[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"/blog/cheapest-cars-to-insure-2026":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":525,"ctaLabel":526,"dateModified":527,"datePublished":527,"description":528,"draft":529,"extension":530,"featured":529,"image":526,"meta":531,"navigation":532,"path":533,"readingTime":147,"seo":534,"stem":535,"tags":536,"__hash__":544},"blog/blog/cheapest-cars-to-insure-2026.md","Cheapest Cars to Insure in 2026 (By Model)","Premier Auto Savings",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":516},"minimark",[10,25,28,33,199,202,205,209,352,354,362,365,369,372,401,413,417,428,434,440,446,450,504,507,510],[11,12,13,14,19,20,24],"p",{},"Two drivers with identical records, identical ZIP codes, and identical coverage can pay premiums $2,500 apart, and the only thing different between them is the car. Our ",[15,16,18],"a",{"href":17},"/car-insurance/report/data/by-vehicle","open data on rates by vehicle"," tracks the national average full-coverage premium for 51 popular models every month since 2021, and the April 2026 cut — the latest in the series — puts the spread at ",[21,22,23],"strong",{},"$1,762 a year for a Subaru Outback against $4,239 for a Tesla Model X",".",[11,26,27],{},"This is the ranking, what moved over the past year, and the four things that decide where a car lands on it.",[29,30,32],"h2",{"id":31},"the-ten-cheapest-cars-to-insure","The ten cheapest cars to insure",[34,35,36,55],"table",{},[37,38,39],"thead",{},[40,41,42,46,49,52],"tr",{},[43,44,45],"th",{},"Rank",[43,47,48],{},"Vehicle",[43,50,51],{},"Full coverage (yr)",[43,53,54],{},"12-month change",[56,57,58,73,87,101,115,129,143,157,171,185],"tbody",{},[40,59,60,64,67,70],{},[61,62,63],"td",{},"1",[61,65,66],{},"Subaru Outback",[61,68,69],{},"$1,762",[61,71,72],{},"−9.2%",[40,74,75,78,81,84],{},[61,76,77],{},"2",[61,79,80],{},"Ford Escape",[61,82,83],{},"$1,940",[61,85,86],{},"−4.9%",[40,88,89,92,95,98],{},[61,90,91],{},"3",[61,93,94],{},"Honda CR-V",[61,96,97],{},"$1,965",[61,99,100],{},"−4.8%",[40,102,103,106,109,112],{},[61,104,105],{},"4",[61,107,108],{},"MINI Cooper",[61,110,111],{},"$2,035",[61,113,114],{},"−7.1%",[40,116,117,120,123,126],{},[61,118,119],{},"5",[61,121,122],{},"Mazda CX-5",[61,124,125],{},"$2,057",[61,127,128],{},"−7.9%",[40,130,131,134,137,140],{},[61,132,133],{},"6",[61,135,136],{},"Kia Soul",[61,138,139],{},"$2,072",[61,141,142],{},"−6.4%",[40,144,145,148,151,154],{},[61,146,147],{},"7",[61,149,150],{},"Honda Pilot",[61,152,153],{},"$2,096",[61,155,156],{},"−6.3%",[40,158,159,162,165,168],{},[61,160,161],{},"8",[61,163,164],{},"Ford Explorer",[61,166,167],{},"$2,113",[61,169,170],{},"−5.9%",[40,172,173,176,179,182],{},[61,174,175],{},"9",[61,177,178],{},"Chevrolet Equinox",[61,180,181],{},"$2,114",[61,183,184],{},"−3.7%",[40,186,187,190,193,196],{},[61,188,189],{},"10",[61,191,192],{},"Toyota RAV4",[61,194,195],{},"$2,121",[61,197,198],{},"−4.6%",[11,200,201],{},"Source: Premier Auto Savings open data (Insurify, national averages, April 2026).",[11,203,204],{},"Eight of the ten are compact or midsize SUVs, which is not a coincidence. They're driven by families and commuters at moderate speeds, their parts are plentiful, their repair costs are ordinary, and they don't get stolen. The Outback has led this list for most of the series, and its 9% drop over the past year widened the lead. The Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, two of the best-selling vehicles in the country, both sit in the ten; the MINI Cooper at fourth is the one surprise, and it's there for the same reason a Miata would be — low horsepower, careful owners.",[29,206,208],{"id":207},"the-ten-most-expensive-cars-to-insure","The ten most expensive cars to insure",[34,210,211,223],{},[37,212,213],{},[40,214,215,217,219,221],{},[43,216,45],{},[43,218,48],{},[43,220,51],{},[43,222,54],{},[56,224,225,238,251,264,276,289,302,315,327,340],{},[40,226,227,229,232,235],{},[61,228,63],{},[61,230,231],{},"Tesla Model X",[61,233,234],{},"$4,239",[61,236,237],{},"−5.3%",[40,239,240,242,245,248],{},[61,241,77],{},[61,243,244],{},"Tesla Model 3",[61,246,247],{},"$4,173",[61,249,250],{},"−6.9%",[40,252,253,255,258,261],{},[61,254,91],{},[61,256,257],{},"Tesla