What Are the Cheapest SUVs to Insure?

Last Updated on October 7, 2026

By James Shaffer Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 4, 2026 How we fact-check

Want to buy an SUV without paying sky-high insurance premiums?

Some SUVs are consistently affordable to insure and others cost thousands more a year, because they’re expensive to repair, expensive to replace, or more likely to generate large claims. In the rate study behind the lists below, the gap from top to bottom is $3,425 a year: $1,932 for a Honda CR-V against $5,357 for a Mercedes-AMG G63. Keep reading for the full lists and what actually drives the price.

Compact SUVs with strong safety ratings and lower repair costs are usually the cheapest to insure (examples include the Honda CR-V, Honda HR-V, and Subaru Forester).
Luxury and performance SUVs can cost thousands more per year to insure because they’re expensive to repair and replace.
Your state, ZIP code, driving record, deductible, and trim level can change your price dramatically—even for the same SUV model.
The best way to save is to get quotes before you buy, then stack discounts like multi-car, bundling, paid-in-full, and safe-driver/telematics programs.

Table Of Contents

Top 10 Cheapest SUVs to Insure in 2026
Honorable Mentions: Other SUVs That Are Often Affordable to Insure
Factors That Impact the Cost of SUV Insurance
Top 10 Most Expensive SUVs to Insure in 2026
Best Insurance Companies for SUV Drivers
How to Save Money on SUV Insurance
FAQs on the Cheapest SUVs to Insure
Final Word – Cheapest SUVs to Insure
Sources

Top 10 Cheapest SUVs to Insure in 2026

In general, the cheapest SUVs to insure tend to be smaller, have lower MSRPs, have lower repair costs, and earn strong safety ratings. That’s why the Honda CR-V, the Subaru Forester and the Mazda CX-5 all sit in the top six of the study below.

No insurer or regulator publishes premiums by make and model, so a ranking like this comes from a rate study. These figures are Insure.com’s, last updated April 7, 2026, with the rates commissioned from Quadrant Information Services. They price a 40-year-old male driver carrying 100/300/100 liability limits with $500 deductibles on comprehensive and collision, drawn from “67,566,780 insurance quotes from 57 insurance companies across 510 ZIP codes nationwide” in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

Honda CR-V: $1,932 per year
Honda HR-V: $1,936 per year
Volkswagen Tiguan: $1,979 per year
Chevrolet TrailBlazer: $2,012 per year
Subaru Forester: $2,013 per year
Mazda CX-5: $2,021 per year
Subaru Outback: $2,042 per year
Hyundai Kona: $2,048 per year
Hyundai Tucson: $2,062 per year
Volkswagen Taos: $2,064 per year

Important: These are full-coverage averages for one sample driver, not a quote. Your own price can be much higher or lower depending on your age, state, ZIP code, driving history, credit or insurance score (where allowed), the deductibles you pick and the exact trim you buy. If you are 25 or 65 rather than 40, expect a different number.

Also note: even within the same model, insurance can change based on trim level, engine, wheel size, and advanced safety tech. A base trim can be noticeably cheaper to insure than a performance trim or a fully loaded model.

Honorable Mentions: Other SUVs That Are Often Affordable to Insure

These three are not in the study’s cheapest ten — the Ford Escape and the Honda Pilot aren’t in that study at all — so treat them as SUVs worth quoting rather than SUVs that were measured and nearly made the cut. They’re a good fit if you want something slightly larger or with different features:

Toyota RAV4: Often priced close to other compact SUVs, depending on trim and where you live.
Ford Escape: Frequently competitive for full coverage, especially in lower-cost states.
Honda Pilot: A popular family SUV that can still be reasonably priced compared to larger luxury SUVs.

Factors That Impact the Cost of SUV Insurance

Two SUVs can look similar on the lot but have very different insurance costs. Here are the biggest factors that raise or lower SUV insurance premiums:

Size and weight: Many of the cheapest SUVs are compact models. Smaller SUVs typically cost less to repair and may cause less damage in some crashes. Larger SUVs can lead to bigger claim payouts (vehicle damage + injuries), which can raise premiums.

MSRP and vehicle value: Insurers price coverage based on how expensive your SUV is to replace or total. If your SUV is stolen or involved in a total loss insurance claim, your insurer may be paying out a lot more on a $60,000 SUV than a $30,000 one.

Crash performance and injury risk: SUVs can generate large claims because they have more mass. A vehicle can be safe for its occupants and still be expensive for insurers if crashes tend to cause high damage and medical bills for your insurer.

Safety ratings and safety tech: SUVs with strong crash-test performance and features like automatic emergency braking often qualify for discounts. Better safety can also reduce claim severity.

Repair and parts costs: Popular SUVs with widely available parts and lots of qualified repair shops are often cheaper to insure. Specialty parts, pricey headlights, panoramic glass, and expensive bumpers/sensors can raise claim costs fast.

Advanced tech and calibration: Newer SUVs often need camera/sensor calibration after windshield replacement or front-end repairs. That extra labor and equipment can push repair bills higher (and higher repair bills generally lead to higher premiums over time).

EV and hybrid components: Some electrified SUVs are expensive to insure because repairs are more specialized and battery damage can be costly. Recurrent, which tracks this, put a Tesla Model 3 Long Range pack replacement at roughly $13,000 including labor on its 2023 figures, on a page dated December 3, 2024, with an itemized 2020 invoice of $15,799.27 ($13,500 for the battery, the rest labor). Those are a handful of documented jobs rather than an average, but they show why an insurer looks twice at a pack that can be damaged in a moderate crash. More on what a Tesla battery costs.

