Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Chevrolet Make the Least Expensive Vehicles to Insure

Insure.com arrived at these rankings through a commissioned study by Quadrant Information Services, which calculated premiums for a 40-year-old male driver. The rates come from a compilation of six major insurance carriers’ premiums in 10 ZIP codes in each state.

According to the study, the least expensive cars to insure are the four- and six-cylinder front-wheel-drive variants of the Toyota Highlander, at $1,154 and $1,183 per year, respectively. (We would categorize the Highlander as more of a car-based crossover/SUV, but food for thought anyways.) The Chrysler Town & Country LX is the least expensive minivan to insure at $1,092 per year and is actually the most affordably priced car to insure, period, for 2011. The Nissan Murano SL is the least expensive SUV, at $1,128 per year, and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a V-8 and two-wheel drive is the least expensive truck to insure, at $1,174 per year.

Overall, minivans from Chrysler, Toyota and Honda have the lowest rates, regardless of vehicle category. Out of the top 20 least expensive cars to insure, almost all are affordable family haulers — there isn’t a single sedan in the top 20, and the Volkswagen CC was the only sedan body style among the top five, at $1,186 per year.

Earlier this year, Insure.com released a list of most expensive cars to insure. That list included models like the Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac Escalade.

According to InsWeb, an online insurance comparison provider, a model’s loss behavior doesn’t only have to do with how much it costs to repair a given model. It also has to do with the likelihood that the given model will be involved in an accident. Small cars tend to be driven by younger, less experienced drivers, and rates often rise with horsepower.

Continue below for a full list of the least expensive cars to insure:

Cars

• 1. Toyota Highlander four-cylinder with front-wheel drive: $1,154 per year  
• 2. Toyota Highlander six-cylinder with front-wheel drive: $1,183 per year  
• 3. Volkswagen CC Sport four-cylinder: $1,186 per year  
• 4. Nissan Cube SL: $1,188 per year 
• 5. Nissan Cube: $1,206 per year 

Minivans and Vans

• 1. Chrysler Town & Country LX: $1,092 per year 
• 2. Toyota Sienna base four-cylinder: $1,101 per year  
• 3. Toyota Sienna LE four-cylinder: $1,108 per year  
• 4. Honda Odyssey LX: $1,115 per year 
• 5. Honda Odyssey EX: $1,138 per year 

SUVs

• 1. Nissan Murano SL with front-wheel drive: $1,128 per year  
• 2. Ford Escape XLS with all-wheel drive: $1,150 per year  
• 3. Honda CR-V LX: $1,155 per year  
• 4. (tie) Hyundai Santa Fe GLS four-cylinder with front-wheel drive: $1,158 per year 
• 4. (tie) Jeep Patriot Sport with front-wheel drive: $1,158 per year 

Trucks  

• 1. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 extended-cab eight-cylinder with front-wheel drive, 158-inch wheelbase: $1,174 per year  
• 2. Toyota Tacoma regular-cab four-cylinder with front-wheel drive: $1,184 per year 
• 3. (tie) Chevrolet Silverado 1500 extended-cab eight-cylinder with front-wheel drive, 144-inch wheelbase: $1,194 per year  
• 3. (tie) Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew-cab eight-cylinder with front-wheel drive, 144-inch wheelbase, flex-fuel: $1,194 per year  
• 5. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 regular-cab eight-cylinder with front-wheel drive, 133-inch wheelbase: $1,197 per year