Insurance Cost Comparisons on the Basis of Damage Susceptibility

Your Honda Civic Might Have Higher Insurance Rates Than a Jaguar

It is a little known fact that, according to a government study (Collision Insurance Losses Model Years 2005 – 2007 Passenger Motor Vehicles), that car insurance companies will offer somewhat lower rates to their customers simply by driving a car that will cost less to fix if it gets in an accident. This can save you up to 10% in some cases. For example, it will probably cost your insurance company 5 times more on average to repair a Honda Civic as it would cost to repair a Jeep Wrangler. Therefore, you may get some great insurance rates on your Jeep. The numbers are relative, so a score of 100 is average, while higher scores are above average costs, etc…

Remember that other factors such as the vehicle value and your driving history probably have a larger impact on your ability to get cheap car insurance rates. But all other things being equal, your Honda Civic could cost more to insure than a a Jaguar XJR, Infinity G35, Mercedes SL class, BMW 6-series, or Corvette!

In short, Jeeps dominate 4 of the top 10 spots as being the least susceptible to damage out of over 600 cars; while the Lotus Elise as the single most expensive vehicle, at over 13x the susceptibility of the Jeep. Surprisingly, cars like the Subaru Impreza, Honda Civic, and Chevy Cobalt are more susceptible to damage than many Mercedes, BMW’s, and Jaguars.

The best part about this list is you can sort each of the columns! There is also an alternate version of this page that groups the results by car class, in case you just want to compare all minivans, or trucks, etc… So, where does your car rank on this list?

Please check back soon as we launch the report for the following year.

The specialty section truck section has been eliminated because most of these vehicles have been reclassified as sport utility vehicles. We would like to thank the NHTSA and the HLDI for providing this data

** LWB = Long Wheelbase