Are Coupes More Expensive To Insure?

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Car insurance for coupes is often more expensive than car insurance for sedans because coupes are typically more valuable, may be bigger targets for car theft and can be more dangerous on the road if they have powerful engines enabling them to reach exceptionally high top speeds.

Read on to learn more about why coupes are more expensive to insure than some other compact cars and how you can get the coverage you need at the lowest price possible.

Key Takeaways

  • Coupe car insurance prices typically range from around $1,800 to $2,500, making them about 20% to 25% more expensive to insure than sedans.
  • Some of the factors that contribute to the cost of auto insurance for coupes include their high retail prices and theft rates along with the ability of sports coupes to cause massive damage or injury in a wreck due to their high horsepower.
  • Conducting auto insurance rate comparisons with quotes from multiple insurance companies is the best way to find a car insurance policy that adequately covers your coupe at the lowest rate possible.

Why Do Coupes Cost More To Insure Than Other Vehicle Types?

While you likely won’t have to pay as much money to insure a coupe as you would to insure a convertible, coupes still tend to require fairly high car insurance premiums. Depending on your coupe’s make and model, vehicle insurance prices may be high due to reasons such as those outlined in the following sections.

High Initial Purchase Price

You may have to spend more money up front to buy a coupe than to buy a same-model sedan. For example, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for a Compact C-Class Coupe is $2,600 higher than that of a Compact C-Class Sedan.[1][2] Since your insurance company will be responsible for paying you the actual cash value (ACV) of your vehicle if it is totaled in a car accident, you will likely have to pay more for collision coverage if you have a coupe to account for the vehicle’s higher value.

Exposure to Theft

Certain types of coupes are stolen more frequently than other vehicles. In particular, a 2023 study found that Dodge Challenger coupes were stolen at a higher rate than any other vehicle with a model year between 2020 and 2022.[3] You will likely encounter high comprehensive insurance premiums for coupes with high theft rates since your insurance carrier will also pay out the ACV of your car if it is stolen and the police are unable to recover it.

Potential for High Speeds

If your coupe qualifies as a sports car, then it is likely designed to accelerate quickly and reach higher top speeds than a traditional commuter vehicle. The faster a car is moving, the greater the potential is for it to cause severe property damage or bodily injury in the event of an accident. As a result, your insurer may charge you more for property damage and bodily injury liability coverage if you have a sports car because it may be capable of causing more substantial damage in a collision than many other vehicles.

sports car common aspects

How Much Does It Cost To Insure a Coupe?

Coupes typically cost between $1,873 and $2,475 per year to insure, according to Kevin Huffman, a personal finance expert and the owner of Kriminil Trading. As a result, coupe owners can generally expect to pay a higher car insurance rate than the national average premium for full coverage car insurance, which is $1,708 per year.[4]

Which Is Cheaper To Insure: Sedans or Coupes?

Sedan insurance is usually around 20% to 25% cheaper than car insurance for coupes, according to Huffman. Drivers of sedans often spend $1,470 to $2,014 on their annual auto insurance premiums.

“While safety features are becoming standard in carmakers’ entire lines, many sedans come with higher-end safety technology (e.g. automatic emergency braking or lane departure warnings) as standard equipment,” Huffman said in a message to SmartFinancial. “This improved safety profile translates into fewer accidents and injuries, and can induce insurers to lower the premiums charged for sedans relative to coupes.”

Which Coupes Are the Most Expensive To Insure?

See the below table for examples of popular and highly-rated luxury coupes with average full coverage rates above $2,475 per year, meaning they require some of the highest auto insurance premiums among coupes.

Make and Model

Average Annual Rate for Full Coverage

Chevrolet Corvette

$2,633[5]

Ford Mustang

$2,894[6]

Dodge Challenger

$2,997[6]

Lexus RC

$3,588[7]

Nissan GT-R

$3,945[8]

Which Companies Offer Cheap Car Insurance for Coupes?

The following table goes over car insurance providers that sell full coverage car insurance at a lower-than-average annual rate for popular coupe models.[6]

Insurance Company

Dodge Challenger

Ford Mustang

Honda Civic

Erie

$1,881

$1,592

$1,566

GEICO

$2,278

$2,275

$1,696

Nationwide

$2,390

$2,230

$1,779

State Farm

$2,314

$2,078

$2,167

USAA*

$1,650

$1,837

$1,157

*USAA only sells coverage to current or former military personnel and their families

How To Get the Best Car Insurance Rates for Coupes

You should shop around and compare quotes from at least three to five car insurance companies to find the best rate for insuring your coupe since insurance companies’ rating systems differ and some insurers may offer you the same coverage at a lower rate. You’ll have to provide each insurer with information like your coupe’s model year and make along with personal information like your age and location, which can make for a tedious and repetitive process if you reach out to insurance carriers one at a time.

Fortunately, you can speed up the process by obtaining car insurance comparison rates through an insurance marketplace like SmartFinancial. After you answer a few questions, we can connect you with a licensed insurance agent who can help you find the best policy for your circumstances. To compare auto insurance quotes at no cost, click here now.

Get a Free Car Insurance Quote for Your Coupe Today!

FAQs

What’s the difference between a sedan and a coupe?

Generally, sedans have four doors and coupes have two, although a more technical distinction is that sedans have at least 33 cubic feet of rear seat space, while coupes have less than 33 cubic feet.[9]

Why are coupe cars expensive?

Sedans are more popular than coupes, so automakers may produce fewer coupes due to the lower demand for them and subsequently charge more for them due to the lower supply.[10]

Are two-door cars considered coupes?

Two-door cars are generally considered coupes but technically a two-door car can qualify as a sedan if it provides more than 33 cubic feet of rear seat space.[9]

Sources

  1. Mercedes-Benz USA. “The Compact C-Class Coupe.” Accessed June 12, 2024.
  2. Mercedes-Benz USA. “The Compact C-Class Sedan.” Accessed June 12, 2024.
  3. Highway Loss Data Institute. “HLDI Insurance Report : Whole Vehicle Theft Losses, 2020–22 Passenger Cars, Pickups, SUVs, and Vans,” Page 2. Accessed June 12, 2024.
  4. NerdWallet. “Average Cost of Car Insurance.” Accessed June 12, 2024.
  5. Bankrate. “Car Insurance for a Corvette.” Accessed June 14, 2024.
  6. Bankrate. “Best Car Insurance for Coupes.” Accessed June 14, 2024.
  7. Bankrate. “Car Insurance for Lexus.” Accessed June 14, 2024.
  8. Bankrate. “Most Expensive Cars To Insure.” Accessed June 14, 2024.
  9. Edmunds. “Sedan vs. Coupe: Know the Difference.” Accessed June 12, 2024.
  10. Texas Carz. “Sedan vs. Coupe.” Accessed June 12, 2024.

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