Buying a new or used vehicle involves more than just the sticker price and the monthly payment. One of the single largest and most frequently ignored costs over the life of the car is auto insurance. If you want true long-term savings, you need to choose wisely from the start. This definitive 2025 guide dives deep into the vehicle models that consistently qualify as the cheapest cars to insure, providing you with actionable data and expert strategies. We’ll explore why certain vehicles are deemed safer, cheaper to repair, and ultimately the least expensive cars to insure. Whether you are a seasoned buyer or looking for the cheapest car to insure for new drivers, this guide is your roadmap to maximizing your savings.
Table of Contents
Why Vehicle Choice Is the Biggest Insurance Lever
Most people assume their driving record is the largest factor in their insurance premium. But the vehicle itself—its safety ratings, repair costs, and statistical likelihood of theft—accounts for a massive percentage of your overall rate. Simply put, choosing one of the cheapest cars to insure can save you thousands of dollars over five years, even before discounts are applied.
How Insurers Calculate Vehicle Risk
Insurance companies are masters of statistical probability. When determining your premium, they look at sophisticated databases that track claims data related to your specific model. To qualify as one of the cheapest cars to insure, a model must perform well across these four critical metrics:
- Safety Rating: Vehicles with high safety scores (from bodies like the IIHS and NHTSA) result in fewer severe injuries during an accident. Lower injury risk means lower PIP (Personal Injury Protection) payouts, immediately making the car one of the least expensive cars to insure.
- Repair Costs: If a minor fender-bender costs $\$8,000$ to fix due to complex sensor arrays, specialized body panels, or expensive foreign parts, the insurance claim will be high, increasing the premium. The cheapest cars to insure have simple, common, and affordable parts.
- Theft Rates: High-performance, luxury, and easily targeted vehicles carry higher comprehensive premiums. The cheapest cars to insure tend to be common and less appealing to thieves.
- Engine Power and Driver Profile: Insurers often correlate powerful engines with aggressive driving. Vehicles with lower horsepower are statistically more likely to be driven safely, making them the least expensive cars to insure.
The 2025 List: 10 Cheapest Cars to Insure
Based on aggregated data focusing on low claim frequencies, high safety marks, and affordable repair costs, these models consistently rank as the cheapest cars to insure in the compact, mini-SUV, and sedan categories.
(Note: Data for 2025 models is predictive based on historical performance, reliability, and insurer risk scoring of their predecessors.)
1. Subaru Forester (The Safe Choice)
The Forester is consistently one of the cheapest cars to insure due to its outstanding crash-test scores and the inclusion of EyeSight driver-assist technology, which reduces the incidence of minor frontal collisions. It’s a favorite among families and drivers seeking reliability, not speed.
2. Honda CR-V (The Reliable Crossover)
The CR-V balances practicality with affordability. Its massive market saturation means parts are widely available and cheap. Its reputation for low theft and excellent long-term reliability makes it an easy answer when searching for the cheapest cars to insure.
3. Toyota Sienna (The Ultimate Family Saver)
Minivans are statistically the least expensive cars to insure because their drivers are hyper-focused on safety and family transport. The Sienna is a low-risk vehicle, particularly when equipped with modern safety packages, making it one of the cheapest cars to insure for new drivers learning to haul the family.
4. Mazda CX-5 (Style Meets Low Cost)
Mazda has mastered blending premium feel with practical safety. The CX-5 is often cited as one of the most reliable (and safe) compact SUVs currently on the market, giving it an advantageous position when premium calculations are made.
5. Toyota Corolla (The Unbeatable Benchmark)
A perennial favorite, the Corolla and its derivatives (like the Corolla Hatchback) are virtually guaranteed to be among the cheapest cars to insure. They are everywhere, easy to fix, and designed entirely for utility and longevity. It is the classic definition of the best car for insurance rates.
