car insurance payment history
- Gender
- Age
- Location
All of these factors affect the chance that the company will have to pay or how much the company will have to pay. For example, an SUV will cause more damage in an accident than a hatchback, so SUVs will cost more to insure.
In the same way, cars that accelerate faster and have a higher top speed are more dangerous to drive. That means insurance companies charge more to insure cars like sports cars and high-end luxury models.
How Car Models Affect the Price of Insurance
When a company looks at the risk that a model of car poses, they take several factors into account. The biggest factor is how many claims have come in from people driving that model of vehicle. They also look at the value of those claims to decide how expensive it’s likely to be.
Another important factor for car insurance companies is how likely a vehicle is to be stolen. Popular models of cars for thieves will cost more to insure than cars that aren’t stolen as much. That’s one of the reasons why having anti-theft devices in your car can help lower the cost of your insurance.
Finally, companies look at how much a car costs to repair. Cars that are expensive to repair and require rare or exotic parts or skilled labor will cost more to cover. That’s because the insurance company wants to protect itself against having to pay out these large claims.

Car Types to Avoid for Cheaper Insurance
In addition to looking at specific models of cars, insurance companies also factor in the type of car when they’re setting a rate. If you want the cheapest car insurance, then you should stay away from the following types of cars:
- Electric Cars
- Sports Cars
- Luxury Cars
- SUVs
Electric cars are generally safe and aren’t stolen very often. However, repairing an electric car can get very expensive. The battery packs that make them go aren’t cheap. Additionally, they require specially trained mechanics to fix. That means the cost of labor to repair an electric car can be very high. As a result, insurance companies charge much more to cover electric cars.
Sports cars basically fall into every high-risk category. They’re very fast and accelerate quickly. They’re also not full of safety features. That means the insurance company is more likely to pay out for damages to property as well as face higher medical bills for the driver. Sports cars are also frequent targets of theft. That means they’re very expensive to insure.
Luxury cars are also very expensive to repair and are frequently stolen. That’s because car thieves can get such a good return on luxury cars. After all, stealing a hatchback and stealing a luxury sedan are the same crime, so thieves will target higher-end cars if they can. Moreover, there are a lot of features and specialized components on these cars. That makes them much more expensive to repair. Repairs often require specialized labor.
Finally, SUVs are also rather expensive to insure. They may be safer for the driver, but they’re more likely to cause serious damage to anything they hit in an accident. That includes people. As a result, medical bills for people in a crash with an SUV are often much higher than they would be if they were in a crash with a smaller car. That means insurance companies charge more to cover the risk.
Finding the Cheapest Cars to Insure
Now that you know what kind of cars to avoid if you want the cheapest insurance, lets look at the aspects that make a car cheap to insure. The cheapest cars to insure are:
- Safe
- Cheap to repair
- Hard to steal/not often stolen
- Lower accident risk/accidents not as damaging
As you can see, this list of qualities means that the car is less of a risk to the insurance company. A safe car means that medical bills are lower and that the car is less likely to be in an accident.
Cars that are cheap to repair mean that the insurance company doesn’t need to spend as much if the car is in an accident. Hard to steal or infrequently stolen cars also mean that the insurance company faces less risk. Finally, cars that aren’t likely to be in an accident or will cause less damage in an accident lower the cost to the insurance company and so are cheaper to insure.
Getting the Cheapest Car Insurance
It’s easy to see that a ton of different factors can influence the price of can insurance. However, you can use this to your advantage as well. Insurance companies recognize that certain things make a person less likely to be in an accident.
That’s why you should always ask your insurance company about what kind of discount offers they have. Many insurance companies will cut the insurance rate for students with good grades. They’re also frequently willing to give a discount for things like defensive driving classes. You can use these things to your advantage to lower your rates no matter what kind of car you drive.
General Questions Cheapest Car to Insure Questions
This section answers general questions about the cheapest cars to insure. Use this section to get the basic answers you need and to help you understand the answers in the other sections.

What are the Cheapest Vehicles to Insure?
