10 Cars That Are Both Safe to Drive and Cheap to Insure

One compact vehicle might be the perfect choice for drivers looking for a safe new car that won’t cost a fortune to insure.

At $1,397 annually, the national average cost of insuring the Subaru XV Crosstrek is 22.9% lower than the national average cost for all vehicles, making it the top choice in CarInsurance.com’s recent rankings of the safest cars based on how affordable they are to insure.

As a bonus, the Subaru Crosstrek was recently recognized by a separate analysis, from J.D. Power, for how well it holds its resale value, as we report in “4 Cars Makes With the Best Resale Values.”

For its own analysis, CarInsurance.com looked at 2019 models that earned the highest safety rating awarded by the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), those named as a “Top Safety Pick+.” Then, the website looked at how much it cost to insure those models.

The average cost nationally of insuring a car for one year is $1,812, according to CarInsurance.com.

Of the more than 40 vehicles from the 2019 model year that earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS, the cost to insure each for one year ranges from $1,397 for the Subaru Crosstrek to $3,144 for the Mercedes E63 AMG S 4MATIC, a large luxury car.

The 10 cars on the list with the lowest annual national average costs to insure (and their IIHS classification) are:

• Subaru XV Crosstrek 2.0I (small car) — $1,397
• Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring (small SUV) — $1,424
• Hyundai Tucson Limited (small SUV) — $1,451
• Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring (midsize car) — $1,467
• Acura RDX with Advance Package (midsize luxury SUV) — $1,519
• Toyota RAV4 LE (small SUV) — $1,526
• Subaru Impreza 2.0I Limited (small car) — $1,526
• Subaru Forester 2.5I Sport (small SUV) — $1,529
• Hyundai Kona SEL with optional safety technology (small SUV) — $1,551
• Kia Niro Touring (small car) — $1,566

Driving down your car insurance costs

No matter what type of car you own, there are always ways to drive insurance costs lower.

For example, notifying your insurer of any changes in your driving routine can yield big savings, as we report in “10 Tips to Cut Car Insurance Costs“:

“If your daily mileage decreases because of such factors as carpooling, relocation or a shorter commute — or you no longer drive to work because you now work at home or have retired — your rates will likely follow suit, because you will be less likely to be involved in a crash.”

Shopping around and comparing rates from multiple insurers can yield savings at any point in time, regardless of whether your driving habits have changed or whether you’re in need of a new policy.

In fact, Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson recommends comparing rates every year or two to be sure you’re still getting a good deal. If that sounds like too much trouble, there are now services like The Zebra and Gabi that will do the research for you and give you quotes to pick from.

And before you shop for a new car, note that some cars are especially expensive to own and maintain — both in terms of insurance costs and other factors. For more, check out “How Buying the Wrong Car Can Cost You an Extra $3,725 a Year.”

How do you cut car insurance costs? Share your tips in comments below or on our Facebook page.