In a major victory for families and minivan lovers everywhere (and a surprise to absolutely no one) the cheapest vehicles to insure are mostly SUVs, crossovers, and minivans, which are rarely bought by single people looking to take them to race tracks come the weekend. Oh, did we mention there is also a station wagon in the top ten? Yes, the station wagon is still being made in 2014. But it was the fact that the station wagon proved to be the cheapest to insure that sort of shocked us. Same as for the most expensive cars to insure, we checked the rates using MSN Money's insurance comparison tool for California - you'll probably find cheaper rates in other states, but then you'd have to move. So for those who just can't get enough of our amazing California sunshine but still don't want to pay a fortune in car insurance, this list of the least expensive cars to insure will be your best start to finding your next ride.
Image: James Hamel
10) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo: Please don’t make the mistake that if you buy an SRT-8 version of the Grand Cherokee (which is essentially an SUV for drag racing) you will still get a fantastically cheap insurance quote. This is for the more mainstream, family friendly models, which we highly recommend anyway due to their stylish nature inside and out as well as excellent drivability. $1,625
Image: James Hamel
9) 2014 Jeep Patriot: This is the boxier cousin to the Jeep Compass and, to our eyes, is a visual homage to the original Jeep Cherokee. It’s nice to know that this Jeep offers buyers such a low insurance premium. But still, it’s not the cheapest Jeep to insure. $1,613
Image: Jeep
8) 2014 Jeep Wrangler: Huh? Don’t people absolutely thrash their Wranglers on insanely rocky and muddy trails where the vehicles must get covered in dents and scratches? And don’t teenagers love to drive these sometimes convertible two and four door SUVs with design elements dating back to the 1940’s? Oh, wait. In that lies the answer, for the Jeep Wrangler’s simplicity makes it very inexpensive to fix and owners often times don’t fix dents, instead seeing them as badges of honor. Interesting. $1,545
Image: Ford
7) 2014 Ford Escape: We road tested a 2014 Ford Escape for a week and it quickly became our new class favorite thanks to its excellent power, robustly built interior, gadgets galore and plenty of style. But as a bonus, buyers can depend on the fact that this roomy compact SUV is one of the least expensive on the market to insure. $1,531
Image: Chrysler
6) Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Caravan: Well, most minivan owners don’t use their rides to attend and compete in illegal drag racing meets, nor do they generally go over the speed limit too often, we noticed. No need to. Driving a minivan is like bringing your living room with you. And it’s nice to know families get a break on insurance costs by buying a vehicle that fits everyone. $1,515
Image: Honda
5) 2014 Honda CR-V: Thanks to a peppy engine, nimble handling, excellent visibility and a ton of safety features that help you avoid an accident it is little surprise that the CR-V did this well. Not only is it a highly recommendable compact SUV, it makes sense overall to your budget. $1,509
Image: James Hamel
4) 2014 Dodge Journey: In another coincidence, we road tested the 2014 Dodge Journey a month back and suffered from a rare ailment known as reverse sticker shock. Even loaded to the gills with toys like navigation, leather, moonroof, power everything, all-wheel drive, premium audio and dual zone climate control along with a strong V6 engine it cost about $10,000 less than competing models. The Journey was about $30,000 and an identically equipped Kia Sorento costs $10,000 more. So you get that savings plus very low insurance premiums. $1,492
Image: Jeep
3) 2014 Jeep Compass Sport: Considered by many to be the least Jeep-like Jeep of all, this “soft-roader” surprisingly can still handle some pretty intense off-road work as we learned at a Jeep event where we took one of these on a trail hot on the heels of a Wrangler. But judging from the low insurance premiums, most owners apparently don’t do this very often. $1,486
Image: James Hamel
2) 2014 Honda Odyssey: Another minivan makes the list but this time it is actually the only one of its kind that it can actually be enjoyable to drive. The 2014 model also comes with the astoundingly genius HondaVac vacuum cleaner built into a compartment in the left rear of the vehicle. It comes with a vacuum hose long enough to reach the front seats, the filter and trash storage unit are easy to remove and clean with all of it covered when not in use by a plastic lockable cover. $1,480
Yes, the vacuum can clean up any mess. We proved this when we tested it with 8 elementary and junior high kids who had a giant popcorn throwing fight inside an Odyssey. Yes, we did that. And we never had to call the insurance company for any repairs.
Image: James Hamel
1) 2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i : A steady and sure utilitarian workhorse, the 2014 Subaru Outback 2.5i may not be the fastest vehicle on the market, but it is solidly built and can haul anything a big SUV can all while cornering in a manner that can be entertaining. Probably due to the less powerful engine, owners of these Subaru models must not have many accidents. But from experience we have found the flat 3.6 liter V6 engine option to be a gloriously sonorous and muscularly powerful powerplant. $1,448
James Hamel is a freelance road tester, auto journalist, and Motor Press Guild full member. Find past work at Autobytel.com and current work at iSeeCars.com. Contact James at [email protected].