With high gas prices and auto loan payments to worry about, thrifty car shoppers might want to take a look at a new survey of the most and least expensive cars to insure.
The rankings, compiled by Insure.com, take into account more than 900 car models. At the bottom end of the spectrum is the Toyota Sienna LE, which costs an average of $1,111 per year to insure. For just $5 more, consumers can insure the Jeep Patriot Sport, which rings in at $1,116 per year.
More expensive, sportier cars tend to be more expensive to insure. Successful, single men typically drive these types of autos, and, in their efforts to impress, typically get in more accidents, according to the report. The 2012 Audi R8 Spyder Quattro convertible, with a price tag of around $160,000, tops the list as the most expensive car to insure. Annual payments average $3,384.
A recent investigation from the Consumer Federation of America found that low-income families typically pay higher rates for car insurance than high-income consumers, sometimes forcing them to go without car insurance entirely. Inability to make monthly payments for car insurance could create credit problems for consumers.
