4 Jeep models on list of cheapest to insure

Feb. 26--When it comes to auto insurance, four Jeep models are among the 10 least expensive vehicles to insure, according to a website that compiles insurance industry data.

The Toledo-built Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee as well as the Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass were on the 2016 list released by Insure.com this week for lowest annual insurance premiums nationally.

The Patriot Sport 2-W-D has a $1,180 average annual premium, the Wrangler Sport 4-W-D has a $1,181 premium; the Compass Sport 2-W-D has a $1,190 premium, and the Cherokee Sport 2-W-D has a $1,203 premium, the website found.

The least expensive vehicle was the Honda Odyssey LX at $1,113. Topping the most expensive car insurance list was the Dodge GT Viper, with an annual premium of $4,048.

The website compared average rates for more than 2,300 models and based its numbers on a 40-year-old, single, male driver with good credit and a good driving record who commutes 12 miles to work each day. Data were obtained from six large insurers: Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive, and State Farm.

Emily Florian, an agent with the Florian Insurance Agency in Holland, said Jeep vehicles are known for their low insurance rates. In Insure.com's rankings, the Wrangler had been the least expensive vehicle two years running before giving up the title this year to the Honda minivan.

"I have a Jeep and my insurance is really, really inexpensive," Ms. Florian said. But seeing four Jeeps in the top 10 least expensive was surprising, she added.

"I would have thought there'd be more [Ford] Escapes along with the [Honda] CR-V," she said. One version of a Honda CR-V and one of a Ford Escape were listed in the cheapest 10.

But Ms. Florian said Jeeps are known to be very safe vehicles, "and safety ratings makes a difference in premiums."

Joel Bokerman, co-owner of the Bokerman Yackee Koesters Independent Insurance Agency, which has offices in Napoleon and Wauseon, said it's not surprising to see four Jeep models on the least expensive list, along with a Dodge, a Buick, and a Ford.

"Generally as a rule, we find cars from American car companies are going to have better cost insurance rates because the parts are easier to reproduce and replace if there's an accident," Mr. Bokerman said.

___

(c)2016 The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)

Visit The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) at www.toledoblade.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.