6. Honda Civic (The Student Exception)
While higher-performance Civic trims can be expensive, the base model sedan remains one of the cheapest cars to insure for new drivers. Its reputation for excellent safety and low maintenance costs keeps premiums down.
7. Nissan Rogue (The Value SUV)
The Rogue’s high sales volume and affordable parts network contribute to its status as one of the cheapest cars to insure in the increasingly popular SUV segment. Its solid repairability and moderate power output signal low-risk behavior to underwriters.
8. Chevrolet Equinox (The Domestic Contender)
The Equinox competes aggressively on price and reliability, making it an excellent choice for buyers looking for American brand loyalty coupled with low insurance overhead. It remains one of the more least expensive cars to insure domestically.
9. Ford Maverick (The Unexpected Truck Saver)
Small trucks and utility vehicles sometimes sneak onto this list. Because the Maverick is smaller, highly utilitarian, and not considered a high-performance vehicle, its insurance rates undercut those of nearly every full-size pickup, making it one of the few trucks that are cheapest cars to insure.
10. Hyundai Elantra (Warranty Wonder)
Hyundai and Kia models often feature long warranties, which suggests confidence in the vehicle’s long-term reliability and lower long-term repair costs. This makes the Elantra a highly appealing choice and ensures it remains one of the cheapest cars to insure.
Critical Strategy: Why New Drivers Pay More and How to Find Savings
Finding the cheapest car to insure for new drivers or first-time owners is the single most important insurance decision they will make. While the driver’s age and experience are steep price factors, the vehicle choice can offset that risk.
The Teen Driver Penalty
Inexperienced drivers pay dramatically higher rates because they account for the largest proportion of severe accidents and violations. Teenage drivers are considered high risk, regardless of their safety record.
- The Solution: Pairing a new driver with one of the cheapest cars to insure (like a Toyota Corolla or Honda Fit) is essential. Insurers know these vehicles are less expensive to repair and statistically less likely to be involved in high-speed crashes than a high-powered SUV or flashy sedan. For families, selecting one of the best car for insurance rates is the first step in mitigating the youth surcharge.
Practical Tips for New Drivers to Save
- Utilize the Good Student Discount: If the new driver maintains a B average or better, you qualify for a significant discount.
- Defensive Driving Course Credit: Insurance companies often offer a discount for completion of an accredited defensive driving course.
- Start with Liability Only (If Applicable): If the new driver purchases an older vehicle outright (that is paid off), consider dropping comprehensive and collision. Having mandatory bodily injury liability and PIP is the lowest insurance cost option, making the car ownership costs manageable for a young driver. This is the surest way to get the least expensive cars to insure and drive them legally.
Deeper Analysis of Insurance Pricing: Beyond Safety
While safety and repairability are key markers for the cheapest cars to insure, several secondary factors related to the vehicle’s statistical profile play a large role. Understanding these helps you see why the best car for insurance rates often isn’t the most exciting car.
1. Statistical Driver Demographics
Insurers analyze who typically buys and drives a specific model. If a car is primarily driven by older, married individuals who commute short distances, the demographic risk is low. If a car is aggressively marketed towards young males, the risk—and the premium—will be higher, regardless of its crash ratings. The cheapest cars to insure tend to have low-risk driver profiles.
2. The Cost of Modern Technology
While technology like adaptive cruise control and automatic braking reduces the frequency of claims, the technology itself is expensive to repair. A very small tap on a modern bumper might smash a $\$2,000$ sensor suite.
- The Sweet Spot: The cheapest cars to insure often strike a balance—they have mandatory airbags and reliable safety structures, but they might not have the most cutting-edge (and expensive) bumper-to-bumper sensor arrays. This keeps the repair cost (and consequently, the premium) low.
3. Depreciation and ACV (Actual Cash Value)
The value of the car also affects pricing. If two $2025$ vehicles cost the same new, but one is known to depreciate rapidly, its Comprehensive/Collision coverage cost will be lower after a couple of years because the insurer pays out less in the event of a total loss. Vehicles that hold their value too well sometimes come with moderately higher premiums initially.
