2010 Toyota Tundra Gets Five-Star Safety Rating from NHTSA – Affects on Car Insurance Quote?

The 2010 Toyota Tundra recently received a perfect five-star rating on the NHTSA’s safety test. CarInsuranceQuote.net answers: When the NHTSA doles out its stars, does this affect a car insurance quote? Buyers should be aware of what can make a vehicle go from expensive to cheap car insurance and what to consider when purchasing a car to get affordable car insurance.

Chicago, IL (Vocus/PRWEB ) September 21, 2009 -- The 2010 Toyota Tundra recently received a five-star rating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) frontal crash testing. There were no major structural changes from the earlier models but it does include driver and passenger knee airbags, a re-calibrated seat belt and steering column energy management. Although many factors are considered while determining a car insurance quote, insurers claim the safety rating is not directly taken into account. CarInsuranceQuote.net discusses what items do tip the scale from expensive to cheap car insurance so buyers can make educated decisions when considering whether a specific make and model will give them affordable car insurance.

Insurance companies insist that safety test scores do not directly affect the cost of insuring a vehicle. However, insurers do consider safety features and historical data of individual automobiles - both of which can be estimated by looking at current safety rating tests. Poorly rated vehicles will generally not include certain safety features or will not be structurally sound. Therefore they will likely develop a history that can cause their rates to rise from cheap car insurance to expensive.

There are several other factors that are considered when insurers are calculating rates, such as accident record, gender, age, location, occupation, annual mileage and credit history. The make and model are also considered. The cars that will have the least affordable car insurance are new vehicles, expensive automobiles, specialty cars, sports cars and SUVs and trucks.

SUVs and trucks are expensive to insure because they carry a higher price tag than smaller cars and they will cost more to replace. In addition, trucks are heavier and can cause more damage to other cars if involved in an accident. They also have a higher bumper so the impact on a car will be caused to the body rather than at the bumper.

When a type of vehicle consistently receives higher scores for safety, there is a better chance it will have better accident protection with less injury and repair costs. However, the safety of the passengers in the vehicle is what is most important rather than the cost of repair or insurance. So, buyers should consider the true reason for the crash test rating when shopping for a new car.

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