Most Expensive Cars to Drive: Subaru Impreza WRX

You may think of the Subaru Impreza WRX as an affordable, high-performance vehicle that offers a lot of bang for your buck. To insurers, though, “performance” is a four-letter word. The power and speed of the WRX that make it so attractive to buyers are exactly what make it so unattractive to insurers. As a result, the Subaru Impreza WRX ranked #4 on the Highway Loss Data Institute’s list of the top ten most expensive vehicles to insure. So, if you’re considering purchasing a WRX, you should first evaluate the true cost of ownership by factoring in its high insurance costs. In this post, we’ll talk more about what makes a car expensive to insure and explain how this relates to the WRX.

Facts about the WRX

Although Subaru is trying to distance the car from this image, the WRX has historically been regarded as a “boy racer.” In other words, the Impreza WRX has the strongest appeal with the young male demographic. This demographic tends to favor sporty, high-performance vehicles that are relatively inexpensive. The Subaru fits the bill perfectly. The attributes of the Subaru Impreza WRX that are most important to insurance costs include:

• Starts at $24,350
• 2.5 L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• 248 horsepower
• Marketed as high-performance sedan
• Does 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds
• Appeals to younger drivers

Why Premiums Are So High

Even if you’ve never had an accident and live in an area with low theft and collision rates, your insurance rates will still be sky high if you drive a WRX. Your driving history, location, and demographics are only part of what determines your premiums. The type of vehicle you drive will in particular influence how high your comprehensive and collision premiums are. If you’re wondering why premiums are so high for the WRX, here’s the answer:

• Higher collision rates. The fact that the WRX ranked on the Highway Loss Data Institute’s list means two things. First, the WRX tends to be involved in more accidents than other cars. In addition, when the WRX is involved in crashes, it has higher collision losses associated with it than other vehicles. Put simply, the WRX is in more wrecks on average, and these wrecks tend to be more serious and more expensive than those of other cars. All of this spells risk to insurers, and this is reflected in higher premiums.
• Risky drivers. Even though it might not be fair, you will be held financially accountable for the mistakes other drivers of the WRX make. In other words, if drivers of the Subaru WRX are more likely to speed and crash, then your premiums will be higher regardless of how clean your driving record is.

Additional Resources

• About the Subaru WRX
• Subara Impreza WRX: True Cost of Ownership