Car Insurance by Vehicle Type: How Your Car Affects Your Rates

What Insurers Look at When Rating Your Vehicle

When you apply for car insurance, your insurer doesn't just look at your driving record. Your vehicle itself plays a major role in setting your premium. Understanding what affects car insurance rates can save you hundreds of dollars, especially when shopping for a new car. Here are the primary vehicle-related factors insurers evaluate:

Safety ratings carry real weight here. In 2026, the IIHS named 63 total Top Safety Pick winners, with 45 earning Top Safety Pick+ and 18 earning Top Safety Pick under tougher new criteria that require stricter crash avoidance standards. SUVs dominated the winners list across small, midsize, and large categories, while no minivans qualified this year. Vehicles earning these distinctions are involved in fewer severe accidents and generate lower injury claims, and insurers reward this with lower base rates. A great safety score can still be offset by high repair costs, which is why EVs with 5-star ratings often command steep premiums. Check how vehicle weight affects your rates for another often-overlooked factor.

Most and Least Expensive Vehicle Types to Insure

Most Expensive Vehicle Types

Not all vehicles are created equal when it comes to insurance costs. These categories consistently rank at the top for annual premiums:

• Sports Cars and High-Performance Vehicles. Powerful engines, higher speeds, and a driver profile that skews younger all push rates up. Sports cars like the BMW M4 (about $319/mo per Compare.com), Nissan GT-R ($318/mo), and Toyota GR86 ($318/mo) sit at the extreme end of the standard vehicle category.
• Luxury Vehicles. High MSRP, imported parts, and specialized repair labor make luxury cars costly to insure. Top models like the Maserati Quattroporte (up to $10,737 per year per USA Today) and BMW M5 (about $6,593 per year per recent 2026 data) lead the list. Learn more about how premiums are calculated for high-value vehicles.
• Electric Vehicles (EVs). Complex battery systems, high vehicle values, and limited repair shops drive up claim costs. EVs now average approximately $3,159 per year to insure with full coverage across all model years per Insurify, about 42% or $941 more than the $2,218 gas-vehicle average. Newer Insurify data on 2024+ models puts EVs even higher at $4,058 per year (about 49% above the $2,732 gas-car average), though the gap narrows to roughly 18% on the nine top-selling EV models. See our Tesla insurance breakdown for model-specific EV rates, or our hybrid car insurance guide for a middle-ground option.
• Large Full-Size Trucks. Higher vehicle value and rollover risk make full-size trucks pricier than midsize alternatives. The Ford F-150 averages around $1,862 to $2,630 per year for full coverage, with theft risk adding to comprehensive premiums.
• High-Theft-Rate Models. Vehicles on the NICB's most-stolen lists carry elevated comprehensive coverage costs. In 2025, the Hyundai Elantra topped the list with 21,732 thefts, followed by the Honda Accord (17,797) and Hyundai Sonata (17,687), even as overall U.S. vehicle thefts fell 23% year over year to 659,880 vehicles nationwide.

Least Expensive Vehicle Types

SUV vs. Sedan vs. Truck: A Side-by-Side Rate Comparison

One of the most common questions shoppers ask is whether to expect higher insurance on an SUV, sedan, or truck. The national full-coverage average for 2026 lands between roughly $2,237 and $2,926 per year depending on the data source, with Insurify at $2,237 per year, NerdWallet at $2,356 per year, ValuePenguin at $2,496 per year, and Experian at $2,926 per year. Your vehicle type can push that number well above or below the average. Here's how the numbers break down based on current full-coverage averages:

Why do compact SUVs often beat sedans on price? Compact and midsize SUVs tend to earn strong crash-test scores, suffer less damage in collisions due to their heavier build, and are equipped with modern safety tech as standard. According to Insure.com's 2026 multi-carrier analysis, SUV drivers pay about $2,553 per year for full coverage on average, versus about $3,222 per year for sedans, a roughly 21% gap. MoneyGeek's 2026 data pegs SUVs at about $2,175 per year, further reinforcing the pattern. For a deeper look at how mass and size influence premiums, see our guide on the vehicle weight surcharge.

Truck considerations: Pickup trucks are uniquely rated. Midsize trucks are generally more affordable to insure than full-size models, with Compare.com pegging the truck category average at about $2,202 per year. Full-size trucks carry higher rollover risk, greater repair costs, and higher sticker prices, all of which push rates up. Notably, both the Chevy Silverado 1500 (16,764 thefts) and Ford F-150 (10,102 thefts) appeared in the top 10 of the 2025 NICB most-stolen vehicles list, which can further elevate comprehensive coverage costs. See our dedicated Ford F-150 insurance guide and Chevy Silverado breakdown for detailed truck rates.

Coupe vs. Sedan Insurance: Does Body Style Matter?

Yes, body style influences your rate beyond just the make and model. Coupes are almost universally more expensive to insure than their sedan counterparts, even when they share the same engine. Here's why:

Insurers use historical claims data by body style. Because coupes are statistically driven more aggressively and attract a younger driver profile, the entire model class is rated higher. High-performance coupe variants like the BMW M8 Gran Coupe run as high as $6,744 per year, while their sedan equivalents typically sit noticeably lower. If you're deciding between a coupe and sedan version of the same car, expect to pay more for the coupe, sometimes 10 to 20% more annually. Learn how the 8 types of car insurance coverage interact with your vehicle choice to shape total cost.