Model S",[61,259,260],{},"$3,954",[61,262,263],{},"+4.0%",[40,265,266,268,271,274],{},[61,267,105],{},[61,269,270],{},"Tesla Model Y",[61,272,273],{},"$3,870",[61,275,170],{},[40,277,278,280,283,286],{},[61,279,119],{},[61,281,282],{},"BMW 5-Series",[61,284,285],{},"$3,214",[61,287,288],{},"−4.5%",[40,290,291,293,296,299],{},[61,292,133],{},[61,294,295],{},"Mercedes-Benz C-Class",[61,297,298],{},"$3,208",[61,300,301],{},"−6.5%",[40,303,304,306,309,312],{},[61,305,147],{},[61,307,308],{},"Ford Mustang",[61,310,311],{},"$2,990",[61,313,314],{},"−8.7%",[40,316,317,319,322,325],{},[61,318,161],{},[61,320,321],{},"Nissan Altima",[61,323,324],{},"$2,860",[61,326,170],{},[40,328,329,331,334,337],{},[61,330,175],{},[61,332,333],{},"BMW 3-Series",[61,335,336],{},"$2,820",[61,338,339],{},"−4.1%",[40,341,342,344,347,350],{},[61,343,189],{},[61,345,346],{},"Cadillac Escalade",[61,348,349],{},"$2,800",[61,351,198],{},[11,353,201],{},[11,355,356,357,361],{},"All four Teslas occupy the top four, and the gap between the Model Y in fourth and the BMW 5-Series in fifth is $656 a year. That's the single clearest pattern in the data: the EV premium isn't a Tesla tax, it's a repair-cost tax — battery packs, aluminum bodies, camera-and-sensor bumpers, and a repair network that's still thin outside major metros. Our ",[15,358,360],{"href":359},"/blog/ev-insurance-costs-42-percent-penalty","EV insurance post"," covers the mechanics. The Model S is also the only vehicle of the 51 whose premium rose over the past twelve months, up 4% while everything else fell.",[11,363,364],{},"The Altima at eighth is the outlier that isn't a luxury car. It's one of the most frequently stolen and most frequently crashed sedans in the country, and insurers price the driver population as much as the car.",[29,366,368],{"id":367},"what-moved-over-the-past-year","What moved over the past year",[11,370,371],{},"Every model but one fell, and the average vehicle fell 5.4% — the first sustained decline in the series since it began. The biggest drops were concentrated in cars that had been overpriced relative to their risk:",[373,374,375,382,392],"ul",{},[376,377,378,381],"li",{},[21,379,380],{},"Kia Forte, −10.7%"," — the largest decline of the 51, as the theft wave that followed the Hyundai-Kia immobilizer problem faded after the software fix and the model years aged out.",[376,383,384,387,388,391],{},[21,385,386],{},"Mazda 3, −10.6%"," and ",[21,389,390],{},"Volkswagen Tiguan, −9.5%"," — both had climbed with the 2023 repair-cost spike and gave it back.",[376,393,394,387,397,400],{},[21,395,396],{},"Subaru Outback, −9.2%",[21,398,399],{},"Ford Mustang, −8.7%"," — the cheapest car on the list and one of the most expensive both fell hard, which says the decline was market-wide, not model-specific.",[11,402,403,404,407,408,412],{},"The five-year picture is the opposite story. The average vehicle costs ",[21,405,406],{},"43.6% more to insure than in April 2021",", and no model is up less than 24%. The Teslas lead again — Model 3 up 80%, Model S up 79%, Model Y up 75% — with the Toyota Highlander (+57%), BMW 5-Series (+53%), Hyundai Tucson (+52%), and Toyota Camry (+51%) behind them. A 5% decline this year doesn't undo a 44% climb, and our ",[15,409,411],{"href":410},"/blog/car-insurance-rates-rising-again-2026","news post on the 2026 reversal"," covers why the decline has already stalled in most states.",[29,414,416],{"id":415},"why-the-car-matters-four-factors","Why the car matters: four factors",[11,418,419,422,423,427],{},[21,420,421],{},"1. Repair cost, not sticker price."," A Tesla Model 3 costs about $2,100 a year more to insure than a Honda Pilot that sells for similar money, because of what it costs to fix, not what it costs to buy. Aluminum panels, structural battery packs, and sensor-laden bumpers turn a parking-lot scrape into a four-figure claim. Our ",[15,424,426],{"href":425},"/guide/rate-factors","rate-factors guide"," covers how the vehicle line sits alongside everything else insurers price.",[11,429,430,433],{},[21,431,432],{},"2. Theft rate."," The Hyundai-Kia episode is the cleanest example the data has: models that had no immobilizer were stolen at rates that showed up