If your thinking of buying a new auto, cheap insurance should be one of the factors you consider. Annual insurance premiums make up one of the more significant costs in operating an automobile so if you want to keep those costs to a minimum, choosing the right car is important.Insurance companies arrive at insurance rates using reams and reams of statistics that analyze things like number of accidents, cost associated with those accidents, age of drivers, location of drivers, etc... and what kind of vehicles are involved in those accidents. From these statistics they can determine which types of cars are more or less likely to be involved in insurance claims and they will adjust their premiums based on this analysis.According to InsWeb, one of the leading online insurance quoting websites, the top 10 least expensive 2010 vehicles to insure are:Kia Sedona
Mazda Mazda5
Ford Escape
Hyundai Santa Fe
Mercury Mariner
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ford Explorer
Subaru Outback
Kia Optima
Chevrolet EquinoxConversely, the most expensive 2010 models to insure are:Acura ZDXAudi TTS
Audi A5
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Corvette
BMW Z4
Lexus SC
Jaguar XF
Cadillac STS
Dodge ChallengerOf course, the first thing that jumps out at you from these lists is that the more expensive a vehicle is the less likely you are of getting cheap auto insurance. Most of the vehicles in the most expensive to insure list cost over $40,000 but then, if you can afford the car you should be able to afford the insurance.Beyond the cost of the auto, cheap insurance is affected by several factors.1- Loss history - reflects a specific model's involvement in insurance claims. Of course it's not the model itself that causes accidents but the driver. However, certain cars attract certain, higher risk drivers. It's not hard to understand why performance vehicles would be high on the most expensive to insure list. Likewise, the most inexpensive cars don't always make the least expensive to insure list because they tend to attract young, first time owners, who also bring a higher risk profile.2- Repair costs - it's just less expensive to repair some models over others. Parts availability and price is an important consideration. Note how many of the expensive to insure cars are high-end imports.3- Safety features - Cars that come with lots of safety features like side air bags or vehicle stability control will have reduced claims from severe injuries.4- Security features - Vehicles with good alarms or vehicle location devices are less likely to be stolen.So, if getting cheap auto insurance is an important element in you car buying process make sure to review the above lists and shop accordingly. Remember however, that these lists are always changing so make sure you are looking at up-to-date information.