Chrysler Auto Insurance: What You Drive Helps Determine Your Rates

The rates that you pay for automobile insurance are partially determined by the type of car that you drive. While most people realize that this is the case when talking about collision, theft, and other types of insurance that may come into play in the event of loss or damage to the vehicle (it just makes sense; more expensive vehicle, the more it will cost to repair or replace, the higher the insurance rates), many do not realize that it also applies in terms of the simple liability insurance that is required by law. For a point of example, we will look at Chrysler auto insurance.

The Chrysler Corporation is one of the so called “big three” American automobile manufacturers. They release numerous different vehicle makes and models each year. For purposes of our Chrysler auto insurance comparison, we will look at three distinctly different Chrysler cars from vastly different production years: the 2005 Chrysler Crossfire, the 1999 Dodge Viper, and the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda.

At first glance, one might assume that the 2005 Crossfire would cost more for insurance of any type than either of the other cars simply because it is the newest of the lot. This is not the case. While it’s true that newer cars usually do cost more to insure than older cars of comparable models, the fact that one car is newer than another will not automatically make it more costly to insure. In this comparison, the Viper would most likely be the most expensive car to insure with any insurance company. The Viper costs almost twice as much as the Crossfire and, even though it’s six years older than the Crossfire, will be more costly to insure for things like fire, theft, and collision based on the value alone. Liability insurance will be more costly on the Viper as well, primarily due to the Viper’s reputation as a speedy sports car. The insurance carrier's point of view will be that people who drive Vipers tend to drive fast and people who drive fast tend to cause more accidents. They’re a greater liability risk.

These same factors could cause the 1970 Barracuda to cost more than the Crossfire for liability insurance as well. The Barracuda is considered to be a “classic muscle car” and the same reasoning applies to it. The vast age difference between the ‘Cuda and the Crossfire could come into play as well, and other types of insurance will definitely be more expensive for the Crossfire than the Barracuda.

Obviously these comparisons are rather extreme, but they do give an idea of what an insurance company looks at when determining what to charge a particular driver for insurance. These factors are also only a small fraction of the overall insurance picture as well. A driver’s record of accidents and moving violations will always affect his or her auto insurance costs more than the type of vehicle he or she is insuring.