Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance expert with four years of direct agency experience and over a decade of creating educational content to help insurance shoppers make confident, informed decisions.
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
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Auto Insurance Insights Car insurance rates vary by make and model because the risks associated with each car are different. Your car's year, make and model is one of the first things you'll be asked when you request a car insurance quote.
Car insurance companies ask for your car's make and model when you compare car insurance rates to accurately assess the risk of insuring you. Vehicles that are more expensive to repair are more costly to insure. That means a high-end luxury car will cost more to insure than a base model economy car. Other factors that affect the cost of car insurance by make and model are safety ratings, security features and even theft statistics.
When shopping for a new car, it's important to consider the cost of car insurance along with the loan payment, especially if you're on a tight budget. Compare car insurance quotes for all of the vehicles you're considering to get a complete picture of the total cost of ownership for each car. You may find that one of your options is much cheaper to insure than the others.
The same goes for a getting the best price on insurance for your current car. Auto insurance rates by make and model differ from company to company and can change from year to year. That means shopping around can get you the best car insurance rates no matter what vehicle you drive.
So how much does car insurance cost for your car's make and model? Read on to learn more about how make and model impact car insurance and compare auto insurance rates for various vehicle types.
What is the make and model of a car?
- A car's make is the company that manufactures it. For example: Honda, Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, and Nissan are all makes.
- A car's model is the name for that specific type of car. For instance, if you own a Honda Civic, 'Honda' is the make (manufacturer) and 'Civic' is the model.
- In addition to make and model, cars have different trim levels. With a Honda, for example, you may see EX or LX. This indicates what features the car has, like a sunroof or leather seats, and can also impact insurance rates. A car with all the bells and whistles will be more expensive to buy and to insure.
How do make and model affect car insurance rates?
Insurance companies gather a lot of data to determine car insurance rates. Data on each make and model is part of that calculation. A big part of that is the value of the car and the cost to repair it, which is how much the insurance company could potentially pay in a claim.
For example, a Porsche costs a lot more to buy and also costs more to repair because of high-end parts. On the other hand, a Kia costs less and also tends to have lower repair bills.
At the model level, it's much the same. A more expensive model like a top-end luxury SUV will cost more than the base model compact sedan.
In addition to value and repair costs, insurance companies look at safety ratings, crash statistics, and theft statistics to calculate car insurance rates.
Below, you can choose a vehicle make to explore rates for various models and trim levels. As you compare auto insurance rates, be sure to use a car insurance calculator to make sure you're getting the coverage you need at the best price.
