Know The True Cost of Owning That New Car Before Buying it

By the Mercury Team

Mercury Names Its 10 Most Affordable Vehicles to Insure

If you’ve landed on this page because you’re in the market for a new car or truck, then you probably already consider yourself a savvy shopper, or at least someone who values the importance of good advice before making a big ticket purchase. Today, consumers like you are better educated about price and fuel economy of vehicles than ever before, but many fail to consider the impact this new purchase will have on their auto insurance.

Mercury Insurance has been providing auto insurance to California drivers and families since 1962, covering a range of vehicles from Chevrolets to Teslas and everything in between. Since all cars and trucks are not created equal when it comes to buying insurance, it makes sense that some vehicles are less expensive to insure than others.

“Many consumers don’t think about the cost to insure a car before they buy it.”

Larry Dominique, president of Automotive Lease Guide (ALG).

Mercury’s research and development team recently examined the top 100 make/model combinations for the 2012 – 2015 model years to compile a list of the least expensive cars to insure. Cost is based on the Mercury price for liability, comprehensive and collision coverage in California.

Here are the 10 cheapest cars to insure, starting with the 1st.*

1. Honda Fit
2. Ford Fiesta
3. Honda CR-V
4. Honda Pilot
5. MINI Countryman
6. Ford Edge
7. Scion XB
8. Mazda 3
9. Hyundai Elantra
10. Toyota Sienna

“There are many factors that go into calculating the cost to insure different vehicles, but the cost to repair them when they are damaged is at the top of the list,” said Jim Reeves, Group Manager, R&D for Mercury Insurance. “The vehicles on our list, led by the Honda Fit, are more than 10 percent cheaper to insure than the average of all cars and trucks insured by Mercury. These savings can help reduce the cost of ownership, so you should always consider what it will cost to insure your new car when you’re shopping for the perfect vehicle.”

“Many consumers don’t think about the cost to insure a car before they buy it,” said Larry Dominique, president of Automotive Lease Guide (ALG). “We heavily scrutinize data to determine a vehicle’s future value, and car shoppers should take a close look at Mercury’s list to see how insurance factors into the total cost of ownership and if one of these vehicles on the list is a good fit for their budget.”

Based on the price for full coverage, here are the top five most affordable vehicles (listed in order) to insure with Mercury in 2016 by body style.*

Convertible

1. Chrysler 200
2. FIAT 500
3. MINI Cooper Roadster
4. Mazda MX-5 Miata
5. Chevrolet Camaro

Coupe

1. MINI Cooper
2. Honda Accord
3. Kia Forte
4. Honda Civic
5. Nissan Altima

Hatchback

1. Honda Fit
2. Scion IQ
3. FIAT 500
4. Mazda3
5. Toyota Yaris

Pickup Truck

1. Chevrolet Colorado
2. GM Canyon
3. GM Sierra C1500
4. Toyota Tacoma
5. Chevrolet Silverado

Sedan

1. Ford Fiesta
2. Chevrolet Sonic
3. Mazda3
4. Hyundai Elantra
5. Honda Accord

Crossover SUV

1. Honda CR-V
2. Honda Pilot
3. Ford Edge
4. Ford Escape
5. Kia Sorento

Van

1. Toyota Sienna
2. Volkswagen Routan
3. Dodge Grand Caravan
4. Chrysler Town and Country
5. Honda Odyssey

*Other factors, such as a driver’s experience and accident history, can push the rate up or down, but were not included in the rate calculations.