Choosing a Car That Won't Raise Your Auto Insurance Rates Sky-High

A car note is a large monthly expense, but the cost of your lease or finance payments does not even include what you will need to spend on auto insurance. Leased and financed cars often have to have a certain level of auto insurance coverage as required by the loan holder.

If you understand how auto insurance companies think, you can figure out how much your potential new car may impact your auto insurance. In general, hybrids, economy cars and minivans tend to fare well, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

Negative Influences on Your Auto Insurance Rate

• Car has few state-of-the-art safety features
• Car has low crash safety ratings
• Car is very large or very small in size
• Car is expensive to repair
• Car is expensive to replace
• Car is a sports car or high horsepower vehicle
• Car is a frequent target of theft or often listed on "Most Stolen' lists

These are just a few of the general factors auto insurance companies look at when determining auto insurance rates. Of course, make and model of your car are just one part of the equation. You can always get preliminary auto insurance quotes on the vehicle you are interested in before you purchase it to see just how it will affect your auto insurance rates. Your driving record, location and what you use the car for (commute, pleasure, etc.) play a role in determining the kind of auto insurance quote you will get.