Top 20 Cheapest Cars to Insure

In the United States, the car we drive is an extension of who we are—it expresses our values, sense of style and, to some extent, eccentricities. But the car we drive also plays a major role in determining how much we pay for car insurance, and many drivers fail to factor in this reality. That’s why it pays to know which vehicles get rock-bottom car insurance rates, and with this in mind, we've turned to our friends at insurance marketplace Insure.com for a list of 20 of the cheapest vehicles to insure across several categories. It’s complicated to come up with such a list, since there are so many variables, but Insure.com’s database determines the rankings based on the median insurance rate for each model.

There are many factors that determine car insurance rates, including gender, age, driving record, ZIP code, annual mileage and, in most states, credit scores. The factor that often trumps them all, however, is the car you drive. Common sense holds that a more expensive vehicle will cost more to insure than a cheaper one, but it’s not always that simple. A vehicle’s safety rating, accident frequency and theft rate also play a major role in determining its insurance premium. Cars such as family-friendly SUVs and crossovers might be less expensive because they tend to be owned by more responsible drivers. On the flip side, certain subcompacts are cheap to insure because their owners tend not to stray far from home, and because the insurance company won’t be facing a big settlement if such a car is wrecked. With that, flip to the next page to see the top 10 cheapest cars to insure, as well as 10 more across a range of categories.

Base MSRP: $18,640

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: Totally redesigned

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, low price

Base MSRP: $18,000

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: New trim level and new transmission option

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, low price

Base MSRP: $26,145

NHTSA crash safety ratings: A mix of 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: No major changes

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $21,795

NHTSA crash safety ratings: A mix of 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: New features and options

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $35,370

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall 

Changes for 2016: New safety features

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, typically owned by mature drivers

Base MSRP: $26,540

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: Updated features

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, low price

Base MSRP: $39,065

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: Updated features

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, typically owned by mature drivers

Base MSRP: $25,100

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: Totally redesigned

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $23,660

NHTSA crash safety rating: A mix of 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: Totally redesigned

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, full redesign

Base MSRP: $22,395

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: Technology and safety upgrades

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, typically owned by mature drivers

Base MSRP: $18,290

NHTSA crash safety ratings: Not tested

Changes for 2016: No major changes

Potential reasons for low premium: Low price

Base MSRP: $23,495

NHTSA crash safety rating: A mix of 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: New trim level, updated technology

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $24,065

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: New trim level

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $23,590

NHTSA crash safety rating: A mix of 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: Updated technology

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $19,695

NHTSA crash safety ratings: Not tested

Changes for 2016: Updated standard technology

Potential reasons for low premium: Low price

Base MSRP: $23,895

NHTSA crash safety ratings: Not tested

Changes for 2016: Minor trim updates

Potential reasons for low premium: Low price

Base MSRP: $17,695

NHTSA crash safety rating: A mix of 3-star, 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: New features added

Potential reasons for low premium: Low price

Base MSRP: $22,595

NHTSA crash safety rating: A mix of 4-star and 5-star scores

Changes for 2016: No major changes

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, typically owned by mature drivers

Base MSRP: $23,745

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: New trim level

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores

Base MSRP: $29,400

NHTSA crash safety rating: 5-Star Overall

Changes for 2016: New trim level

Potential reasons for low premium: Good safety scores, typically owned by mature drivers

Virtually every vehicle on this list has three things in common: affordability, good safety features and a tendency to be favored by mature, responsible drivers. Not surprisingly, family-friendly vehicles comprise the bulk of the list. sedans, wagons and crossover vehicles have a history of safe drivers and low theft rates, making them a dream for car insurance companies. Stellar crash test scores and low MSRPs help a few small and midsize family-friendly SUVs make the list.

Whether your vehicle made the list or not, you could save a fortune on car insurance by comparing free quotes and searching for a cheaper policy. With Insure.com, it only takes a few minutes to compare free car insurance quotes from several leading insurers. Car insurance rates can vary by hundreds of dollars between companies, and rates are always changing. So take a few moments to search for a cheaper policy—it could save you a few hundred dollars per year.