Buying a car is one of the most expensive purchases a person can make in their lifetime. Depending on the make and model you buy, you can easily spend $30,000 to $40,000 after paying down your principal and interest. Most people don’t consider insurance when shopping for a car, even though it can easily add $100-$200 to monthly car costs. This leaves many car buyers shell-shocked when they realize they didn’t budget for this added expense.
You don’t want this to happen to you. Before you go out and buy a new car, consider the top five cars offering the cheapest auto insurance quotes by Forbes and Insure.com.
#1: Hyundai Santa Fe
The Hyundai Santa Fe was listed as the least expensive vehicle to insure in 2009 with a average yearly insurance cost of $832.
This car’s main qualifier for the cheapest rate quote is a Highway Loss Data Institute report of “substantially better than average” for comprehensive insurance losses, as well as “better than average” for personal injury protection insurance losses. Some of the safety features that play a role in this vehicle’s low coverage costs include brake assist, body-side reinforcements, 3-point seatbelts, 4-wheel ABS, traction control, shift interlock system, front-rear crumple zones and multiple air bags.
#2: Kia Sportage
The second least expensive vehicle to insure is the Kia Sportage. With an average yearly insurance cost of $840, buying the Sportage makes insurance affordable.
The main reason insurance costs are so low with this vehicle is its safety ratings. With the NHTSA Star Ratings alone, the Sportage received the highest rating -- five stars -- for frontal and side tests on the driver, passenger, front seat and rear seat. Some safety features of the Sportage include multiple air bags, 4-wheel ABS, traction control, side-impact door beams and lower anchors & tether for children (LATCH).
#3: Hyundai Entourage
The Hyundai Entourage ranks number three on the list with an average yearly insurance cost of $848. Not bad!
The reason this car was quoted for a low insurance cost was because it received high safety scores from both the NHTSA and the IIHS. Some of the safety features on the Entourage include front side and curtain side airbags, ant-iskid system, traction control and anti-lock brakes.
#4: Kia Sedona
The Kia Sedona was an IIHS 2009 Top Safety Pick for its good performance in front, side and rear tests, as well as standard electronic stability control. Because of its top rankings across the board, the average yearly auto insurance rate for this minivan is $857. There are a ton of safety features on this car that give it its ranking. Some include electronic stability control, brake assist, 4-wheel ABS, passenger/side head/rear head air bags, height-adjustable front and 2nd row seatbelts, 3-point seatbelts, and an energy-absorbing steering column.
#5: Kia Rio5
The Kia Rio5 rounds out the list of the top five cars with the cheapest auto insurance quotes. This mini SUV offers a sleek look and great safety features to match. It received four stars from NHTSA for drivers and passenger side frontal impact and rollover resistance, as well as five stars for front-occupant side impact, giving it a average yearly insurance cost of $870. Some of its safety features include driver/passenger/side head/rear head air bags, rear 3-point seatbelts, LATCH, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and front/rear crumple zones.
As you can see, there seems to be a consensus that both Kia and Hyundai vehicles offer top-quality safety and thus help to lower your auto insurance rate. So it’s good to keep this in mind as you search for cars and attempt to lower auto insurance. But if you’re interested in a different type of car that didn’t make this list, it’s good to consider other ways to lower your auto insurance.
Additional Ways to Lower Coverage
- Buy an economy car – Having a smaller car can help lower your auto insurance. So consider this as an option as you look for cars to purchase.
- Consider PAYD insurance – Also known as “Pay as You Drive,” this is a relatively new type of insurance that’s only available in a few states so far, but it allows drivers to pay based on mileage rather than their driving habits, credit report, age, gender, etc. If you drive a short distance, this could benefit you pretty well.
- Seek discounts – Most insurance companies offer some one or more discounts that their customers can take advantage of. So whether you’re a good student, good driver or have purchased multiple policy types (ex. life, homeowners) with this company, you can probably receive a discount in the process.
- Shop around – If you don’t shop around for competing quotes, it will be hard to determine which is the cheapest. So make sure you shop around with various insurers before settling on coverage for your car.
Sometimes it’s tough to think in terms of auto insurance rates when you’re wowed by the beauty of a new car. They put so many bells and whistles in them nowadays that it’s hard to think of anything else. However, car notes are expensive enough without adding an expensive car insurance premium to it. So before you buy a car, it’s good to consider how much insuring it will cost.
This was a guest post written by GoInsuranceRates.com, where you can find the best deals on auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and health insurance.
Tags: auto insurance, car insurance, insurance
US $355.00
