When you buy a car, the sticker price is just the beginning of your costs. Your auto insurance premiums will siphon more dollars away from your wallet for as long as you own the vehicle.
For that reason, it’s important to know how much it costs to insure a car before you purchase one. For 2020 models, the cheapest car to insure is likely to share three characteristics, according to a recent report by CarInsurance.com.
Such vehicles tend to be:
- Affordable
- Well-designed with abundant safety features
- Popular with safety-conscious drivers
Those are all factors that “insurance companies love,” says Michelle Megna, editorial director for CarInsurance.com.
She goes on to note that Jeep vehicles are the “big winner” in the study based on average costs in each state. In 27 states and the District of Columbia, one of two Jeep 2020 models — the Wrangler Black and Tan or the Wrangler Freedom — was the cheapest vehicle to insure.
Based on national average costs, however, the cheapest 2020 model-year car to insure is the Mazda CX-3 Sport. The national average rate for this vehicle is $ 1,324 annually.
The 10 cheapest 2020 model cars to insure are as follows:
- Mazda CX-3 Sport: Costs $ 1,324 per year to insure, on average
- Honda CR-V LX: $ 1,333
- Wrangler Sport S: $ 1,334
- Subaru Outback 2.51: $ 1,335
- Fiat 500X Pop: $ 1,336
- Honda Odyssey LX: $ 1,353
- Subaru Forester 2.5l: $ 1,373
- Mazda CX-5: $ 1,374
- Jeep Renegade Sport: $ 1,374
- Honda HR-V LX: $ 1,377
Tips for saving on car insurance
When buying car insurance, it pays to shop around. Comparing car insurance costs can help you find a cheaper policy, potentially saving you a bundle.
However, it can be a mistake to zero in on price alone when choosing a policy. As we have noted:
“Saving hundreds of dollars a year in premiums won’t matter if you’re responsible for a car accident and discover afterward that you have inadequate protection. Such a poor decision could leave you on the hook for thousands of dollars.”
For more advice about errors to avoid, check out “Beware These 7 Common Car Insurance Shopping Mistakes.”
Some people find the process of shopping for car insurance to be too stressful. If this sounds like you, consider letting someone else do the comparison shopping for you.
Services like The Zebra or Gabi gather quotes for you so you can pick the best rate.
Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.
