Cheapest Cars to Insure in Connecticut

There are plenty of choices for cheap auto insurance in Connecticut. The cheapest cars to insure in Connecticut will help you to save more and keep costs down.

Since there are so many insurers in Connecticut, finding the cheapest insurer may feel daunting.

You might think that cheaper cars invariably have lower premiums. However, it does not always happen that way. The price tag is not always the best indicator of cheap insurance.

The national average for car insurance stands at around $1,430. But with the cheapest cars to insure in Connecticut, you may need to spend substantially less than the average.

Here are the cheapest cars to insure in Connecticut.

Subaru Outback – $1,400

Jeep Wrangler – $1415

Honda CR-V – $1,440

Subaru Forester – $1,470

Ford Escape – $1,480

Ford F-150 – $1,510

Chevrolet Equinox – $1,515

Jeep Cherokee – $1,525

Toyota Tacoma – $1,530

Toyota RAV4 – $1,560

Nissan Rogue – $1,590

Grand Cherokee – $1,600

Dodge Ram 1500 – $1,620

Sierra 1500 – $1,625

Ford Explorer – $1,642 

Honda Accord – $1,667

Hyundai Elantra – $1,674

Toyota Corolla – $1,702

Honda Civic – $1,721

Why Car Makes Influence Insurance Premiums

The car model can have a strong effect on the insurance premium. When deciding the insurance premium, companies gather data on total claims that were filed for a particular model. So if a car model has more total claim amounts associated with it, then the insurance premium for this particular make will certainly be higher. 

There are several factors that determine the risk level associated with a certain vehicle. This includes the car theft rate, cost of repairs and spare parts, accident rates, and claim filings.

So if the average claim amount is higher for a model, then the insurance rate will be correspondingly more.

 

Car Safety

You would think that car safety features have a strong effect on the insurance rate. That is true, but partially.

It is certainly true that safety strongly influences insurance rates. Safer cars will offer greater protection to passengers. This means lower medical costs for accidents and thus reduced claim amounts.

But that does not mean that the safest car will always be the cheapest to insure. There are other factors at play that could offset the safety factor.

Thus, if a car model has full marks for safety but is also gets frequently stolen, then its insurance may not necessarily be the cheapest.

The Honda Civic and Honda Accord are prime examples of this. Both models have top safety ratings from the IIHS. But they also have the distinction of being one of the most frequently stolen vehicles – a factor that greatly increases insurance costs.

Hence the Civic and Accord are not the cheapest to insure although they do have lower insurance costs than average.

 

High Tech Features and Insurance Rates

It would be a euphemism to say that today’s cars are loaded with high-tech features. The average car from the eighties will look decidedly primitive in front of the average vehicle from the present era. 

As appealing as it may sound, it is also the reason for higher insurance costs. For high-tech features are costlier to repair, have more expensive spare parts, and require more expertise to fix. 

The plethora of high-tech features is one reason why car repair costs and thus premiums have steadily risen over the years. 

There are other reasons why fancier cars are seen as higher risk in the insurance industry. You may be aware that there often different engines for the same car model. So if you select the most powerful engine that cranks out the most horsepower, then your insurer might fear that you have an affinity for speeding. Your insurance rate may be higher as a result. 

Extra features like a premium audio player, power sunroof, GPS system, and the like can increase your annual premium by hundreds of dollars.

 

How to Save on Insurance with the Right Car Model

There are certain vehicle types that you will have to cross off your list if you want to save more on insurance.

Here are the car types to avoid if low insurance is what you desire.

Sports Cars

No surprises here. Sports cars are among the most expensive to insure. Your sports car preferences may be seen as a proclivity for high-speed adrenaline-fueled action. That may sound like fun but it also means higher accident rates. Accident severity is also higher with sports cars due to higher speeds. That means higher medical bills and thus greater insurance premiums.

Sports cars have more expensive parts, engines, transmission components, and other such systems by virtue of their high-grade materials, in-depth R&D as well as high-performance specs. That makes them more expensive to replace. Fixing these parts may also require higher proficiency. This is another reason for higher insurance costs.

 

Once upon a long time back, sports cars used to have rather spartan cabin features. Back then, speed, handling, and performance were paramount while cabin luxury was optional. All that has changed now since sports car interiors are nothing short of luxurious. The cabin space is bedecked with premium materials, opulent trim, and all the bells and whistles that you can imagine. Sports cars are now synonymous with a lavish lifestyle. No wonder they are more expensive to insure.

Last but not the least, sports cars have a rather macho user base. Sports car aficionados happen to be hot-blooded young men with a penchant for speed. This has not helped matters. Sports cars have a reputation for more accidents and thus have higher insurance.

