Best Cars for Lowering Your Insurance Rate

Some cars come with lower insurance rates. It's just a part of life. The safer, smaller, more family-friendly vehicles are always at the top of this list, while the expensive, turbo-charged, luxury vehicles fall down near the bottom. So how do you find the best cars for lowering your insurance rate?

Older Cars

There are always exceptions to the rule, but according to Investopedia, older cars generally cost less to insure. This doesn't mean you have to drive around in a 20-year-old jalopy. But a certified pre-owned car with a couple years under its belt might lower your insurance rate.

Safer Cars

Look carefully at safety ratings when choosing a car to lower your insurance rate. Safety ratings predict the potential damages a vehicle might suffer during an accident. Not only will choosing a safer car lower your insurance rate, but it will also minimize the chances for injury.

Slower Cars

It might be exciting to drive a super-powered luxury or sports car, but such vehicles drive up your insurance rate. Accidents are more common and more destructive at higher speeds; therefore, it pays to own a car that can't be driven at 200 miles per hour.

Efficient Cars

Although there is no evidence to suggest that lowering your insurance rate is possible with more efficient vehicles, it can't hurt. Cars with high gas mileage and a smaller impact on the environment might wind up being the most cost-effective of them all. This is something to consider when shopping for your next vehicle.

Smaller Cars

In most cases, small- to mid-size sedans are going to lower your insurance rate farther than a truck or SUV. This isn't true across the board-in fact, several vans are listed on the 10 least expensive cars to insure of 2010-but keep this in mind: if you can go with a smaller car, you'll probably pay less in insurance premiums.

Other Factors to Consider

You can look for cars that will lower your insurance rate, but bear in mind that other factors are often more impactful on your premiums. Your driving habits, for example, as well as your driving history. Your geographical location, age, gender and car-storage options are also important.

Look for cars that automatically lower your insurance rate, then try to look for other factors that might help whittle down your quote. Make sure your insurance agent knows that you only drive a couple dozen miles a week, for example, or that you have a garage in which you can store your car overnight. These environmental factors may lower your insurance rate considerably, regardless of the car you drive.