It seems like everyone is looking to downsize their vehicle for one reason or another. Soaring gas prices and rising premiums and online car insurance rates are all playing a factor in the ascending demand for smaller vehicles, but when it comes to finding affordable car insurance – does size really matter?

The truth is, owning a small car does not necessarily mean that you will get a cheap car insurance policy. In fact, switching from a larger car to a compact vehicle such as a Prius or Civic could actually cause your online car insurance rates to go up.

What’s the Deal on Car Insurance?
Why would switching to a more fuel-economical, lower-emissions vehicle cause your insurance rate to rise? The answer is simply this: Insurance companies base their premiums and online car insurance quotes based on claims experience. The truth of the matter is, statistically speaking, smaller vehicles are more likely to get into crashes. And, when they do get into accidents, the resulting damage has a tendency to be more devastating. What is the reason for this?

Well, it isn’t the smaller vehicles that are causing these accidents – it is the drivers. Statistically speaking, because smaller vehicles are generally less expensive, they tend to have younger, higher-risk drivers behind the wheel.

The fact is, when online car insurance companies see more numerous, more costly claims associated with particular vehicles, they create online car insurance rates for those automobiles correspondingly. What that means is, if you purchase a smaller vehicle but it has a statistical tendency of higher insurance losses, your online car insurance rates may go up as a result of mistakes made by other drivers who own the same vehicle model as you now do.

Find Affordable Online Car Insurance Rates No Matter Your Make Or Model
No matter what kind of car you drive, your car’s make and model is merely one of many factors that insurers take into consideration when calculating your online car insurance rates. In order to find affordable car insurance, be mindful of your driving record, claims history, credit and the location where you live, and shop with a reputable, knowledgeable company like  CarInsurance.org, and you will be sure to find affordable car insurance no matter what the size of your car.