State laws, claims environment, and ZIP code: Insurance pricing varies dramatically by location, and the spread is wider than most people expect. On Insure.com’s September 2026 state figures, the average full-coverage premium runs $3,999 a year in Louisiana and $1,660 in Vermont, for the same 40-year-old driver in the same car. That is why the same driver with the same SUV could pay far less in one state than another. More on insurance rates per state.

Driver-specific factors: Your driving record, age, credit/insurance score (where allowed), mileage, and claims history matter a lot. Two drivers can insure the same SUV in the same ZIP code and get very different prices—especially if one has a clean record with no citations or at-fault accidents and the other has recent violations or claims.

Top 10 Most Expensive SUVs to Insure in 2026

Luxury and high-performance SUVs cost the most to insure because they’re costly to repair, costly to replace, and more likely to generate large claims. These are the ten most expensive in the same Insure.com study, on the same 40-year-old driver and the same 100/300/100 limits with $500 deductibles:

Mercedes-AMG G63: $5,357 per year
BMW X6 M: $5,067 per year
Maserati Levante: $5,042 per year
Audi RS Q8: $4,998 per year
BMW XM: $4,975 per year
Tesla Model X: $4,805 per year
Land Rover Range Rover: $4,790 per year
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: $4,663 per year
Mercedes-AMG GLS-Class: $4,568 per year
BMW X5 M: $4,534 per year

Best Insurance Companies for SUV Drivers

There’s no single “best” insurer for SUV drivers, and no study ranks insurers by body type. Rates move with your driver profile, your location and the trim, so the useful question is who writes a lot of business where you live. Worth knowing: in J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, published June 9, 2026, the companies rated highest by their own customers are mostly regional and member-owned ones — Erie in three regions, Amica in New England, Wawanesa in California, Shelter in the Central region, Travelers in New York, Florida Farm Bureau in Florida, and AAA clubs in the Southwest and Texas. State Farm is the only one of the big national names on the list below to rank highest in a region, in the Northwest.

These are the largest national carriers, which makes them a reasonable place to start a round of quotes. Add one or two regional insurers that write in your state before you decide:

USAA (for eligible military members and families)
GEICO
State Farm
Progressive
Allstate
Farmers

If you’re deciding between two SUVs, get quotes for both before you buy—many shoppers are surprised when the “better deal” vehicle costs much more to insure.

How to Save Money on SUV Insurance

You can often cut your premium significantly with the right strategy. Here are some of the best ways to save money on SUV insurance:

Use multi-vehicle discounts by insuring multiple vehicles with the same company
Ask about paid-in-full discounts and paperless billing discounts
Bundle auto with home or renters when it makes sense. It is often the biggest single discount: Amica advertises “up to 30% when you bundle auto with home, umbrella and life policies,” and Farmers says “you can save 10% or more by bundling home and auto policies.”
Shop around regularly—rates can change at renewal, and the cheapest company for one driver may not be the cheapest for another
Consider driver tracking tools if you’re a safe driver and don’t mind sharing driving data. American Family’s DriveMyWay advertises savings “between 10-35%,” and Amica’s StreetSmart app “up to 20% off your policy premiums.”
Choose the SUV trim wisely (performance trims and high-end packages often cost more to insure)
Increase your deductible (if you can comfortably afford it) to reduce your monthly premium

FAQs on the Cheapest SUVs to Insure

What is the cheapest SUV to insure right now?

In the most recent nationwide study, Insure.com’s, updated April 7, 2026, the Honda CR-V came first at $1,932 a year for full coverage, just ahead of the Honda HR-V at $1,936. That study prices a 40-year-old male driver with $500 deductibles, so it won’t be the cheapest for every driver — your age, state, driving record and the exact trim all change the result.

Are SUVs more expensive to insure than sedans?

Often, yes—but not always. Some compact SUVs are priced very competitively because they perform well in crashes and can qualify for safety-related discounts. If you’re comparing body types, see: Is it Cheaper to Insure a Sedan or an SUV?

Why are luxury SUVs so expensive to insure?

Luxury and performance SUVs often cost much more to insure because parts and repairs are expensive, the vehicles are expensive to replace in a total loss, and claims can be larger overall. Features like premium headlights, large wheels, air suspension, and advanced tech can all increase repair costs.

Does the trim level affect SUV insurance costs?

Yes. Higher trims, performance models, and options packages can raise your premium because they increase the vehicle’s value and repair costs. If you want the cheapest insurance possible, compare quotes for the exact trim you’re considering—not just the model name.

Do electric SUVs cost more to insure?

Sometimes. Some EV SUVs can be more expensive to insure due to specialized repairs, higher parts costs, and battery-related expenses. That said, pricing varies widely by model and insurer—so it’s worth getting quotes if you’re deciding between gas, hybrid, and EV options.

How can I lower my SUV insurance premium the fastest?

Start by shopping quotes from multiple insurers, then stack the biggest discounts you qualify for: multi-car, bundling, paid-in-full, and safe-driver programs. You can also lower premiums by choosing a higher deductible (if you can afford it), avoiding high-performance trims, and keeping a clean driving record.

Final Word – Cheapest SUVs to Insure

SUVs can be more expensive to insure than smaller cars, but there are plenty of SUVs with surprisingly affordable premiums—especially compact models with strong safety ratings and reasonable repair costs.

The best move is to narrow your choices to a few SUVs, then compare quotes across multiple companies. With the right vehicle and the right insurer, you can save a meaningful amount every year on SUV insurance.

My advice is to treat any list like this as a shortlist and nothing more. Pick two SUVs off it, then get both quoted on the same day with the same limits and the same deductible. That is the only comparison that is actually about your car and your ZIP code.

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026

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