Insuring a Mercury

For more than 70 years, Mercury cars managed to remain quite popular and enjoyed fairly strong sales figures. Despite the illustrious history and track record of the brand, though, Ford discontinued it just a short time ago. Mercury vehicles were designed to fall somewhere between Ford and Lincoln vehicles in terms of style and quality. They weren't saddled with exceptionally high price tags, and they typically had admirable safety ratings. As a result, they were extremely affordable to insure. If you buy a used Mercury, you can expect to enjoy very low monthly premiums. The average annual cost to insure a Mercury is $1,296.36, and the brand ranks third on a list of 36 other vehicle brands. Although new Mercurys are no longer available, they are very affordable options. Learn more about the things that affect the cost to insure the typical Mercury car by checking out the information below.

How Mercury Became a Brand

Edsel Ford was the driving force behind the creation of the Mercury brand. He started working on the new brand in the 1930s because he felt that Ford needed a division that offered more stylish, well-appointed vehicles. The first Mercury car rolled off of the assembly line in 1939. It was called the Mercury Eight, and it immediately made waves due to its very powerful engine. Mercury went on to enjoy a lot of popularity through the years. The brand expanded its lineup during the 1980s and enjoyed its peak popularity during the 1990s. However, things started to slide from that point. The brand was discontinued by Ford in 2010, but there are still plenty of used models in great shape out there.

So-So Theft Rates Don't Pose a Major Problem

The National Insurance Crime Bureau maintains lists of the most-stolen vehicles in the United States. Three Mercury models appear on its top-100 list, but they are near the bottom half. The Mercury Sable is ranked 68th, the Mercury Grand Marquis is ranked 75th and the Mercury Cougar is ranked 80th. It is clear that some thieves target these cars, but they don't do so regularly enough to dramatically affect insurance prices. That's a relief to people who want to own these well-designed vehicles because it helps to keep costs down.

Reasonable Price Tags Prevent High Insurance Costs

Mercury vehicles aren't meant to be economy cars, but they aren't exceedingly expensive either. The Mercury Mariner, for instance, has a starting MSRP of around $24,000. Considering how many features it has, it isn't a very expensive car at all. The Mercury Milan, which is also very well-appointed, has a price starting at around $22,000. The Grand Marquis, which is loaded with exceptional features, has an MSRP starting at around $30,000.

Good Safety Ratings Help Too

Finally, Mercury cars generally received solid safety ratings from the U.S. government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. For example, the IIHS awarded the Grand Marquis the top rating of "Good" in all categories except side impact safety, in which it received a rating of "Marginal." The Mercury Milan, however, received across-the-board "Good" ratings. The Mercury Mariner earned all "Good" ratings. In the roof strength category, however, it only earned a rating of "Marginal." Despite these small flaws, these cars are considered to be quite safe, so they have very low insurance costs.