Cheapest and Most Expensive Models to Insure in 2026

Cheapest Models (Full Coverage, Annual Average)

For a full breakdown of which vehicles cost the most and least to insure across every category, see our complete 2026 insurance cost guide. You can also check our dedicated Honda Civic insurance guide or Toyota Camry insurance breakdown for model-specific detail.

Most Expensive Models (Full Coverage, Annual Average)

For a deeper look at high-end vehicle coverage and the factors driving up premiums, review our full guide on the average cost of car insurance in 2026 and current industry trends shaping coverage.

Tips to Lower Your Insurance Cost Regardless of Vehicle Type

No matter what you drive, these strategies can meaningfully reduce what you pay:

1. Shop Multiple Quotes

Collecting 3 to 5 quotes with identical coverage levels can save $200 to $1,100 per year, according to Insurify's 2026 data. Insurers weigh vehicle risk differently, so the same car can be priced very differently across companies. Comparing quotes from top carriers helps you find the lowest rate for your specific vehicle, and our guide on finding affordable local coverage can help you narrow the field.

2. Raise Your Deductible Strategically

Moving your deductible from $250 to $1,000 can lower your premium by 10 to 20%, with Bankrate reporting an average savings of about $302 per year. Only do this if you can comfortably cover the higher out-of-pocket amount after a claim. Learn more about the 8 types of coverage to understand how deductibles interact with your policy.

3. Stack Available Discounts

Well-qualified drivers who stack telematics, multi-car, bundling, and good-driver discounts often see an effective 30 to 45% total reduction off their base premium. Nationwide reports the average SmartRide discount lands around 22%, even though the maximum is 40%. See our 15 proven ways to save for the full playbook.

4. Drop Unnecessary Coverage on Older Vehicles

If your car is worth less than 10 times your annual premium for collision and comprehensive, consider dropping those coverages and carrying liability only. Review the guide on common car insurance myths to make sure you're not overpaying for coverage you don't actually need.

5. Maintain Continuous Coverage and Good Credit

Policy lapses signal risk to insurers and can raise your rate significantly. Similarly, improving your credit score can save $300 to $1,000 or more annually in states that allow credit-based insurance scoring, since poor-credit drivers pay 69% to 98% more than good-credit drivers on average. Review the latest car insurance industry trends for 2026 to benchmark where your current rate stands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of vehicle is cheapest to insure? Compact SUVs and minivans consistently rank as the cheapest vehicle types to insure in 2026. Models like the Subaru Forester (about $1,774 per year), Dodge Grand Caravan ($1,786), Honda Odyssey ($1,800), and Honda CR-V ($1,932 to $1,959) benefit from strong safety ratings, low theft rates, affordable repair costs, and a lower-risk driver profile. These vehicles come in well below the national full-coverage average of $2,237 to $2,926 per year, and SUVs dominated the 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick awards across every size category.

Why are sports cars so expensive to insure? Sports cars are expensive to insure for several interconnected reasons: high-performance engines are associated with riskier, faster driving behavior, they attract a younger demographic that statistically files more claims, and repair costs are elevated due to specialized parts and labor. Performance sedans like the BMW M5 average around $6,593 per year, and the Maserati Quattroporte tops USA Today's 2026 list at $10,737 per year. Insurers also lean on decades of historical claims data showing sports cars have a consistent track record of frequent, high-severity claims.

Is insurance cheaper for a truck or a sedan? It depends on the truck. Midsize pickup trucks can actually be cheaper to insure than many midsize sedans, with the Toyota Tacoma averaging around $1,989 to $2,389 per year and the overall truck category averaging about $2,202 per year per Compare.com. Full-size trucks like the Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado typically cost more due to their higher MSRP, rollover risk, theft exposure, and larger repair bills. Compact sedans and economy models generally offer competitive rates, but compact SUVs and minivans remain the most affordable body types overall when comparing across the full market.

Does a car's safety rating actually lower my insurance? Yes, significantly. In 2026, the IIHS named 63 total Top Safety Pick winners (45 TSP+ and 18 TSP) under tougher new criteria, with SUVs making up the majority of winners across small, midsize, and large classes. Vehicles with these designations are involved in fewer severe accidents and generate lower injury claims, and most insurers reward this with lower base rates. This is a key reason compact SUVs consistently rank among the cheapest vehicles to insure, even when they carry a higher sticker price than economy sedans.

Can I lower my insurance without changing my vehicle? Absolutely. Comparing quotes across multiple insurers, raising your deductible, enrolling in a telematics program (which can save 10 to 30%, or up to 40% with programs like Nationwide SmartRide), bundling your auto policy with home or renters insurance (up to 25% savings), and maintaining a clean driving record are all proven strategies. Even on the most expensive models, smart shopping and discount stacking can recover hundreds of dollars per year. Use our guide on how to find affordable local coverage to start comparing effectively.