License: Royalty Free or iStock source: Image Courtesy of Nissan USA
There are a number of factors that go into calculating what you are charged for car insurance. A cornerstone insurers and insurance underwriters use to determine car insurance prices is the kind of car you drive. Year, make and model of a car will frame what levels of coverage you should get and will also be a major factor in how an insurer will determine what it needs to charge you to hedge against its exposure to risk and the possibility of paying claims. Each year, agencies and organizations evaluate which new cars on the market will cost you the most (and the least) to insure. Below you will find the list of the most expensive makes and models from a car insurance cost perspective for 2017:
Coverage profile and cost methodology
Several reputable organizations and agencies combine efforts to report on what the most and least expensive cars
BMW M6 Convertible (E64). Photo credit: Mike Roberts, Flickr. Creative Commons.
to insure are in a given year. Consumer Reports, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Kelley Blue Book, the federal government’s Consumer Price Index, the online resource Insure.com, even several of the nation’s leading car insurance companies all contribute to these efforts to report on new cars and what they can expect to cost drivers for insurance.
This particular list relies on an amalgam of efforts to provide average auto insurance rates for 2017 models. The driver profile for the rates listed included offering full coverage for a single 40-year-old male who commutes 10-15 miles to work each day (though with these cars, a daily commute seems almost like a waste of horsepower.). This male driver has a clean driving record and a higher-than-average credit score.
The policy shopped among several of the leading car insurance companies in the country (using a cross-section of
2012 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo e-hybrid. Photo of 2012 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo e-hybrid by Ben via Wikimedia Commons.
from 10-20 zip codes) included:
- Liability coverage with policy limits of 100/300/50
- Collision coverage with a $500 deductible
- Comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage at 100/300 levels
Based on this profile, here are the top ten most expensive 2017 cars to insure and what your average annual premium will be:
- Nissan GT-R (track edition) — $3,100 – $3,200
- BMW M6 — $3,050 – $3100
- Mercedes-Benz CL550 (4matic AWD) — $3,000 – $3,020
- Mercedes-Benz SLS (AMG GT) — $2,980 – $3,000
- Porsche Panamera (Turbo S) — $2,950 – $2,975
- Audi R8 (5.2 Spyder Quattro) — $2,900 – $2,950
- Mercedes-Benz G63 (AMG) — $2,875 – $2,900
- Audi AB: (6.3 Quattro) — $2,860 – $2,875
- Jaguar XKR (Supercharged) — $2,750 – $2,850
- Jaguar XK & Mercedes-Benz GL63 (AMG) (tied at #10) — $2,600 – $2,700
The top car on this year’s list certainly isn’t your average family car (actually, none of them on this list strike us as your basic family car.) The Nissan GT-R (track edition) retails at about $115,000 and comes with the catchy nickname Godzilla. No wonder. It features all-wheel-drive, twin turbochargers that help its V-6 engine crank out 545 horsepower, industrial-strength brakes in a nod to its power, and a tricky-to-master dual-clutch automated manual transmission. Its on-board computer drives an array of electronics to customize steering, suspension and brake settings for an individual driver’s tastes (or aptitudes.) It easily can hit 190 to 200 mph, putting most folks who get behind its wheel in over their heads.
Other price factors
The premium prices listed in this report are an average. You will pay more if you live in certain states. How you
Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 AMG Line. Photo Creative Commons
intend to use these cars can also impact the price you’ll pay for insurance. Many car insurance companies may give you a break on premium of this new car is an addition to your stable and you insure all your cars (and you home) with the same insurer.
At this level, there aren’t many premium discounts you can apply for. All of the cars on this list do come equipped with impressive safety features and many come standard with anti-theft features that may get you a premium discount. The performance parameters of most of the cars on this list may also compel owners to head to driving school where they can get come life-saving driving tips and (possibly) additional premium discounts.
The fact of the matter is, if you can afford to purchase a $115,000 car, you’re probably going to be fine with a $3,000-$4,000 annual insurance bill.