Practical Steps to Maximize Savings on the Cheapest Cars to Insure
Even after selecting one of the cheapest cars to insure, you still need to employ smart shopping tactics to ensure you capture the absolute lowest rate.
Step 1: Maximize Savings with Bundling
The single most effective way to save on insurance is to bundle your auto policy with either a homeowner’s or renter’s policy. Discounts are typically 10%–25% off the total premium. Even if you’ve already found one of the least expensive cars to insure, bundling can push your monthly rate even lower.
Step 2: Use Telematics (Driving Tracking)
Most insurers now offer Telematics programs (apps or devices that track mileage, braking, and speeding). If you know you are a consistently safe driver, enroll. The data you provide often results in discounts ranging from 5% (for signing up) to 20% (for proven safe driving).
Step 3: Get Multiple Quotes
Crucially, do not assume the company that offered a good rate on your previous car will offer the best car for insurance rates on your new vehicle purchase. Every insurer rates specific vehicles differently. You must compare at least five quotes when switching to a model designed to be one of the cheapest cars to insure.
When the Cheapest Car to Insure Might Not Be the Best Car
While the cost of insurance is critical, always prioritize safety and reliability over minimal premium differences.
- Older Vehicles: An older car might initially be the cheapest car to insure because you drop full coverage, but the lack of modern safety technology (like side airbags and advanced crumple zones) increases the risk of severe injury.
- The Hidden Cost of Repairs: If you buy a highly obscure or unreliable model (even if it’s cheap to insure), the cost of maintenance and frequent, large repairs will quickly erase any savings gained from lower insurance premiums. The cars listed above—Corolla, CR-V, etc.—are recognized for their low insurance rates and high reliability, making them truly the best car for insurance rates overall.
The market for finding the least expensive cars to insure is competitive, but by focusing on models with predictable parts costs, high safety scores, and low theft risk, you position yourself perfectly for long-term financial success.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Is a used car always one of the cheapest cars to insure compared to a new car?
A: Generally, yes. A used vehicle can be insured for significantly less because insurance companies only need to cover the vehicle’s depreciated actual cash value (ACV). Additionally, many owners choose to carry only liability on older, paid-off cars, which is the ultimate way to achieve the least expensive cars to insure cost.
Q2: Why are SUVs often on the list of cheapest cars to insure, even though they are larger?
A: Modern crossovers (like the CR-V and Forester) offer excellent visibility, are equipped with sophisticated safety technology, and are often driven by families focused on safety. They are statistically safer for occupants and less likely to be involved in serious accidents than smaller, high-performance coupes, making them the best car for insurance rates in the utility segment.
Q3: What is the single biggest discount I can get when insuring one of the cheapest cars to insure?
A: The bundle discount (combining auto with home or renter’s insurance) typically provides the largest saving, often exceeding $20 \%$. It is the easiest way to significantly lower the premium, even on a vehicle that is already one of the cheapest cars to insure.
Q4: Are expensive safety features worth it, even if they slightly raise the initial cost of cheapest car to insure for new drivers?
A: Absolutely. While advanced technology can raise repair costs (and therefore, the comprehensive portion of the premium), features like automatic emergency braking and lane departure warnings prevent accidents entirely. A feature that prevents one major claim is worth exponentially more than the added premium cost. Prioritize features that prevent damage.
Conclusion
The connection between the car you drive and the premiums you pay is undeniable. If your goal in 2025 is to achieve serious, sustainable savings, your best strategy is to select a model that underwriters already favor—one of the cheapest cars to insure. By choosing the best car for insurance rates and layering on strategic discounts like bundling and telematics, you can reduce your total annual vehicle ownership costs dramatically. Whether you’re searching for the cheapest car to insure for new drivers or simply want to maximize value, models like the Toyota Corolla, Honda CR-V, and Subaru Forester remain proven winners. Drive smart, and save even smarter.
