It never fails, does it? Build a performance car and price it low enough for younger drivers to afford, and then, the insurance companies step into to ruin the fun. Maybe.
Every couple years, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the non-profit testing and research agency supported by auto insurance companies, releases its model-by-model insurance loss rate scores. And it just so happens that among 2005-2007 models, the Subaru Impreza WRX had the highest loss rate among all types of coverage.
Our guess is that the WRX's relative popularity is the culprit. Also, the IIHS didn't track the Mitsubishi Lancer/Lancer Evolution, while the Mazdaspeed 3 was evidently rolled into the Mazda 3 line. So it's hard to make a definitive assessment for this class of car. Insurers, of course, think in terms of risk, not class.
firstwagon says:
04:59 PM, 09/23/09
Seems to me it's irresponsible owners that are ruining the fun, not the insurance companies.
WRXs are great cars, stop crashing them.
desmolicious says:
05:20 PM, 09/23/09
For once it's not the insurance companies' fault.
When the nickname of the WRX is "Wrecks", ya know there is a problem...
dgs4 says:
06:44 PM, 09/23/09
I was all set to buy a WRX in 2006. I actually got the VIN number of the car sitting on the dealer lot I was going to buy and as I always do, I called my insurance company asked what the monthly rate would be. Keep in mind I have a perfect driving record, no speeding tickets, no moving violations of any kind, I'm in my late 30's, I don't live in kooky California, and I've had no insurance related claims in six years. I was shocked when the lady said "$150 a month." I haven't paid that kind of insurance ever, even when I was much younger did I pay that kind of rate. As a comparison I own a 2009 Honda Fit Sport and for absolutely full coverage with a $250 deductible (as low as possible) I pay $80 a month.
I was so surprised because I thought the WRX would be cheap to insure. It has AWD, and it consistently gets fantastic crash test scores. Plus it's very reliable. But I come to learn it's stupid kids racing these things and wrapping them around trees all the time that has jacked the rates for everyone else. And like the journalist said, the combination of cheap (under $30K) and really fast is a recipe for disaster for young, inexperienced male drivers who think they actually know how to drive.
07mx5 says:
07:46 PM, 09/23/09
get a legacy =) well, not the current legacy; it's ugly.
4g63 says:
08:53 PM, 09/23/09
Its premium is high because there're just too many claim with the WRXs. It doesnt really matter how safe the car is. If the car is damaged or totalled, insurance companies pay. I agree with firstwagon. We cant really blame the insurance companies. It's just the driver. I don't know if it affect the regular Imprezas, too. Civic is a popular model to kids, too. They like to suit it up putting all kinda goodies on it and show off, and crash. That's why Civic's premium is higher than other compacts too. At least for me it is. I used to own an Evo and a Civic as a daily driver. Interestingly the Civic cost more to insure than the Evo (same coverage). And now I drive a Civic Hybrid. It cost almost $20/month more to insure than my wife's car.
ktinsd says:
11:09 PM, 09/23/09
I wonder if the Saab 92 shares he same insurance rates as it's half brother? I bet the demographics trend older on the Saab.
slickersdrip says:
11:26 PM, 09/23/09
Other drivers are to blame in general... they make up the typical demograhpics for cheap, fast cars. The insurance is ridiculous for me, a 21 year old male driving an SRT-4--even though I've never had a citation for anything ever in the six and a half years+ that I've been driving. We informed drivers never stand a chance.
rvictor says:
03:12 AM, 09/24/09
Hey DGS4, your problem isn't the insurance company. It's your attraction to Fugly cars. Any Honda? Any Subaru? All UGLY!
redgeminipa says:
04:21 AM, 09/24/09
Looks like Subaru has both ends of the insurance scale covered. I'm planning to buy an '03 Outback L.L. Bean Edition, and it's actually cheaper to insure than my '97 Dodge Intrepid base model.
zoomzoomn says:
05:33 AM, 09/24/09
The WRX should be covered in the Impreza lineup just as the Mazdaspeed3 is in the 3's and Evo is in the Lancer's. Insurance is a freakin' game!
yellowmiata says:
06:10 AM, 09/24/09
I would agree that its the folks crashing the WRX's, not the insurance companies ruining the fun.
anythngbutgm says:
07:16 AM, 09/24/09
They also put performance summer rubber on these things which gives false confidence in the wintertime.
rsholland says:
08:24 AM, 09/24/09
Unfortunately I'm one of those WRX statistics, even though it wasn't my fault. :(
I'm with Allstate, and so was the car that caused the accident, so they took the hit; a big one at that as there were 5 cars involved, 2 of which were totaled.
iskch says:
08:45 AM, 09/24/09
It takes a few idiots to ruin the party.
mlh says:
12:36 PM, 09/24/09
I actually saw a WRX *explode* after crashing into an overpass pylon sideways at about 50 MPH. Sadly, both car and driver were a total loss.
playdrv4me says:
04:20 PM, 09/24/09
Every once in a while you luck out with this insurance game. I have a 2005 Crossfire SRT-6. Essentially an SLK32 AMG down to the rivets underneath the love it or hate it body, and which apparently does not have a SEPARATE insurance classification with most insurers. Since domestic grey-hairs and women were the biggest demographic for regular Crossfire ownership, I get to pay their insurance rates and drive a scary fast car.
Curiously, having a vehicle with low claim costs doesn't necessarily translate into low rates either. My 2006 Escalade had drastically varying insurance rates from carrier to carrier, because some carriers placed a higher weight on what my truck would do to the OTHER car in an at-fault collision, than what would happen to me and my vehicle.
estreka says:
06:39 PM, 09/24/09
Hmmm. I just ran a quote through my insurance company (USAA) and came up with a quote of $71/month for a '06 WRX running 12K miles/yr with full coverage in CA. That's $15 more than what I'm paying for my '01 S2K.
I should specify that I have a $320/yr 'good driver discount'.
manofthefield says:
07:09 PM, 09/24/09
FYI the Mazdaspeed3 was not rolled in with the rest of the 3 line, you just need to select "station wagons/minivans". They don't have enough information for "all coverages" total, but you can get an idea of how it's rated in some categories.
Also interesting is how some of the wagon forms of the same vehicle get better ratings; I'm looking specifically at the non-WRX Impreza and Mazda 3s, both of which are a good bit lower for wagons than sedans.
For ktinsd, if you toggle to 2004-2006, it looks like the 9-2x has scores just a smidge higher than the Subaru wagon. Subaru sedan was definately worse.