Top 10 Cheapest Cars to Insure
by
Jason Siu
Published: March 1st, 2014
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Need a car to get you from Point A to Point B without costing you a fortune each month in insurance premiums? AutoGuide has compiled a list of the Top 10 cheapest cars to insure. The estimated annual premiums for the vehicles on this list are based on a study conducted by Insure.com, which calculated averages from Allstate, Geico, Farmers, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm. The insurance prices are based on full coverage for a 40-year-old male with a clean driving record and good credit and a 12-mile commute to work each day. Rates are based on $100,000 injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage with a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage.
Costing $1,158 a year to insure, the Dodge Grand Caravan SE is the first vehicle on the list. The “will it or won’t it live” minivan is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and comes equipped with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with 283 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, the money you’ll be saving on insurance might be heading to the local gas station as the Grand Caravan SE gets 17 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway, making it one of the least fuel-efficient vehicles on the list. It has a starting price of $24,390 including destination.
Continuing on with another minivan model, the Honda Odyssey EX will run you $1,149 a year to insure. Its starting price is $32,995, making it much more expensive compared to the Dodge Grand Caravan SE. The Odyssey EX is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 248 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque, making it less powerful compared to the Pentastar V6, but it is more fuel efficient at 19 MPG city, 28 MPG highway.
The Dodge Journey SE, priced from $22,490 features a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood with 173 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. It’s actually tied with the Honda Odyssey SE, with an estimated yearly annual insurance premium of $1,149. Despite having a four-cylinder powerplant, the Journey SE actually get worse highway gas mileage compared to the Odyssey at 26 MPG. Its city rating is the same at 19 MPG.
The Subaru Outback 2.5i lands in seventh place on the list, with a yearly premium of $1,144. Sporting a 2.5-liter Boxer four-cylinder engine under the hood, the Outback is priced from $23,990 while offering 173 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque. In fact, the Outback is quite comparable to the Dodge Journey SE, and if you’re cross-shopping the two, you might be interested to know that the Outback gets an impressive 24 MPG city, 30 MPG highway rating.
By now, you might have noticed that the cheapest cars on the market to insure are minivans, crossovers and SUVs. The Chrysler Town & Country Touring is a sibling to the Grand Caravan SE, sporting the same 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine under the hood with 283 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. It also gets identical fuel economy at 17 MPG city and 25 MPG highway but is priced much more on the higher-end at $31,715. That’s because the Chrysler Town & Country Touring outfits the interior with plenty of luxurious amenities. Surprisingly, it’s cheaper to insure at $1,140 a year.
Next up is the Jeep Compass Sport, featuring a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 158 hp and 141 lb-ft of torque. Priced from $19,590, it’s one of the more affordable vehicles on the list while offering SUV versatility with Jeep’s namesake. The Compass Sport is estimated to cost $1,140 a year to insure – just like the Chrysler Town & Country Touring – and gets 23 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway.
From Honda, the CR-V LX will run you $1,115 a year to insure while costing you $23,775 off the dealership lot. Under the hood is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine providing 185 hp and 163 lb-ft of torque while getting 23 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway. It offers your typical Honda dependability and reliability, all in a versatile SUV body.
Another Jeep landing on the list, the Patriot Sport is expected to cost around $1,104 a year to insure but is actually the cheapest vehicle on our list with a starting price of $16,990. Under the hood is the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine as the Jeep Compass Sport with 158 hp and 141 lb-ft of torque. So it’s also no surprise that the Patriot Sport is rated the same in terms of fuel economy: 23 MPG city, 30 MPG highway.
The Honda Odyssey LX marks the second Odyssey model on the list, sporting an estimated $1,103 annual insurance premium. Just like the higher-end EX model, the Honda Odyssey LX features a 3.5-liter V6 engine under the hood with 248 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque while getting 19 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway. It is cheaper however, starting from $29,655, but you’ll give up some of the bells and whistles that are often times necessary in mundane minivans.
The cheapest car to insure is the Jeep Wrangler Sport with a yearly premium of $1,080. Priced from $23,390, the Wrangler Sport is powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque while achieving 17 MPG in the city and 21 MPG on the highway. We’re not quite sure why there’s so many Chrysler Group vehicles on the list, but it appears that the American automaker’s vehicles are the ones to beat when it comes to insurance costs.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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This list is misleading; the title should read "cheapest vehicles to insure". Not a single listed vehicle here was a car.
I know that these insurance costs are based on averages from across the country, but I have never paid as much as even the cheapest vehicle to insure on this list. I currently pay about $600 a year on my late model VW GTI, and that is with excellent, full coverage (including roadside assistance) from State Farm (not a cheap insurer).