Is Your Car Model Driving Up Your Insurance Premium?

Various types of cars parked in a parking lot, seen from aerial view.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you're in the market to buy a car, you might want to doublecheck the make and model you’re considering before you sign the paperwork. If you don’t, your car insurance premium could suffer.

Average car insurance rates have been rising across the board. According to Bankrate, the cost of car insurance is up nearly 12% in 2025, averaging $2,671 per year for full coverage — or $806 per year for minimum coverage — as of October. But some makes and models are more expensive to insure than others.

If you're trying to save money on a new car this year, choose one of the cheapest cars to insure — or at least avoid the makes and models with the highest car insurance rates. If you want a more precise estimate of how much it might cost to insure your dream car, use the car insurance tool below, powered by Bankrate, to compare quotes:

From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance

Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just ~~$107.88~~ $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues

CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/y99mlvgqmn1763972420.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

The Five Cheapest Cars to Insure

A blue Subaru Outback parked in front of mountains.

These are the five models with the lowest average car insurance rates in 2025, according to Bankrate:

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Five Cars with the Lowest Average Insurance Rates
Row 0 - Cell 0	Average Annual Premium for Full Coverage
Subaru Outback	$2,223
Honda CR-V	$2,251
Jeep Wrangler	$2,371
Toyota Tacoma	$2,374
Toyota RAV4	$2,391

Typically, any Subaru model will be among the cheapest cars to insure, because Subarus regularly earn some of the highest safety ratings. Models such as the Outback or Forealso ter are also usually cheaper to repair.

Hondas and Toyotas tend to hover at the lower end of the premium spectrum. Both makes are often cheaper to repair compared to others.

Ford and Chevrolet models often see car insurance premiums right around the national average.

The Five Most Expensive Cars to Insure

A silver Cadillac Escalade driving down a city street.

Here are the five models that carry the highest average car insurance rates, according to Bankrate:

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Five Cars with the Highest Average Insurance Rates
Row 0 - Cell 0	Average Annual Premium for Full Coverage
Audi R8 Quattro Performance	$6,656
Tesla Model X	$5,568
Tesla Model S Plaid	$5,522
Dodge Charger	$4,929
Lexus RC F	$4,584

The common themes among the most expensive cars to insure are high-end trim levels, luxury models or cars with expensive specialty parts. Even when you remove premium models and trims such as those listed above from the running, the list of most expensive cars still features many of the same makes.

For example, even the standard Tesla Model 3 costs $3,531 per year to insure, on average. That's more than 32% higher than the $2,671 national average. Standard Audis will also often come with an above average insurance premium.

Other ways your car impacts your car insurance rates

A person using the infotainment system inside of a car.

The make and model influence your premium, but that’s not the only way the car you drive can change the insurance rate you pay.

Other factors about your car that insurance companies often use to determine your rate include:

Vehicle age: The older your car is, the more its value has depreciated. Since the maximum an insurer will pay out for a car is its current market value, your premiums tend to go down along with your car’s value, one more reason to buy a certified pre-owned car. You’ll pay less on the car itself, and buying something that’s already a couple of years old could help push your premium down.
Body style and trim: If your car is a coupe or convertible, expect to pay a little more for insurance. The same goes for sport or luxury trims. The cheapest style and trim to insure? SUVs and trucks with standard trim. This mostly comes down to the car’s value and the cost to repair it. Lower-cost cars that are cheaper to repair are also cheaper to insure.
Technology and features: The advanced features showing up on newer cars are impressive, but they also tend to be more complex and made up of expensive-to-replace components. A backup camera alone isn’t going to make or break your insurance budget, but it’s worth thinking about any upgrades you’re considering in a new car. Is that advanced feature worth paying a little extra on your insurance each month? If it’s a safety feature, probably. If it’s heated seats and you live in Florida, maybe not.
Safety rating: Every year, most vehicles are given a safety rating by organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA rating system is a 5-star system, in which more stars mean a safer car. Cars with a higher safety rating have a lower risk of injuring the driver and other occupants, which can translate to a lower insurance rate. You can look up the NHTSA rating of your car to see how many stars it’s earned.

Bottom line

If you’re in the market for a new car this year, make sure to factor in the average cost of insuring the make and model you want to buy.

If your dream car is among the most expensive to insure, consider buying a certified pre-owned vehicle, as older cars tend to cost less to insure.

If that’s not an option, you might need to look for other ways to save on car insurance if you’re trying to keep costs down.

Rachael Green is a personal finance eCommerce writer specializing in insurance, travel, and credit cards. Before joining Kiplinger in 2025, she wrote blogs and whitepapers for financial advisors and reported on everything from the latest business news and investing trends to the best shopping deals. Her bylines have appeared in Benzinga, CBS News, Travel + Leisure, Bustle, and numerous other publications. A former digital nomad, Rachael lived in Lund, Vienna, and New York before settling down in Atlanta. She’s eager to share her tips for finding the best travel deals and navigating the logistics of managing money while living abroad. When she’s not researching the latest insurance trends or sharing the best credit card reward hacks, Rachael can be found traveling or working in her garden.