10 Cheapest SUVs to Insure

2016 Toyota Sequoia hills ・ Photo by Toyota

Our roundup of the cheapest SUVs to insure includes a wide selection of body-on-frame sport-utility vehicles. Each of these SUVs is more capable as a truck than a comparable crossover, while also minimizing a big chunk of the annual ownership cost. 

Shoppers: One of the easiest ways to lower insurance premiums is to avoid the most expensive trim levels, so the vehicles here are all in their standard configurations. Also, we started with the 2016 Jeep Wrangler that has the lowest average insurance rates of any SUV in the country, according to Insure.com. We next developed our own rankings based on how much extra, according to the site, drivers had to pay to insure other SUVs.

2016 Jeep Wrangler

The 2016 Jeep Wrangler isn’t just one of the cheapest SUVs to insure, it’s one of the least expensive vehicles of any kind with regard to annual insurance premiums. More specifically, the Wrangler Sport was ranked No. 5 in the industry by Insure.com for 2016—right between the Jeep Patriot and the Jeep Compass. This rating is for the entry-level Wrangler, which has an attractive MSRP of $23,895 but no power amenities such as air conditioning. On the other hand, offroad-capable 4-wheel-drive is standard, as is the unmistakable Sunrider soft top that delivers an incredible open-air ownership experience. It’s further worth considering that Jeep has a new special edition Black Bear package for the Sport model.

Photo by Ford

2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

The extra two doors supplied by the 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited make it about 2 percent more expensive to insure than the Wrangler itself, but the 4-door version is still significantly easier on the wallet than other of the cheapest SUVs to insure. The Wrangler Unlimited also is about 20 inches longer than its little sibling, so it’s a strong match for similarly sized crossovers when it comes to interior space. Indeed, thanks to 40.4 inches of second-row headroom, the Wrangler Unlimited has more vertical passenger room than more mainstream (but less capable) choices like the Toyota RAV4—and the Jeep’s average Insure.com premiums are lower, too. (Note: As with the Wrangler Sport, the Unlimited also can be configured with the new Black Bear package.)

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2016 Chevrolet Tahoe

There’s a relatively small step to our next cheapest SUV to insure, the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The entry-level 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe costs about 10 percent more to insure than the Wrangler—and its roughly 10 percent longer as well—yet its $48,195 MSRP is more than double that of the Jeep. Which goes to show that “entry level” means different things in different vehicles. After all, in the most-affordable-to-insure Tahoe, standard features include a premium infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen, mobile Wi-Fi, 4G LTE connectivity, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. And remember, the Tahoe is a true full-size SUV, with seating for up to nine and 94.7 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

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2016 Chevrolet Suburban

Meanwhile, for shoppers who prefer to supersize their sport utilities—even as they prefer the cheapest SUVs to insure—the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban has lower protection costs than a number of rivals with shorter wheelbases. That measure is the difference maker between the Tahoe and the Suburban, enabling the latter choice to expand its total cargo volume to a whopping 121.1 cubic feet; the $50,895 Suburban has 39.3 cubic feet behind the third row alone. To put that into context, that's more than you'll find in crossovers such as the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4. The Suburban has all the content and amenities found in the Tahoe, and its insurance premiums are 12 percent higher than for the Jeep.

Photo by General Motors

2016 Toyota 4Runner

Toyota makes two of the cheapest SUVs to insure. In the midsize sport-utility segment, the 2016 Toyota 4Runner SR5 has insurance premiums that are roughly 13 percent higher than the Wrangler’s and slightly more than for the Bowtie brand's larger SUVs. The 4Runner does introduce some high-value technology of its own, though: The standard infotainment system has been updated with the Scout GPS Link, allowing owners to leverage their own compatible smartphones to supply navigation services right on the 4Runner’s display screen. Moreover, that same screen also pulls double duty as a display for the vehicle’s standard rearview camera. The 4Runner even has room for an available third row.

Photo by Toyota

2016 GMC Yukon

The 2016 GMC Yukon is a corporate cousin to the Chevy Tahoe, and while it can be hard to quantify the Professional Grade difference between the two, it’s relatively easy to see that they are among the least expensive SUVs to insure. Yukon customers have to pay approximately 15 percent more to cover the GMC full-sizer than the 2-door Jeep. That said, the Yukon is loaded with standard content, building on the Tahoe's cutting-edge technologies with sophisticated cues like a standard Bose audio system and French-seam stitching in the cabin. Also worth getting pumped about: thhe 2016 GMC Yukon has a new capless fuel-filler system for a cleaner, less fussy experience at the gas station.

Photo by General Motors

2016 GMC Yukon XL

As you might guess, the 2016 GMC Yukon XL, being a bit bigger and more expensive than the standard Yukon, also is a bit more expensive to insure. Average premiums for the extra-large model are 16 percent above our Wrangler baseline, by Insure.com’s calculator. As for the increase in size, the 20 added inches of XL length works out to a jump of 26.6 cubic feet in cargo capacity, so that the bigger Yukon boasts 121.3 cubic feet of total storage. Both Yukons feature standard mobile Wi-Fi hotspot with 4G LTE connectivity, an 8-inch touchscreen and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay smartphone-integration technology.

Photo by GMC

2016 Ford Expedition

The Blue Oval’s cheapest SUVs to insure begin with the 2016 Ford Expedition. Insurance costs for the Expedition are about 19 percent more than for the Wrangler, yet you shouldn’t forget that the Ford is a full-size, three-row entry that combines old-school SUV capabilities—like a 9200-lb. tow rating and room for 108.3 cubic feet of cargo—with a cutting-edge 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. By leveraging both twin turbochargers and direct injection, that engine produces 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque; that's 10 more horsepower and 37 more lb.-ft. of torque than in the Tahoe’s V8, yet this Expedition smanages the same EPA combined fuel-economy rating. The entry-level Expedition also is $775 less than the corresponding Tahoe when comparing MSRPs.

Photo by Ford

2016 Toyota Sequoia

The 2016 Toyota Sequoia is not much more to insure than the Ford Expedition. It's average insurance costs are approximately 1 percent than for the Ford, or about 20 percernt higher than for the entry level Jeep Wrangler. Yet there’s also another swing to the pendulum: The Sequoia sticker price, at $45,325, is less than those of comparable SUVs from Ford and Chevrolet. With the Sequoia, you get 120.1 cubic feet of cargo space and a maximum towing capacity of 7100 lb.

Photo by Toyota

2016 Ford Expedition EL

Well, there’s no getting around it: Despite being one of the cheapest new SUVs to cover, the 2016 Ford Expedition EL is 25 more expensive to insure than our Insurance.com benchmark. But guess what? The Expedition EL, with the most cargo capacity in the segment—130.8 cubic feet—can hold 110 percent more gear than the Wrangler, plus, you need to remove the Jeep’s rear seats entirely for maximum room. In the standard Expedition, all seats folds flat with ease. Finally, like the Expedition, the EL packs a standard 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.

Photo by Ford