Although necessary to get behind the wheel, no one voluntarily wants to pay for car insurance.  Of course, it does come in handy when someone hits you from behind or if someone damages your car in the middle of the night.  But did you know the car you drive plays a major role in the car insurance quotes you will get?

Everyone has the impression that the red sports car speeding down the road has higher car insurance quotes than the soccer mom driving the mini-van.  And this is true to a degree.  Statistics show certain sports cars have been found to receive more speeding tickets, are involved in more accidents, and therefore have the highest premiums.  But where on that scale do vehicles fall?

Your choice of car says a lot about the way you are perceived as well as how you see yourself.  When driving a hot sports car, the perception is that you seek status and attention.  If you are a mini-van, it shows you are happily married and think more about safety than flash.  However, this isn’t completely true.

For some, just driving a fancier car is about the comfort and the assurance that it isn’t going to break down.  Knowing it drives extremely smoothly is another seller for customers.  That doesn’t answer the question though of how specific vehicles differ from one another when getting car insurance quotes.

The list of least expensive vehicles to insure in 2012 is not all that surprising.  The national annual average rate for a Toyota Sienna LE is $1,111 making it the cheapest vehicle to insure.  Compare this to Audi R8 Spyder Quattro convertible of $3,384 and it appears that style does cost more.

A number of SUV’s and larger vehicles made the list for least expensive vehicles to insure like the Ford Escape XLS at $1,137 and the Jeep Compass Sport at just $1,118.  As you begin looking at the most expensive vehicles list you will find several Mercedes, Porsche, Audi’s and BMW’s.

So what does this tell you?  It shows that no matter what rumors are spread, myths are created or defense people take, car insurance quotes are typically going to be higher for flash.  It is not cheap to drive a car that can go over 160 miles per hour, but a bargain can be had for safer SUV’s that can get up and down all different kinds of terrain.  Just keep this in mind the next time you see that gorgeous red Ferrari pull next to you on the side of the road.