How you drive and how we score your auto insurance rate

Driving habits and trends in claims for hybrid vehicles also play a role in their higher car insurance rates, says Russ Rader, a spokesperson for the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), a part of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"Hybrids are logging more miles than their traditional counterparts," says Rader. compare auto insurance quotes


A 2010 HLDI report says drivers of passenger hybrids drive 6.2 more miles a day than regular models. That adds up to more than 1,600 miles a year if you're driving five days a week to work. By comparison, SUV drivers average 2.7 more miles a day, or 702 miles a year.

And according to Rader, those extra miles translate into more car insurance claims. "Hybrids are getting into more crashes than non-hybrid versions," he says. That may be due partly to who is more likely to buy a hybrid vehicle, like people with long commutes who want to save on fuel.

"It's not that hybrid drivers are worse drivers, it's just that they are likely to drive more, and more miles mean more crashes," says Rader.

Crashing leads to higher car insurance rates list of automobile insurance companies

Hybrid luxury and hybrid SUV drivers crash more often than their traditional luxury car and SUV driving counterparts, according to HLDI. And those behind the wheel of the Lexus GS450h 4-door luxury hybrid vehicles were in the most crashes of all hybrids in 2009.

Fender-benders and mangled bumpers (not to mention major wrecks) add up and send hybrid car insurance rates soaring.

According to the HLDI report:

•The average car insurance claim pay out for a Lexus GS450h 4-door luxury hybrid is about 3 percent more than its non-hybrid sibling.
•The average claim for a hybrid Honda Accord is about 10 percent more than for the same traditional car.
•Lexus hybrid drivers file about 11 percent more claims than those who drive non-hybrids.
•All hybrid drivers file a combined 17 percent more claims than drivers of traditional vehicles.

Get Free Quotes Now list of automobile insurance companies


"Car insurance companies have to consider the averages when determining rates," notes Jack Smith, a spokesperson for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of New York. "And if the average says hybrids crash more often and are more expensive to fix, then the car insurance rates for these vehicles could be higher than it is for traditional cars."


a complete resource with more info on auto insurance is avaliable at one of our sites, visit us anytime!