The cheapest vehicles to insure are things like small to mid-size sedans and hatchbacks. For example, the Subaru Outback, Ford Escape, and Chevy Equinox are three of the cheapest cars to insure.
What Cars are Expensive to Insure?
The most expensive cars to insure are ones that are fast, exotic, and dangerous. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other foreign sports cars are among the most expensive cars to insure.
Which Used Car is the Cheapest to Insure?
The type of used cars that are cheapest to insure are the same as the type of new cars that are cheaper to insure. Small, safe hatchbacks with lots of safety features, cars that don’t accelerate quickly, and that aren’t frequent targets for theft. So if you want to save on car insurance go this route.
What are the Cheapest Cars to Insure?
Cars like the Honda CRV, Honda Civic, Jeep Cherokee, and other common, safe, and easy to repair cars are the cheapest ones to insure.
What’s the Cheapest Car Insurance Company?
The cheapest car insurance company changes by state. That’s because each state has their own car insurance laws and regulations, so companies operate differently in different states. Use an insurance shopping tool to see which car insurance company is the cheapest in your state. You may also want to ask if they offer first month free car insurance.
What Makes Your Insurance Cheaper?
The car’s safety, storage location, frequency of use and cost of repair all make insurance cheaper. Moreover, things like good grades and defensive driving classes can also reduce the cost of insurance. Insurance companies also give you a discount for being continually insured. Read more about how to get car insurance.
What is the Least Expensive Car to Insure?
The least expensive car to insure is, on average, the Subaru Outback. It’s rarely stolen, easy to fix, and has loads of safety features. All of this adds up to a low-risk for the insurance company.
Which Cars Cost the Least to Insure?
Cars like small sedans and hatchbacks are the cost the least to insure. The Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Ford Fusion, and Hyundai Elantra are examples of cars that are very cheap to insure because they are safe, easy to fix, and don’t go very fast.
What is the Least Expensive New Car to Insure?
As of this writing the cheapest new car to insure is the Subaru Outback. That’s because of all the safety features the car has. It also has a very low frequency of being stolen and is easy to fix.
Which Cars Cost the Least to Insure?
While it can change based on what state you live in and what geography you have to deal with, cars like the Ford Fusion, Ford Escape, and Honda Civic generally cost the least to insure.
Cheapest Vehicle Insurance by Type
This section covers the questions you have about the cheapest vehicle insurance by type of vehicle.
What is the Least Expensive SUV to Insure?
The Least expensive SUV to insure is, as of this writing, the Toyota Rav-4. The Ford Explorer and Honda CR-V are also very cheap to insure for their vehicle class.
What is the Cheapest Small Car to Insure?
The cheapest small cars to insure are the Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Gulf, and the Mazda 3. These are all very safe cars that protect owners and other vehicles during accidents. They’re also cheap to repair.
What Type of Car is Cheapest to Insure?
The type of car that’s cheapest to insure are small, safe hatchbacks. These cars aren’t likely to be in a serious accident and they have lots of safety features that protect the driver and whatever else is involved in the accident. They’re also cheap and easy to repair.
What Motorcycles are Cheapest to Insure?
The cheapest motorcycles to insure are the Honda Rebel, the Honda CB500X/F, Triumph Daytona 675, Kawasaki ZX-10R, and other sport touring motorcycles.
What Sports Car is Cheapest to Insure?
Even the cheapest to insure sports cars are still going to be more expensive than many other cars. However, the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, and Subaru WRX STI are all reasonably priced to insure.
What are the Cheapest Trucks to Insure?
The cheapest trucks to insure are anything in the Ford F-Series, Chevy Trucks, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tundra, Ram 1500, and GMC Sierra.
What are Cheapest Mid-Size Cars to Insure?
The Mazda CX-3, Honda Pilot, Fiat 500X Pop, and Hyundai Tuscon SE are all mid-size cars that are fairly cheap to insure. They are all reasonably safe, don’t accelerate too quickly, and are cheap to repair.
What is the Cheapest 5 Door Car to Insure?
