Cheapest Cars to Insure

8.jpg

The car you choose moves your insurance premium as much as almost anything else you control. Two vehicles with similar sticker prices can differ by hundreds of dollars a year to insure, because insurers price in what each model costs to repair, how often it is stolen, how well it protects its occupants and what its drivers' claims history looks like. Checking before you buy is the easiest saving you will ever make on car insurance.

The cheapest 2026 models to insure

VehicleTypeAverage full coverage, 6 monthsPer month
Subaru CrosstrekSUV$1,150$192
Jeep WranglerSUV$1,154$193
Honda CR-VSUV$1,158$193
Subaru OutbackWagon$1,161$194
Volkswagen TiguanSUV$1,165$194

Source: CarInsurance.com, “Cheapest cars to insure,” published May 5, 2026. 2026 model-year vehicles; rates from Quadrant Information Services for 40-year-old male and female drivers with 100/300/100 liability limits and $500 deductibles.

Compact SUVs dominate: 16 of the 20 cheapest vehicles in the same study were SUVs, and the Mazda MX-5 Miata was the only sports car on the list. The cheapest sedan was the Subaru Legacy, at $1,265 for six months, and the cheapest pickup was the Jeep Gladiator, at $1,230.

Notice how close the top five are: $15 over six months separates first and fifth. Once you are shopping among models that are all cheap to insure, choose the car you want; your record, ZIP code and insurer will matter more than the ranking.

What cheap-to-insure cars have in common

  • Moderate repair costs. Common parts and straightforward bodywork keep claim bills down.
  • Strong crash protection and standard driver-assistance features such as automatic emergency braking reduce injury claims.
  • Low theft rates. Models that are popular with thieves cost more to cover under comprehensive.
  • Sensible performance. High-horsepower versions of the same model usually cost more to insure than the base engine.
  • Who drives them. Family SUVs and wagons tend to attract drivers with lower claim rates, and insurers price the model's real claims history.

Are older cars cheaper to insure?

Often, yes, but mostly for one reason: an older car is worth less, so collision and comprehensive cover pays out less and costs less, and once the car's value is low you can drop that cover altogether and carry liability only. That is where most of the saving comes from. Liability cost doesn't fall with the car's age, because it pays for damage you cause to other people.

There are trade-offs. An older car lacks the safety technology that helps newer models' injury claims, some models are popular with thieves precisely because they are older and easy to take, and parts for rare or classic vehicles can be expensive. If the old car you have in mind is a collector vehicle rather than a daily driver, a specialist policy is usually far cheaper than a standard one; see classic car insurance.

A common rule of thumb: when the yearly cost of collision and comprehensive gets close to a tenth of the car's value, or the car is worth less than a few years' premiums plus your deductible, it's time to consider dropping them.

How to check a car before you buy

  1. Get real quotes on your shortlist. Use the exact trim level, or the VIN for a used car. Engine size and trim can change the price noticeably.
  2. Look up the safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and NHTSA.
  3. Check insurance loss data. The Highway Loss Data Institute, part of IIHS, publishes how often each model generates claims compared with the average.
  4. Remember the rest of the equation. Where you live matters too: see the cheapest states for car insurance. So do the discounts you qualify for; see the full list of car insurance discounts.

To price a specific car at your address, enter your ZIP code in the box below.

Written by the CarInsuranceHub.com editorial team. Last updated September 2026. Rates are averages for the profiles described and will differ for your own driver, ZIP code and insurer.

Popular Articles