A friend gave me a heads-up to an article at msn.com's money section
that identifies the 10 most expensive cars to insure, as well as the 10
least expensive cars to insure. Presented at moneycentral.msn.com
by Dana Dratch and Bankrate.com, the informative article explains
"Along with your own driving record, your ZIP code and the demographics
of the drivers in your household, the make and model of your vehicle
can have a big effect on your insurance bill."
"The choice of the car itself is going to affect, in particular, what
you will spend for comprehensive and collision," says Jeanne Salvatore,
senior vice president of public affairs for the Insurance Information
Institute. Most important, such factors as collision-damage costs, how
attractive the vehicle is to thieves, and how much horsepower the
engine produces are strong influences on insurance rates.
According to the article, the 10 cars with the most expensive collision losses (starting with the most expensive) are*:
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Mercedes CL-Class
Dodge SRT-4
Subaru Impreza WRX
Jaguar XK (convertible)
Lexus IS 300
Honda S2000
Acura RSX
Nissan 350Z
Jaguar XJ
On the other hand, family vehicles like station wagons, minivans, and
family sedans rank well. "It's pretty traditional to see things like
station wagons and minivans there -- vehicles probably operated by
soccer moms in non-aggressive fashion," says Kim Hazelbaker, a senior
vice president with the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In addition, he says many
of the vehicles that rank low in collision costs also generally tend to
be "not real expensive vehicles."
According to the article, the 10 least expensive models to insure in
terms of collision losses (starting with the least expensive) are:
Volvo XC90
Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
GMC Safari
Buick LeSabre
Nissan Pathfinder Armada (2004 only)
Pontiac Montana (standard model)
Mazda MPV
Ford Thunderbird
Pontiac Montana (extended model)
Ford Taurus (station wagon)
*Lists are based on 2002 to 2004 collision data from the Highway Loss Data Institute. Read the complete article at msn.com's money section
By Brandy Schaffels
Contributing Editor
