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 the automaker's vehicles are exorbitantly expensive to insure. However, with an average annual insurance cost of $1,539.26, the 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 the rates are calculated below.

Model Statistics

9-3

What type of Coverage do 9-3 Owners Choose?

N/A

Average Annual Cost to Insure

9-5

What type of Coverage do 9-5 Owners Choose?

N/A

Average Annual Cost to Insure

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Brief History of Saab

The Swedish company first started producing vehicles in 1949. In the scheme of things, then, this company 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 manufacturer was in the 1980s, when the brand was wildly popular with yuppies. In 1990, GM bought half an interest in the company; in 2000, it bought the other half. Since then, the 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 one of the auto manufacturer's cars on the nationwide top ten list. They do not appear on the individual lists that are published for each state either. This fact definitely helps when it comes to protection costs. Cars that are more likely to be stolen are riskier to insure, so they are slapped with higher premiums.

Reasonable Pricing Helps

The 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 Coverage Prices Manageable

If the automaker's vehicles weren't as safe to drive as they are, they would undoubtedly be a lot more expensive to insure. Insurers 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.