Everyone has their preference when choosing a car make. However, your choice involves more than simply determining how good you feel driving a favorite model on the road. Note that vehicle insurance companies often use the make of your car as a determining factor when calculating the insurance cost. Therefore, while you might be free to choose whatever car model you want, the insurance cost might limit your decision. Here are ways the car model determines how much you will pay in premiums.
The Age of the Vehicle
Most vehicles have a model and year of manufacture. In most cases, new cars are more expensive to insure than older ones. For example, the value of a vehicle model released to the market this year is probably higher than a similar make released a few ago. This is because the insurer checks the vehicle's market value when deciding how much you pay to insure it. After all, they will have to pay more to replace a newer model in case of a complete loss.
The Vehicle's Size
Big and boxy cars get higher insurance premiums than their smaller counterparts. For example, if you have a massive vehicle, its momentum on the road will be significant. As such, the destruction it will cause if it collides with another smaller vehicle is more than what a small car would do. Hence, the insurer will consider how much they would pay if you caused an accident with a big vehicle. So, consider getting a smaller car if you want to save money on insurance premiums.
The Vehicle's Safety Features
New car models have high-quality safety features to protect you from injuries and damages in an accident. More so, insurance companies understand the role that safety features play and how they minimize damage in case of an accident. Hence, vehicles with advanced safety features get lower insurance premiums because they're less likely to cause deadly crashes. On the other hand, if your car doesn't have the right safety features, the insurer compensates by hiking the rates.
The Coverage Type
You should also consider the type of coverage you want from the insurer. Note that third-party or liability insurance is the cheapest. Alternatively, comprehensive insurance is the highest in terms of cost. In addition, there is a difference between the minimum and full coverage, and the company helps you determine where you want to lie between the two extremes.
These are the issues to discuss with the insurer before determining which vehicle model to buy. Note that buying a car while you fully understand how much it will cost you to insure helps you avoid complications like the inability to make your premium payments. For more information on auto insurance, contact a professional near you.