How your car's make, model and safety affect insurance costs

Why your car changes your car insurance price

Each coverage on your policy responds to a different kind of loss, and your vehicle affects each one differently:

The NAIC lists the type of car and what it costs to repair or replace among the standard auto rating factors. Insurers typically group vehicles by make, model and model year according to their claims experience, and price each coverage from those groups.

What IIHS-HLDI insurance loss data show

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), part of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), collects claims data from companies writing more than 85% of US private passenger auto insurance. It publishes insurance losses by make and model under six coverages: collision, property damage liability, comprehensive, personal injury protection, medical payments and bodily injury.

Results are shown as a percentage above or below the average for all passenger vehicles. For the damage coverages, results combine how often claims happen with how much they cost. For injury coverages, they show how often claims happen. HLDI adjusts results for driver age, gender, marital status, state, density and other factors, so the comparison reflects the vehicle more than who usually drives it.

Patterns by size and type

HLDI's summary for 2022-24 models highlights these patterns:

• Size: losses for damage to the insured vehicle or to other vehicles generally increase as vehicle size increases. Bigger vehicles cost more to repair and, being heavier, do more damage to others.
• Injury claims: claim frequency for injuries tends to fall as vehicle size goes up, but injury claims that do occur tend to cost more.
• Family vehicles: crash damage, injury and theft claims are relatively rare for minivans and station wagons.
• Luxury and sports cars: collision claims cost a lot because the cars cost a lot, even though such claims happen less often.
• Comprehensive: losses are highest for very large luxury cars, which are expensive to repair or replace.

Average losses per insured vehicle year

These are claim costs, not premiums. Premiums also include insurer expenses and vary with every other rating factor. But a model with losses well above average under a coverage usually costs more to insure under that coverage.

Theft and your car insurance

Theft is paid under comprehensive coverage, so models that thieves target can cost more to insure. NICB reports that 659,880 vehicles were stolen in the US in 2025, down 23.2% from 850,708 in 2024.

HLDI data show theft risk depends heavily on the model:

• Large two- and four-door cars had theft losses over 5 times the all-vehicle average for 2022-24 models, driven largely by certain Dodge Challenger and Charger variants.
• Large sports cars, including the Chevrolet Camaro, had the highest relative theft losses.
• Certain Hyundai and Kia models saw theft losses rise from mid-2020. HLDI reports theft rates began to taper off after an anti-theft software upgrade in February 2023.

If you own a model with a known theft problem, ask whether a software update, immobilizer or tracking device is available and whether your insurer gives a discount for it.

Safety ratings and car insurance

Two kinds of safety information are worth checking:

1. Crash test ratings. NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings test frontal, side and rollover protection. IIHS runs its own crash tests and awards. Good ratings mean better protection for people in the car.
2. Insurance loss results. HLDI results show how a model actually performs in real claims, including how often it is in crashes and how much damage it causes.

A car with top crash-test scores may still have high collision losses if it is expensive to repair. Newer safety technology can change both how often a car is in a crash and how much a repair costs, so the effect on claims varies by feature and model. HLDI compares claims for vehicles with and without specific features to measure these effects. Some insurers give discounts for anti-theft systems or certain safety features; ask what yours offers. See car insurance discounts.

What makes a car cheaper to insure

There is no official list of the cheapest cars to insure, and prices vary by driver and insurer. Using HLDI's findings, these traits tend to keep insurance costs down:

1. Moderate size and weight. Smaller and mid-size vehicles generally have lower collision and property damage losses than very large ones.
2. Lower purchase price. Cheaper cars cost less to repair or replace, which lowers collision and comprehensive costs.
3. Family-oriented body styles. Minivans and wagons have relatively few claims of all types.
4. Low theft appeal. Models that are rarely stolen cost less for comprehensive.
5. Below-average HLDI loss results under the coverages you plan to buy.
6. Good crash protection to keep injury claims down.

Sports cars, high-performance trims and luxury models tend to work against you on collision. A very large vehicle can push up liability and collision costs.

Older cars and full coverage

As a car ages and loses value, the most an insurer will pay for collision or comprehensive damage falls too. At some point, the premium for those coverages may not be worth it compared with what you could collect. Whether to drop full coverage depends on the car's value, your savings and any loan. See is full coverage worth it and reviewing your coverage.

How to check insurance costs before you buy a car

1. Look up HLDI insurance loss results for the models on your list on the IIHS website.
2. Check theft risk in HLDI's theft results and NICB reports.
3. Look at crash test ratings from NHTSA and IIHS.
4. Get car insurance quotes for each model you are considering, using the exact trim and VIN if you can.
5. Consider gap insurance if you are financing or leasing and will owe more than the car is worth.