These are the cheapest car brands to insure, according to consumer reports – Jalopnik

As the prices of both new and used cars continue to rise, this is a good time for most Americans to think about ways to save money. If you are looking for a new car or a car that is new to you, a very important variable to consider is how much money you are willing to spend on car insurance. That varies based on several factors, including the brand of car you want to buy. Luckily our friends are there Consumer Reports has released a list of the ten cheapest car brands to insurePull data from Insurify national survey of average annual insurance premiums.

To compile this list, Insurify analyzed more than 90 million real-world insurance quotes provided by major auto insurers to customers in the United States. A spokesperson for Erie Insurance told Consumer Reports, “It’s a smart move to get insurance quotes on a few different models before purchasing because vehicles with higher safety ratings, proven reliability and anti-theft features tend to cost less to insure.” This list produces some different results than CR’s list of the cheapest new cars to insure, because it also includes insurance quotes given to people who inquired about used vehicles, not just new ones.

The top five cheapest car brands to insure, in descending order, are Subaru, Buick, Volvo, GMC and Mini. The difference between the cheapest average annual car insurance premium and the tenth cheapest isn’t particularly large, only about $300 per year, but as someone who tries to live on a writer’s salary, I understand that every dollar counts.

Subaru is the cheapest car brand to insure by a relatively significant margin, with an average annual premium of just $2,088. The Subaru Forester topped Consumer Reports’ list of the cheapest recommended new cars on sale today, with an average annual premium of just $2,184, which is remarkably low for a brand new vehicle. The Subaru Crosstrek came in third on that list with an average annual premium of $2,283, and the Subaru Impreza rounded out the list as the tenth cheapest new car to insure with an average annual premium of $2,382.

The Buick brand took second place behind Subaru, with an average annual insurance premium of $2,148. Volvos and GMCs came third and fourth, respectively, even though they both have the same average annual insurance premium of $2,184. Mini rounds out the top five cheapest car brands to insure, with an average annual insurance premium of $2,208.

Jeep is the sixth cheapest car brand to insure, which is somewhat surprising given the brand’s dismal reliability ratings, but I can’t argue with an average annual insurance premium of $2,268. Mazda came in seventh behind Jeep, with an average annual premium of $2,292, followed by Ford in eighth place with an average annual premium of $2,340. Ford also had one vehicle that made CR’s list of the cheapest recommended new cars to insure; the Bronco Sport is the second cheapest new car to insure at $2,279, beaten only by the Subaru Forester.

Chevrolet and Honda rank ninth and tenth, respectively, among the cheapest car brands to insure, each with an average annual premium of $2,376. One possible reason for the surprisingly high rankings of companies with poor reliability reputations, such as Ford and Chevrolet, is that the data shows that pickup trucks tend to be cheaper to insure than other vehicle types – 16% cheaper than the average sedan.

While this list can point you in the right direction toward finding an affordable car to insure, there are a litany of variables that insurance companies take into account when giving you a quote. For example, I recently moved from downtown Hollywood in Los Angeles to Long Beach, and my car insurance immediately became about 60% cheaper when I changed my home address on my insurance.

Insurance companies take into account your driving record, age, gender, location, credit score and what type of car you are trying to insure. If the vehicle you want to insure has good crash test results or active safety features such as automatic emergency braking, this can also lower your insurance rates. For these reasons, and to save what little money you have left in your bank account, it’s a good idea to shop around for your car insurance and get quotes from multiple providers before making a purchasing decision.