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Why are Insurance Quotes for SUVs More Expensive?

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are menacing. SUVs are majestic. When you drive in an SUV, you feel like the king of the road, as if nothing will be able to stop you. That’s no trick of the mind – it is normal for people seated at an elevated position to feel powerful, and the higher chassis of SUVs does just that. Even if you were to get into a car crash, it’ll be the other party that’ll end up as a pile of scrap metal; your SUV will drive out, unscathed.
However, ask for insurance quotes for SUVs, and you’ll be in for a surprise: it’s actually higher than the quotes for normal vehicles! Isn’t the SUV supposed to be a lot sturdier, thus safer than normal sedan cars? What gives?

The reason why insurance quotes for SUVs are higher

If you say that SUVs are safer than normal sedan cars, you couldn’t be more wrong. Even though the SUV is indeed much heavier and bigger than normal 4-doors vehicles, they are usually built on a truck platform, making it more elevated than normal cars. This raises its center of gravity, making it more prone to rollovers than the lower sedan cars. In fact, in a recent study, it is shown that SUVs are 2 times more likely than sedan cars to rollover! Such statistics points to the apparent dangers of driving an SUV, thus spiking the insurance quotes for SUVs to new heights.
Also, with your SUV at a higher platform, your passengers are more likely to be injured. Vehicles with lower platforms are shown to be much safer than vehicles on taller platforms, because of reasons such as the rollover implication mentioned in the previous paragraph. A rollover will be an ugly sight to behold – you will be thrown around like a doll in confined space (which is constantly becoming smaller and smaller), and that’ll cause some serious injury, topped with a hefty medical bill.
SUVs are also prime theft targets. In a recent survey, it has been shown that SUVs are seven times more likely to be stolen than normal cars! This could be because of the value of luxury SUVs – SUVs are generally more expensive than sedan cars. With such lucrative pickings, more and more car burglars are now targeting these luxury SUVs. To account for these statistics, your auto insurance company will adjust its premium accordingly.
Repair costs for SUVs are often higher as well. Aside from the more expensive parts that are required to for replacements, SUVs often suffer more damage than normal sedan cars (remember the paragraph about rollovers?). As such, insurance companies usually will have to pay out more in order to cover the auto insurance claims for SUVs. This will thus increase the auto insurance quotes for SUVs.

I’m still intent on getting a SUV. How do I get the best auto insurance quotes for them?

The very first thing you should do is to shop around. Compare the auto insurance quotes for SUVs across many different companies. Sometimes, one insurer will offer much better auto insurance quotes for SUVs when compared to their competitor, so source for the best deals by having a wide range of quotes from different auto insurance companies.
Next, when you’ve picked the insurer, check whether they offer different auto insurance quotes for SUVs of different models and makes. There are instances where a SUV of a different model has much lower auto insurance premiums compared to another model. The second model might be a magnet for car burglars, resulting in higher auto insurance rates. If you find the premium a little too high for you to handle, consider switching models to cut on auto insurance premiums.
The next step you can take to reduce your auto insurance quotes for SUVs is to install safety measures into your car. By installing airbags, anti-lock brakes, parking sensors and anti-theft alarms, you will reduce the amount the probability of your vehicle being involved in such unfortunate circumstances, thus reducing your auto insurance premiums for SUVs. You should contact your auto insurance company on the discounts you can get for these installations.
SUVs may be the king of the road, but they come with a hefty price tag. In addition, the heavy burden from auto insurance premiums may be a little too much for your current finances. However, there is hope: new SUVs are being built on car platforms instead of truck platforms, making it much safer than before because of the lower center of gravity. Give it a few years, and the auto insurance quotes for SUVs will start to decrease.