03 October 2011

How to find out which cars are cheap to insure

Check out the HLDI ratings. The lower the number, the cheaper to insure.

Below is an example for Four-door models. For numbers for other categories (2-door, luxury, sports, SUVs, luxury SUVs, pickups, and station wagons/minivans, please click here. There are also links further below, and more explanations.

Insurance losses:
Four-door models

2008-10 models

Size: Mini Small Midsize Large Very large

Vehicle	ALL COVERAGES	Collision	Property damage liability	Compre- hensive	Personal injury protection	Medical payment	Bodily injury liability
Acura TSX	92	111	73	116	89	93	71
Chevrolet Malibu (NEW)	97	94	83	98	111	112	105
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid	—	80	78	—	—	—	—
Chrysler Sebring	117	93	116	84	148	146	151
Dodge Avenger	132	111	135	100	164	170	159
Ford Fusion	98	98	85	91	112	125	106
Ford Fusion 4WD	—	98	73	93	106	—	—
Ford Fusion Hybrid 4dr	—	121	84	113	65	—	—
Honda Accord	86	82	79	86	105	99	89
Hyundai Sonata	104	103	95	82	124	130	114
Kia Optima	126	118	115	98	169	165	141
Mazda 6	92	86	92	92	95	102	98
Mercury Milan	95	102	86	81	109	111	94
Mercury Milan 4WD	—	107	87	77	—	—	—
Mercury Milan Hybrid 4dr	—	84	—	—	—	—	—
Mitsubishi Galant	129	118	117	95	176	166	154
Nissan Altima	104	109	89	97	137	135	100
Nissan Altima Hybrid	—	110	89	98	114	—	92
Nissan Maxima	114	128	76	164	121	108	98
Saturn Aura	91	80	97	77	97	107	102
Subaru Legacy 4WD	—	75	52	105	75	—	—
Toyota Camry	107	113	99	91	139	132	102
Toyota Camry Hybrid	97	109	93	99	85	93	90
Volkswagen Jetta	102	108	98	89	95	103	108
Volkswagen Passat	94	101	87	101	94	89	88
Volkswagen Passat CC	96	116	73	101	96	97	86
Volkswagen Passat CC 4WD	—	109	—	117	—	—	—
Volvo S40	—	110	98	104	81	—	—
Volvo S40 4WD	—	75	—	116	—	—	—

Overview

See losses for other vehicle groups:

See the best and worst vehicles in each coverage type

See losses for other model year ranges:

Loss results are stated in relative terms (100 represents the average result for all vehicles in each loss coverage category).

Insurance losses

by make and model

Auto insurance covers damage to vehicles and property in crashes plus injuries to the people involved in the crashes. Different insurance coverages pay for vehicle damage versus injuries. Different insurance coverages also may apply depending on who's at fault — first-party insurance pays for your own losses, while third-party pays for losses to other people and property for which you're liable.

Losses vary widely among vehicles under all six coverages — even vehicles that are similar in size and type.

These tables show insurance losses for hundreds of passenger vehicles grouped by body style and size under six insurance coverages: collision, property damage liability, comprehensive, personal injury protection, medical payment, and bodily injury.

Results are based on the loss experience of 2008-10 models from their first sales through May 2011. For vehicles that were newly introduced or redesigned during these years, the results shown in this publication are based only on the most recent model years for which the vehicle designs were unchanged — either 2009-10 or 2010 only. Results are grouped according to vehicle body style and then according to size.

All losses are stated in relative terms, with 100 representing the average injury, collision, or theft loss for all vehicles. For example, a result of 122 is 22 percent worse than average, and 96 is 4 percent better than average. The vehicles are listed within each group in ascending sequence results. For convenience, the overall results are color-coded to indicate better and worse than average. The results also are adjusted, or standardized, to reduce possible distortions from other non-vehicle factors — operator age, calendar year, density, gender, marital status, model year, risk (standard or non-standard), and state. Collision and comprehensive are also adjusted for deductible amount.

These insurance loss results generally are good predictors of the experience of current versions of the same vehicle models. But when automakers substantially redesign their passenger vehicles, the experience of an earlier model with the same name (but not same design) may not predict the experience of the newer design.