Insurance Rates for Cars

Before you buy a car you might want to think about how much insurance you would be paying for it. Many people do not even think about car insurance while buying a vehicle, but a few actually do. It is better to plan out the insurance cost so as to learn about it the hard way.

What kind of car should you buy to have the smallest insurance? Well if you go by this premise, you would never be able to buy a car that you like! You aim is to get the car of your choice but if you can keep the car insurance cost to the minimum you would also enjoy driving it.

There are some factors that basically govern the insurance rates for cars:

• The Type of the Car

• Make and model

• Safety features

• Age of the car – old or new

• The history of the car

• The drivers age

The type of the car determines if it is normal sedan, a van, a sports model car or an SUV for example. Sports models and SUVs normally have a higher insurance rates as these cars are often driven fast and the drivers tend to ignore speed limits even in the cities causing more accidents and damage. The drivers of the family cars and vans are often more defensive drivers who avoid accidents. Obviously, the car insurance companies like the cars and the drivers who never need the insurance companies to pay for accidents!

Some models tend to attract a higher car insurance rates because they are more popular amongst thieves. Different models and car types get stolen more in different areas. Therefore, you would see insurance rates also vary accordingly.

A car that is installed with safety features like anti-rollover, anti-skid brakes, air bags, crumple zones and have good crash test ratings have lesser insurance rates because these cars are safer to the drivers and others around them.

You might think a new car would have a higher car insurance rate than an older car. Well, that is not necessarily true. Cars that are a totally new kind of model, about which the insurance companies have no history data to check its performance or safety records, would, yes, have a higher car insurance rates that would get adjusted after a few years once the insurance companies learn more about the specific model. However, old cars get stolen more often. Stolen cars are used by the thieves to sell the parts from it. Since other old cars need car parts that are often available cheaper in the after market or from someone who has stolen parts, the thieves target old cars of popular makes in the region. Therefore, an old Toyota Camry and an old Honda Civic may have a higher insurance rates than a new Ford Escape.

It is just not the car but the driver too who affects the car insurance rates. New or young drivers tend to have a higher insurance rates because of the higher probability of them causing damage as compared to the more experienced drivers.