The Nissan Micra, Kia Rio, Volkswagen Polo and the Ford Fiesta are some of the cheapest 5-door cars to insure.
What is the Cheapest Van to Insure for Young Drivers?
Most vans will have about the same insurance rates. The Chrysler Town and Country, Toyota Sienna, and Honda Odyssey all cost around $2,000 per year to insure for young drivers.
What is the Cheapest 4×4 to Insure?
The Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, Toyota 4Runner, GMC Yukon, and Ford Expedition are the cheapest 4×4’s to insure as of this writing.
What is the Cheapest Van to Insure?
The Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, and Toyota Sienna are the three cheapest vans to insure. If you’re looking for a commercial van, then there are lots of other considerations to come into play.
Which Vehicles are the Cheapest to Insure?
You can get the cheapest insurance premiums on vehicles that don’t pose a lot of risk to the insurance company. Cars like the Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Ford Focus, and Mazda 3 are great examples of cheap cars to insure.

Cheapest Car Insurance by Brand
We’ll answer questions about the cheapest car to insure by brand in this section.
What is the Cheapest Car Brand to Insure?
By far the cheapest car brand to insure is Subaru. That’s because they only make a few types of cars. None of them are targets for theft and they’re all loaded with a host of safety features that decrease the risk to the insurance company.
What is the Cheapest Audi to Insure?
The Audi A3 is the cheapest car to insure from that company. Geico offers an average rate of $940 per year on it for well qualified drivers, for example.
What is the Cheapest Mercedes to Insure?
Out of all of Mercedes’ offerings, the C-Class is the cheapest one to insure. The car’s safety features help give it a boost over the other Mercedes options.
What is the Cheapest Luxury Car to Insure?
When it comes to luxury cars, the Cadillac STS, Lexus ES, and Infiniti Q50 are the cheapest cars to insure. The Audi A4, Buick Lacrosse, and Volvo S60 are also good options.
What is the Cheapest BMW to Insure?
The BMW 3 series is the cheapest line to insure from that particular company. It is incredibly safe and not as expensive to repair as other BMW models.
What is the Cheapest Jeep to Insure?
The Jeep Cherokee is the cheapest Jeep to Insure. It’s cheaper than the Grand Cherokee because it doesn’t cost as much to repair and doesn’t cause as much damage to other people and property in an accident.
What Make of Car is Cheapest to Insure?
The cheapest make of car to insure is Subaru. The company is famous for making cars that protect its occupants as well as others involved in any accident and it has good braking and handling ability.
Cheapest Car Insurance by Age
This section answers questions about car insurance for vehicles of different ages.
Is Insurance Higher on Newer Cars?
Sometimes insurance can be a little bit higher on a new car if you’re getting comprehensive insurance. That’s because comprehensive insurance covers the cost of replacing the car if it’s totaled and new cars have a higher market value. However, there’s not a huge difference and insurance companies care much more about the other aspects of a car when setting their rates.
Is it Cheaper to Insure an Older Car?
It can be a bit cheaper to insure an older car with comprehensive coverage, however newer cars have more safety and anti-theft features that will lower the cost of insurance. That means it depends on the specific cars in question more than their age.
Can I Get Full Coverage on an Old Car?
You can get cheap full coverage car insurance on an old car. Depending on how old the car is and what its market value is, the coverage might be more or less an expensive than on a modern car. If the car is very fast, heavy, and lacks safety features, then you should expect to pay more.
What is the Least Expensive Used Car to Insure?
The least expensive used car to insure is a Honda Odyssey. That’s actually a minivan, but it’s incredibly safe for the driver and the cars around it. The Honda CR-V, Toyota Camry, and Volvo V70 are not minivans and are also very cheap to insure.
What Second Hand Cars are Cheapest to Insure?
The Honda CR-V, Toyota Camry, and Volvo V70 are among the cheapest second-hand cars to insure. These cars use common parts, are safe and efficient, and aren’t common targets for theft. As a result, they are low risk to the insurance company.
What Used Cars are the Cheapest to Insure?
