The Cheapest (And Most Expensive) 2013 Cars To Insure

While it’s true that drivers can help minimize their auto insurance premiums by comparing rates from various carriers, maximizing deductibles and qualifying for applicable discounts, the biggest long-term savings can come from buying a vehicle that’s inherently cheaper to insure in the first place. That’s especially since auto insurance rates are otherwise largely based on invariables like a person’s gender, age, driving record and address.
According to an extensive survey of more than 750 car models and six major carriers conducted for Insure.com, crossover SUVS dominate the rankings of least expensive vehicles to insure for 2013, with the Ford Edge at the top of the list with an average annual premium of $1,148.
“In the past, minivans have dominated the ‘least expensive to insure’ rankings,” says Amy Danise, editorial director of Insure.com. “But SUVs and crossovers have parked themselves in the best spots in the rankings for the 2013 model year.”

By comparison, the costliest car to insure (excluding exotics), the posh Mercedes-Benz CL600 luxury coupe, gnaws at its owners’ pocketbooks with a stiff $3,357 yearly premium. Though it would admittedly be a stretch in terms of vehicular cross shopping, choosing the Edge over a CL600 would save a motorist $2,229 annually or $11,145 in insurance costs over a five-year ownership period (not to mention a small fortune in depreciation, financing costs, maintenance and so on).
In Pictures: 16 Cheapest Cars To Insure.
Of course, costlier cars are always more expensive to ensure. Their overall replacement values are greater and their repair costs tend to be more expensive than other types of vehicles. Beyond that, insurance companies look at past claims histories to determine which models incur more or less damage in a crash, are more or less damaging to other vehicles, people and property, are more or less likely to be stolen or be involved in a crash and have higher or lower bodily injury claims. By that measure, high-performance cars tend to be costly to insure because they tend to be driven more aggressively and are, in turn, involved in a proportionately higher percentage of accidents than more sedate sedans and SUVs.
Other family-friendly crossovers cited for having among the most affordable annual average auto insurance rates (in the $1,100-$1,200 range) include three Jeeps, the Grand Cherokee Patriot and Compass, the Subaru Outback, the Kia Sportage and Sorento, Ford Explorer and Transit Express the Chevrolet Equinox and Nissan Pathfinder. We’ve included a full list of the cheapest to insure models and their projected annual premiums in the accompanying slide show.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz is responsible for 11 out of the 20 most expensive models to insure for 2013, including multiple variations of its top CL-, S- and SL-Class models. Five come from Porsche (including various versions of the 911 and Panamera), three from Jaguar (the XK and XKR coupe/convertible) and one BMW, the 650i. Average rates here run from around $2,600 to over $3,300 annually. A complete database of the average rates for all makes and models can be found here.
In Pictures: 16 Cheapest Cars To Insure.
Data on premiums for the survey was compiled by Quadrant Information Services based on auto insurance rates for more than 750 car and truck models from six large carriers – Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm – in 10 ZIP codes per state. Rates were not available for all models, particularly exotic cars. Averages assume a single, 40-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/50 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage.
Of course, “your mileage may vary.” Demographically, women and married men tend to pay the lowest premiums, with younger men (the most accident prone group of all) being charged the highest rates for a given make and model. You’ll pay higher rates if there’s multiple tickets and/or accidents on your driving record, you live in a big city, and/or drive an excessive number of miles per year, among other factors; if you have a DUI on your record or are considered a poor credit risk you may not be able to obtain auto insurance at all, depending on the carrier.
And yes, be sure to comparison shop among multiple carriers, ask about discounts and consider raising your policy’s deductibles to further minimize your annual auto insurance premiums.