2013 Toyota Prius Insurance Analysis

The 2013 Toyota Prius may be good for your gas budget, but it’s not as clear with your insurance budget.

One of the 2013 Toyota Prius Models.

The introduction of the 2013 Toyota Prius’ predecessor made green citizens, as well as drivers tired of the ever rising gas prices rejoice. They rejoiced all the way to the dealership, right up until they saw the price tag for the car.

They found that this new part-electric car that sipped gas may not have been as friendly to budgets as it was to the environment. However, this higher price and the very nature of the car have made it rather friendly to insurance budgets with some insurance companies. With other companies, they seemed confused as to what to do with this new vehicle type.

Safety Ratings of the 2013 Toyota Prius

The 2013 Toyota Prius is a “Top Safety Pick” for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. The Prius could have been a “Top Safety Pick +”, but it was not tested in the small overlap front crash test which tests the how the vehicle does when the very front corner of the vehicle is hit. This test is a requirement for a vehicle to be considered as a “Top Safety Pick +”.

Other than that, on each separate test the 2013 Prius was rated with the highest rating that the IIHS gives to the vehicles it tests. It rated “good” on the front crash test, the side impact test, the rollover test, and rear crash test.

2013 Toyota Prius Recalls

Things are looking good for the 2013 Toyota Prius with no recalls in sight this year.

Insurance Thoughts on the 2013 Toyota Prius

The insurance rates on the 2013 Toyota Prius are going to vary from insurance company to insurance company.

The reason for this variation is because the companies are confused as how to rate this risk. On one hand, the vehicle is mostly associated with safe drivers that care for the environment and are financially responsible. You never see a Prius in a drag race, you don’t see young drivers falling over each other to buy one, and the price keeps most young drivers from being able to purchase them. This means that the Prius is associated with drivers that have a lower chance of getting into a car accident.

On the other hand, these vehicles have no crash data for insurance companies to use to assess how likely they are to be in a car accident. The 2013 Prius, as well as other electric cars, are also a new product to the market and cannot be repaired with standard parts or after-market parts. This makes them more expensive to repair.

And until there is some more data on these types of vehicles you can expect a larger premium difference from one company to the next than what you would see with a gas engine vehicle. So with all that being said, before you get your heart set on buying a 2013 Toyota Prius, or any other electric car for that matter get a quote from your insurance company first.