The cheapest used cars to insure are those that fall in the same category as the cheapest new cars to insure. Small hatchbacks and small sedans with lots of safety features. The Kia Rio, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, and Ford Escape are good examples.
Cheapest Cars to Insure for Young Drivers
Young drivers face some of the most expensive insurance rates in the country. This section will answer your questions about how to get the cheapest insurance prices for people in this group.
What Cars are the Cheapest to Insure for Young Drivers?
The cheapest cars to insure for young drivers are the same cars that are cheapest to insure for anyone. The safe, slower, and less theft-prone the car, the cheaper it is to insure. Honda Civics and Accords, the Subaru Outback, Ford Focus, Ford Escape, and similar cars are your cheapest options.
What is the Cheapest Car to Insure at 17?
The Civic 4-Door, Mazda 3, Toyota Prius, Honda Accord, and Mazda 6 are all good cars that are cheaper to insure at 17 than most other options.
What are the Cheapest Cars to Insure for New Drivers?
New drivers will get the best rates on cars that are safe and reliable. Cars like the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, and Mazda 3 are all great options.
What is My Cheapest Option for Insure a Young Driver?
You cheapest option to insure a young driver is to list them as a secondary driver on your car insurance. This will keep your rates low. If they need their own car, then you’ll need to get something small, slow, and safe. A Honda Civic or Mazda 3 are both great choices for young drivers to keep the cost of insurance down.
Cheapest Car Insurance by Other Factors
This section has answers to questions about car insurance according to other factors.
What is the Least Expensive Color for a Car?
Actually, the color of a car is one thing that insurance companies don’t take into account when they’re setting rates. Therefore, they don’t charge more for any particular color of vehicle.
What Color Cars are Cheaper to Insure?
All colors of cars are the same price to insure. Insurance companies are far more concerned with the make and model of the vehicle and how safe the car is. Most cars have the same rate of theft regardless of color, so it’s not something insurance companies really look at.
Is it More Expensive to Insure a Red Car?
It’s not more expensive to insure a red car. That’s actually a common insurance myth. The truth is that insurance companies don’t evaluate car color when they’re setting rates, so feel free to get a red car without worrying about the cost of your insurance.
What is the Cheapest Car to Insure for Teenage Drivers?
The cheapest car to insure for teenage drivers is something like the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, or Subaru Outback. These cars offer lots of safety features and don’t cost too much to repair.
What Color Cars are More Expensive to Insure?
No color of car is more expensive to insure than any other color of car. The color of the car doesn’t dramatically influence the rate of theft or any of the other factors that insurance companies consider.
What Color Car is Cost the Least to Insure?
This is a common misconception. There’s no car that’s more or less expensive to insure because of its color. Insurance companies are far more concerned with other aspects of a car when they are calculating the rates for it.
Other Cheapest Car Insurance Questions
This section covers questions about the cheapest car insurance that don’t fit into our other categories. Use this section if you can’t find your question elsewhere.
What is the Cheapest Car to Buy and Insure?
That depends on a number of factors, like the driver’s information, where you live, and so on. However, on average as of this writing, the cheapest cars to buy and insure are the Nissan Micra, Kia Rio, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Escape, and other similar small, safe, affordable hatchbacks. These cars are all inexpensive to buy, have lots of replacement parts available, and don’t require any specialized labor for maintenance or repairs.
What is the Cheapest Car to Run, Tax, and Insure?
Small hatchbacks are usually the cheapest cars to run, tax, and insure. These cars get excellent gas mileage, have a low cost to repair, lots of safety features, and aren’t frequent targets for theft. Cars like the Volkswagen Polo, Ford Escape, Kia Rio, and other, similar models are great examples of the cheapest cars overall in terms of running, taxation, and insurance.
Which Auto Insurance is the Cheapest?
The cheapest type of auto insurance is liability only coverage. This will only protect you from damages to other people and property. It won’t cover your car in the case of an accident. As for the cheapest insurance company, that depends on several factors, like where you live, what kind of driving record you have, and more. We recommend using an insurance search tool to compare different insurance policies to ensure you get the best deal.