The Honda CR-V and Buick Envista top the list of cheapest cars to insure in 2026, with average full coverage premiums around $1,932 per year, or about $161 per month. More broadly, midsize SUVs, compact crossovers, and a handful of sedans consistently land at the bottom of the insurance cost chart. The pattern is clear: vehicles that are affordable to repair, safe in crashes, and rarely stolen tend to cost the least to insure.
The Least Expensive Cars to Insure
Based on average annual full coverage premiums, these models sit at the bottom of the cost curve:
- Honda CR-V: roughly $1,932/year
- Buick Envista: roughly $1,932/year
- Volkswagen Tiguan: roughly $1,980/year
- Subaru Outback: roughly $1,956 to $1,968/year
- Volkswagen Taos: roughly $1,956/year
- Subaru Forester: roughly $1,992/year
- Hyundai Venue: roughly $2,004/year
- Chevrolet Trax: roughly $2,040/year
- Mazda CX-5: roughly $2,100/year
- Subaru Impreza: roughly $2,120/year
A few things jump out. Subaru places four models in the top 20 cheapest to insure, more than any other brand. Compact and midsize crossovers dominate the list. And none of these vehicles are particularly flashy or high-powered, which matters more than you might think.
Farther up the cost spectrum, models like the Ford Maverick (roughly $2,124/year), Toyota Tacoma ($2,370/year), and Jeep Wrangler ($2,307/year) still come in well below the national average. For context, a Dodge Challenger runs about $3,691/year for full coverage, and a Tesla Model 3 costs around $3,419/year. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive models to insure can easily be $1,500 or more annually.
Why These Vehicles Cost Less to Insure
Insurance companies set premiums based on how much they expect to pay out in claims for a given vehicle. Several factors push that number down.
Repair costs are the biggest driver. Vehicles built with widely available parts and straightforward body structures are cheaper to fix after a fender bender. The Honda CR-V and Subaru Outback, for example, use common components that any body shop can source quickly. Compare that to a luxury SUV or a Tesla, where proprietary parts and specialized labor push repair bills higher.
Safety ratings and crash performance matter on two levels. Insurers look at how well a car protects its own occupants, which affects medical payment and personal injury claims. They also consider how much damage the vehicle can inflict on other cars in a collision. A heavy, high-riding truck can cause more damage to a sedan it hits, which drives up liability costs. The compact crossovers that dominate the cheap-to-insure list tend to perform well on both counts: solid occupant protection without excessive mass.
Theft frequency plays a role too. Vehicles that are rarely stolen generate fewer comprehensive claims. Data from the Highway Loss Data Institute shows that newer Hyundai and Kia models equipped with electronic immobilizers as standard have theft rates well below the industry average. Boring, practical vehicles in general attract less attention from thieves than sports cars or luxury models.
Driver assistance technology can also earn discounts. Features like automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring reduce the likelihood of a claim in the first place. Many of the vehicles on the cheapest-to-insure list come standard with these systems.
Vehicle Types That Cost More
Sports cars, luxury vehicles, and high-performance trims consistently carry the highest premiums. A Cadillac Escalade averages about $3,744/year for full coverage. A BMW 330i runs around $3,309. These vehicles cost more to repair, are more attractive to thieves, and are statistically more likely to be driven aggressively.
Electric vehicles are a notable case. EV drivers pay roughly 49% more for coverage than drivers of gas-powered cars. The average annual cost to insure an EV is about $4,058, compared to $2,732 for a gas vehicle. The gap comes down almost entirely to repair costs: EV battery packs are expensive to replace, body panels often use aluminum or other lightweight materials that cost more to work with, and fewer shops are equipped to handle the repairs. Hybrids fall in between, costing about $20 to $30 more per month than their gas-only equivalents.
Interestingly, EVs are among the least-stolen vehicles on the road. Eight of the 20 least-stolen vehicle models are electric, likely because they tend to be parked in garages or near buildings for charging. But that theft advantage isn’t enough to offset the higher repair costs when it comes to overall premiums.
How to Use This When Shopping
If you’re choosing between a few vehicles and insurance cost is a factor, getting quotes before you buy is the single most useful step. Your actual premium depends on your driving record, age, location, credit history (in most states), and coverage choices, so the averages above are a starting point, not a guarantee. Two people buying the same Honda CR-V in different zip codes could see premiums that differ by hundreds of dollars.
That said, the vehicle itself typically accounts for a meaningful chunk of your premium. Choosing a Subaru Outback over a BMW 330i could save you more than $1,000 a year in insurance alone, before you even factor in the difference in purchase price or fuel costs. Over a five-year ownership period, that adds up to $5,000 or more.
When comparing models, pay attention to the trim level. A base-model SUV and its top-tier performance variant can have noticeably different insurance costs, even though they share a name. Higher trim levels often mean a higher sticker price, more expensive parts, and a more powerful engine, all of which nudge premiums upward. If keeping insurance costs low is a priority, the base or mid-level trim of any of the vehicles on this list will generally be your best bet.