Luxury Cars

Unsurprisingly, luxury cars are the most expensive to replace if they are totaled. They have the richest interiors, high-performance parts, and expensive spare parts all of which skyrocket the insurance rate.

Electric Vehicles

This may come as a disappointment for the environmentally conscious. Electric vehicles are unfortunately more expensive to repair. Sad but true.

Electric cars often have higher price tags than low-end budget cars that run on gasoline alone. 

The EV battery itself is quite expensive. You will need to spend thousands of dollars to replace it. Thus, electric vehicles are costly to insure.

Most Stolen Cars

Certain cars are thief magnets. High rates of car theft for particular models increase insurance costs.

Comprehensive insurance provides coverage for car theft. Another benefit of comprehensive coverage is that it pays benefits for flood, fire, and vandalism damage. 

 

Multiple Drivers and Cars

If you insure just one car, then the insurer will charge you more. But if you insure multiple cars, the insurer will give you a discount. 

Bulk purchases often result in lower prices and the same applies to car insurance. Car insurers encourage customers to ensure all of their cars with them by offering them a lower rate per car if customers add more vehicles to the policy.

You should inquire from your insurance agent about the discount that you will enjoy for registering multiple vehicles.

Middle-aged drivers have lower insurance than average since they are responsible and have pretty good reflexes. Teens on the other hand are more expensive to insure. They are young, inexperienced, have less proficiency, and take more risks.

But you can reduce the cost of insuring teen drivers in several ways. Good grades can result in steep discounts for teen drivers. The advantage of this kind of discount is that it can last well into the early twenties for teen drivers who qualify for the good student discount.

You can also bundle other policies with the same insurer to reduce your overall insurance cost. For example, you can bundle your home insurance along with car insurance at the same company to take advantage of steep discounts. The best insurers offer attractive discounts for buying multiple policies from them. For example, Allstate offers a 10% discount on auto insurance and a 25% discount on home insurance to customers who buy both plans from the company. 

 

Responsible Driving

Safer driving will mean long-term cost savings on auto insurance. 

Drive carefully so that you can avoid tickets, fines, and accidents. All of these factors can dramatically hike car insurance rates. If you have even one at-fault accident to your name, then you can be sure of a massive price hike when you renew the policy. Traffic accidents and violations make you a high-risk customer and thus result in higher rates.

Be careful about applying for claims. Filing a claim for minor damage that you can repair for cheap out of pocket is not worthwhile. Even a single claim can mean substantially higher costs in the future. The low monetary benefit from the claim will be minor in comparison to the higher rates you will be paying in the future.

You can enjoy good discounts for a clean driving record. Insurance companies have strong incentives for rewarding responsible customers since that means fewer claims and payouts. Thus, Travelers extends 10 to 23% discount to responsible drivers with an immaculate record.

 

Driving Course

You may enroll in a defensive driving course to lower your insurance rate. You should check if your insurer provides discounts to customers who complete such courses. You should also check to see which courses qualify for discounts and apply only to these. 

If your record is less than perfect, then you can take off a few points by enrolling in a defensive driving course or a similar program. This can help reduce your insurance premium.

 

Avoid Larger Cars

Driving a big SUV may sound like fun, but it won’t come cheap. Bigger vehicles carry higher premiums. 

To avail of a discount, you may have to buy a smaller vehicle. Alternative fuel vehicles sometimes qualify for a discount. Check with your insurer to find out more. For instance, Farmers provides a 5% discount on such vehicles. Hence, you can benefit the environment and enjoy a good discount this way.

 

Anti-Theft Device Discounts

Anti-theft devices mean lower premiums in general since they reduce the probability of theft. At Geico for instance, you may qualify for up to 25% discount if you install the right anti-theft device in your vehicle.

You should check with your insurer to find out which systems qualify and how much discount is offered for different qualifying systems.

It is also advisable to check the cost of the anti-theft system to know whether or not the discount is worth it.

 

Talk to Your Insurance Agent

The best way of finding out about all possible discounts is to speak with a trusted insurance agent. 

A lot of customers do not avail all possible discounts that they qualify for simply because they are oblivious of these concessions. Thus, you should request your insurance agent to delineate discounts that you qualify for.

 

Tracking Device

The best insurance companies offer to install a tracking device in your vehicle to monitor driving style. So if you drive safely, then the device will record your defensive driving habits. Based on this, the insurer may offer safe driving discounts.

An important factor that such telemetric devices record is the number of miles driven. If you drive less than 10,000 miles per annum, for instance, you may be eligible for a discount. That’s because fewer miles driven imply a lower accident risk.

The cheapest cars to insure in Connecticut as mentioned above can help to keep your insurance costs low.