Which Have Better Auto Insurance Rates American Cars or Foreign Cars?

November 22, 2019

Many vehicle related factors affect your car insurance rate.

The short answer is the auto insurance premium you pay is impacted by the specific Make/Model/Submodel of the car insured. However, the fact that the vehicle is “foreign” vs. “American” has little impact on your New York State car insurance premiums.

With today’s sophisticated car insurance rating systems, it is a little known fact that the make and model of a car will impact rates for multiple coverage parts in addition to those that pay for physical damage to the vehicle ( Comprehensive and Collision ).

A car’s specific safety statistics can also impact the price paid for:

Personal Injury Protection and
Medical Payments

To a greater degree, the cost for Comprehensive and Collision coverages will be affected by a vehicle’s:

The cost to purchase (replace) the same vehicles
The price and availability of parts for the car
The cost of labor to fix that Make/Model of vehicle
Ease and target for theft
Damageability (my term) - IE: how easily a car is damaged

There are plenty of American made vehicles that come with a very high cost of replacement, parts, and repair. Here are a few:

Ford GT
Saleen S7
Dodge Viper ACR

You’d be correct to point out that those are all exotic American cars. The point is, that the country of manufacture is not a significant determinant of the cost for car insurance.

There are numerous foreign make and model of cars that have wide distribution with availability of parts, reasonable labor costs to fix, and survive crashes well. The flip side is that there are American cars that don’t score well on any of those standards and carry a higher insurance cost because of it.

Would you like to discuss pricing for your specific make and model of car? We here for you. Please feel welcome to call us at 607-324-7500, or request a quote online at https://www.ryanagency.com/request-a-quote

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Auto Rates and Finger Prints: Both are Unique to You!

By Jeff Ryan • April 7, 2026

Factors You Can’t Easily Control These factors are built into your profile, but still play a major role: Your location: Claim trends, traffic, and weather patterns where you principally drive. Your age and driving experience: Especially for younger drivers. Other drivers in your household: Their age and driving history. The vehicle you own: Unique to the Year, Make, Model, and Sub-model’s damageability and cost of parts/labor. These factors significantly influence price differences, but they don’t tell the whole story. Factors You Can Control This is where habits and wise decisions can make a real difference: Your driving habits: Minimizing tickets and accidents can have a direct impact. Your coverage choices: Liability limits, deductibles, and optional coverages can vary widely. Your insurance consistency: Avoiding lapses in coverage. Your annual mileage: How much and how often you drive. Discount opportunities: Bundling, pay-in-full, NYS defensive driving course. Your Insurance Score (Yes—You Can Influence It) Insurance companies use a credit-based insurance score as part of their rating process. While it’s based on financial behaviors, it is not permanent—and it can be improved over time. Simple habits like: Paying bills on time Reducing outstanding debt Avoiding excessive credit inquiries… can positively impact your score—and in turn, your insurance rates. Your insurance score is under your control and a worthy mid to long-term project in and of itself. For more information on what you can do to positively influence your score, see: Great 8 Tip #8 - What's Credit Got to Do with Insurance? How Can I Improve My Auto Insurance Score Why Comparing Rates Doesn’t Work When someone says, “I only pay…” , the uniqueness of their fingerprint is missing. What are their: Deductibles Driving history Insurance score Household profile Coverage limits: what they may be giving up in terms of protection. Price without context can be misleading and discouraging.