SUVs are Gas-Guzzlers and Expensive to Insure

Not only are Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) known for being gas-guzzlers, but they are also well known for being quite expensive to insure. Small, medium, large, and extra-large sized SUVs are traditionally quite a bit more expensive to insure than "regular" sized cars. SUV owners often complain about this fact, claiming that their SUVs are safer to drive than just about every other vehicle on the road. However, insurance companies must take other factors into consideration when determining insurance rates, and the fact that SUVs tend to severely damage most people or vehicles they hit in accidents leads to the higher insurance costs.

Up to 20 Percent More

It’s not uncommon for sport utility vehicle owners to pay up to 20 percent more for car insurance than people driving smaller cars. Of course, a person’s rates are also affected by where they live, their driving record, their age, their gender, and their credit history. However, the rates for SUVs in general are significantly higher than most of the other types of passenger vehicles on the road today. Insurance companies base their rate levels on many factors, and one of those factors is the level of risk a vehicle poses. While an SUV may be potentially safer for the people driving or riding inside of it, this large type of car can be much more dangerous to those who are not inside of the car, but in a vehicle that is hit by one. The potential medical costs to be paid for anyone hit by an SUV are enough to cause the insurance rates for SUV owners to soar. Because of their size, the impact between an SUV and a smaller car can cause extensive damage and medical injuries to the other car’s passengers. With medical costs in the United States continuing to rise at sharp levels each year, insurance companies cannot afford NOT to charge SUV owners more for their premiums.

Is the SUV Industry Suffering?

Today, the most common reason people have curbed their purchasing of sport utility vehicles is not because of the increased insurance rates they must pay for them, but because of the price of gasoline. It’s not uncommon for large SUV owners to spend $75 to completely fill their vehicle’s gas tank. And, for those who drive far distances each day, the cost of gasoline can add up to be a significant amount of money. Many car dealerships have announced that the sale of SUVs has not been drastically affected by the high cost of gasoline, but it is only reasonable to think that gas prices have had some sort of impact on how many people are considering purchasing smaller cars.

SUVs Feel Safer

Many SUV owners are proud to state that they feel safer in their SUV than in any other type of vehicle, and paying higher insurance premiums is well worth the cost of feeling secure in their car. In America, it’s everyone’s right to own what ever type of car they want, as long as they can afford it, the gasoline it requires, and the insurance that must be carried on it.