in premiums within a year, and the Forte's 10.7% drop is the unwinding. Insurers use the Highway Loss Data Institute's theft-loss figures by model, and the Altima, the Camry, and full-size pickups carry a permanent theft load that a CR-V doesn't.",[11,435,436,439],{},[21,437,438],{},"3. Who drives it."," Insurers price the population that buys the car. Mustangs and Altimas are crashed more often than their engineering explains; Outbacks and Pilots are driven by people who don't. That's why two cars with similar repair profiles can sit $1,200 apart.",[11,441,442,445],{},[21,443,444],{},"4. Injury and liability claims."," Heavier vehicles do more damage to the other car, and that's a liability cost. Sedans and small SUVs sit in the middle of the injury data; large pickups and the Escalade carry more liability weight than their collision claims alone would suggest.",[29,447,449],{"id":448},"what-to-do-with-this","What to do with this",[451,452,453,464,475,486],"ol",{},[376,454,455,458,459,463],{},[21,456,457],{},"Check the list before you buy, not after."," A $300-a-month difference in premium over five years is $18,000 — more than the price gap between most of the cars on the two lists. Our ",[15,460,462],{"href":461},"/blog/choosing-safe-first-car-teen-driver","teen safe-car guide"," applies the same logic to a first car, where the premium spread is largest.",[376,465,466,469,470,474],{},[21,467,468],{},"If you already drive a top-ten-expensive car, re-shop every renewal."," The 12-month declines above are averages; carriers moved at different speeds, and the one that dropped Tesla rates fastest isn't necessarily the one you're with. ",[15,471,473],{"href":472},"/","Compare quotes for your vehicle"," rather than assuming the renewal reflects the market.",[376,476,477,480,481,485],{},[21,478,479],{},"Consider whether full coverage still pays on an older car."," The data above is full coverage; a ten-year-old Equinox worth $6,000 may not justify $2,100 a year of collision and comprehensive. Our ",[15,482,484],{"href":483},"/guide/2026-savings-guide","2026 savings guide"," covers the deductible math.",[376,487,488,491,492,495,496,500,501,24],{},[21,489,490],{},"Use the open data yourself."," The ",[15,493,494],{"href":17},"by-vehicle page"," has all 64 months for all 51 models, sortable and downloadable, and the ",[15,497,499],{"href":498},"/car-insurance/report/data","by-state page"," has the same series for every state. If your car and your state are both on the wrong end, that's the strongest argument you'll ever have for ",[15,502,503],{"href":472},"checking what you'd pay today",[11,505,506],{},"The car you drive is the one rating factor you chose. Everything else — age, ZIP, record, credit — you're stuck with at renewal. This is the lever.",[508,509],"hr",{},[11,511,512],{},[513,514,515],"em",{},"All premium figures from Premier Auto Savings open data, reproduced from Insurify's national rate series with permission per its public-data policy: monthly average annual full-coverage premium for 51 popular make/model combinations, January 2021 through April 2026 (latest cut). National averages; premiums vary substantially by state, age, and driver profile. Theft-loss and repair-cost context per the Highway Loss Data Institute and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; the Hyundai-Kia immobilizer episode per NHTSA and HLDI reporting, 2023–2025. Vehicle price comparisons are approximate MSRPs and illustrative only. General information, not a quote.",{"title":517,"searchDepth":518,"depth":518,"links":519},"",2,[520,521,522,523,524],{"id":31,"depth":518,"text":32},{"id":207,"depth":518,"text":208},{"id":367,"depth":518,"text":368},{"id":415,"depth":518,"text":416},{"id":448,"depth":518,"text":449},"analysis",null,"2026-10-02","A Subaru Outback costs $1,762 a year to insure; a Tesla Model X costs $4,239. The 51-model ranking from our open data, what moved, and why.",false,"md",{},true,"/blog/cheapest-cars-to-insure-2026",{"title":5,"description":528},"blog/cheapest-cars-to-insure-2026",[537,538,539,540,541,542,543],"cheapest cars to insure","vehicle","full coverage","tesla","subaru","open data","2026","dIadgobatBgL85O3H0ipQSYalWViVAoFuSjASf9W6Vo"]