The most and least expensive cars to insure

The cost of car insurance depends on the make and model of your car. Honda Odyssey is the cheapest and Dodge Viper is the most expensive in terms of insurance.

When it comes time to buy a new car, the most important factor for most people is usually the price. But the MSRP on the window sticker isn't the only thing to consider when choosing a price. The reality is that there are many factors to consider when determining the value of a car. Yes, retail price is the most important factor, but maintenance costs, fuel efficiency and insurance costs also play a big role.

Many people think that only the age of the driver and his driving experience affect the cost of insurance. However, the vehicle itself plays a huge role in calculating insurance costs. Vehicles that have high safety ratings and are not typically driven hard or fast have the lowest insurance rates. It's no surprise that sports cars and other vehicles that encourage getting ahead have the highest insurance premiums. Insurance companies have data showing how often different vehicles get into crashes and how serious the crashes are. Insurance companies use this data to determine the amount and cost of insurance.

While the cost of insurance probably won't be your deciding factor when choosing a new car, it's certainly worth considering and can help you change your mind when you're in doubt about choosing a car. Using data from Insure.com, here are the five cheapest and five most expensive cars to insure in 2016.

The five most affordable cars to insure

All of the vehicles on this list have a few things in common: they have excellent safety records, are very practical, and are affordable, meaning the insurance company won't have to pay that much if the vehicle gets damaged.

Honda Odyssey

The Honda Odyssey tops this list with an average insurance cost of $1,113 per year. There are several reasons for this, the main one being the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 5-star Odyssey rating. As a minivan, the Odyssey is mostly driven by parents with kids in tow, which almost always results in safer driving. In short, the Honda Odyssey doesn't get into accidents often, and when they do, the damage is usually minimal.

Honda CR-V

Unsurprisingly, Honda takes the top two places on this list. Hondas are known for being practical, safe and amazing family cars. Like the Odyssey, the CR-V is a vehicle typically owned by responsible drivers (often parents) and also has a 5-star NHTSA rating. SUVs ['high ground clearance and generally heavier weight make them safe vehicles to drive, so a 5-star rating for an SUV goes a long way.

Dodge grand caravan

The Dodge Grand Caravan is very similar to the Honda Odyssey and it shows in the insurance rates. An affordable minivan is usually owned by safe and responsible families, and the NHTSA 4-star rating makes it a fairly safe vehicle. Spare parts for Dodge vehicles are usually quite affordable, making repairs less expensive for insurers, which is also a factor that makes the Grand Caravan on this list.

Jeep Patriot

In terms of SUV affordability and safety, it's hard to find a compromise as good as the Jeep Patriot, which combines a 4-star NHTSA rating with an MSRP of under $18,000. For those looking for an affordable SUV with great insurance rates, the Patriot is the perfect choice.

Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Wrangler doesn't have as high an NHTSA safety rating as the other cars on this list, but there are other factors that contribute to its low insurance premiums. All-wheel drive and rugged construction are some of the SUV's above-average safety advantages, and being a very popular, inexpensive American-made car, it's quite affordable to repair in the event of an accident.

Top XNUMX most expensive cars to insure

The vehicles on this list tend to be very expensive and therefore costly to repair. Most of them are designed for hard and fast driving, so they have more accidents than other cars.

Dodge Viper

The most expensive vehicle to insure (excluding limited production hypercars) in 2016 was the Dodge Viper, with an annual insurance premium in excess of $4,000. The Viper is one of the most efficient cars on the market: it has tremendous power and acceleration, but is only available with a manual transmission and lacks traction control entirely. This is a dangerous combination for many drivers. Throw in a bespoke V10 engine that is expensive to repair and you have a very expensive car to insure.

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG is an extremely expensive luxury car, which automatically puts it in the top price bracket when it comes to insurance. It is one of the fastest convertibles on the market with a sophisticated hand-built V12 engine producing over 600 horsepower. The combination of exclusivity and performance means that if it gets into even a minor accident, finding replacement parts will cost insurance companies a pretty penny, driving premiums up.

Mercedes-Maybach S600

The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is Mercedes' most luxurious sedan. It is covered in chrome and leather and features a unique bodywork not found on other Mercedes models. This makes repairs very expensive, and the V12 engine under the hood can get drivers in trouble.

Mercedes-Benz AMG S63

No wonder there are three Mercedes-Benz vehicles on this list. With such high-quality and expensive cars, even a small scratch or dent can be very expensive, which is why insurance companies have to charge a lot to make sure that all repairs can be effectively covered.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S Executive

The Panamera Turbo S Executive brings years of Porsche racing experience to life in a large luxury sedan. With a suggested retail price of over $200,000, any damage is extremely expensive. With performance figures rivaling dedicated sports cars, the Panamera Turbo S Executive is often driven by enthusiast drivers who try to push it to the limit, but may find that just because they can afford it doesn't mean they necessarily have it. skills to keep it. under control.

There are many qualities that can affect the cost of vehicle insurance. The cost of insurance isn't usually the most important factor on anyone's car buying checklist, but as these lists show, it's not insignificant either. So whenever you buy a new or used car, consider the potential cost of insurance, and you may also want to have a pre-purchase inspection from a reputable professional.