Insuring a Saab

Although they're not quite as popular in the United States as they were during the 1980s, Saab vehicles continue to earn accolades from those who drive them. The Swedish brand is best known for producing sleek, eye-catching vehicles that have surprisingly reasonable price tags. To look at one, you would assume that the typical Saab cost at least $30,000. In most cases, though, that's not the case at all. Consistently high materials quality and exceptional performance make these vehicles definite standouts. One area in which they don't excel very well is insurance pricing. That isn't to say that Saabs are exorbitantly expensive to insure. However, with an average annual insurance cost of $1,539.26, Saab cars are still slightly on the pricier end of the scale. In fact, they rank 20th on a list of 36 brands. Learn more about how Saab insurance rates are calculated below.

Brief History of Saab

Saab is a Swedish company that first started producing vehicles in 1949. In the scheme of things, then, Saab isn't the oldest car manufacturer in the world. When it was originally founded, it had the name Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebulager, which means Swedish Aircraft Company. In the beginning, the company manufactured airplanes. Its automobiles proved to be its specialty, however. One notable thing is that the Saab 900 was the first vehicle to have a cabin air filter. In the U.S., the heyday for the Saab was in the 1980s, when the brand was wildly popular with yuppies. In 1990, GM bought half an interest in Saab; in 2000, it bought the other half. Since then, Saab vehicles have somewhat declined in popularity.

Theft isn't an Issue

A quick glance at the top ten lists that are managed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau reveal that Saab vehicles aren't popular with car thieves. In fact, there isn't a single Saab on the nationwide top ten list. No Saabs appear on the individual lists that are published for each state either. This fact definitely helps when it comes to insurance costs. Cars that are more likely to be stolen are riskier to insure, so they are slapped with higher premiums.

Reasonable Pricing Helps

Saab vehicles aren't dirt cheap, but they aren't wildly expensive either. This is a positive thing because more expensive cars are also more expensive to insure. The starting MSRP of the Saab 9-3 sedan, for example, is just under $29,000. It is loaded with features, so that's actually a very reasonable price. The 9-3 Griffin sedan starts at the same price. The 9-4X SUV has a starting price of just over $33,000. Compared with many upscale SUVs, that is actually a very affordable price.

Solid Safety Ratings Keep Insurance Prices Manageable

If Saab vehicles weren't as safe to drive as they are, they would undoubtedly be a lot more expensive to insure. Insurance companies take crash test ratings into consideration when calculating premiums. Cars that are more likely to incur damage have higher premiums. In government crash tests, the Saab 9-3 earned four out of five stars, which is quite good. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, gave the Saab 9-4X SUV a top score of "Good" in nearly every category.