In your quest to find the best car insurance for less, you might forget how the type of car you drive will affect the cost of your insurance. When you're out shopping for a new car, you should consider the cost of insurance in order to keep your car on the road. Of course, there are other factors that determine your monthly premiums, but the car itself plays a critical role.

For example, insuring a sensible Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-i costs about seventy percent less than it costs to insure the Volkswagen Phaeton W12 450 Motion LWB that you're so taken with. That's quite a difference! So if you're on a shoestring budget, start by purchasing an insurance-friendly car. The following five tips should set you on the path to success.

Research premiums

Before you head out to the car dealership, get online to compare quotes for the year, make, and model you're interested in. The results might force you to change your mind. Although there are ways to cut the costs of your premiums, such as foregoing comprehensive coverage and increasing your excess, you should never sacrifice quality coverage for a flashy new car.

Avoid high-performance vehicles

Large SUVs, luxury cars, sports models, and other fully loaded vehicles attract premium car insurance rates because they're expensive to repair or replace. The car's safety is another crucial consideration - a small sports car built for speed generally offers limited safety features and attracts more reckless drivers than a modest family sized sedan. The fact that these cars are also gas guzzlers will also increase your costs.

So if you're not prepared to pay the extra costs to keep your dream car on the road, you're better off avoiding high-end vehicles. A sensible choice won't wow your friends, but it will be easy on your pockets.

Research the average costs for repairs

Insurers charge premium rates for cars that are expensive to repair, or if the parts are hard to find. Determine the costs to repair and maintain the vehicle in your area before you purchase the car. There are many resource sites where you'll find the average cost of repairs based on the category. Or you can take a different approach and just search for cars that are cheapest to repair and choose some worthy considerations from that list. This research will cut your insurance costs, but you'll also safeguard your pocket from costly repairs for damages that are not covered with insurance.

Know the stolen vehicle statistics

You've probably guessed: cars that typically attract thieves are more expensive to insure. You can find out about stolen-car statistics through AVCIS, the Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service or similar organizations. Fortunately, your brand new car will not be a prime target for thieves so your insurer might cut you some slack in this area.

Get a less expensive model

The extra features that are included as a standard part of high-end cars might be convenient for you, but costly to repair. So your insurer will include your built-in navigation system and sunroof in their rate calculation tool and jack up your premiums. A new car will drain your pockets as it is, so you'll need to do everything possible to cut back on your car insurance. Forego the luxuries, and you'll not only save money on the sale price of the car but also reduce your insurance premium.

Final thoughts

When it comes to getting the cheapest car insurance quotes, family-friendly four doors are usually a safe bet. The modest but popular Chevrolet Spark is a sensible car that won't hurt your pockets to insure. Other cars you can consider are Ford's Fiesta and Ka, Peugeot's Partner Tepee, and Skoda's Fabia Hatchback and Estate.

However, if you're set on purchasing an imported luxury vehicle, then be prepared to pay a hefty insurance premium for all the trappings.

Either way, you should do your homework to investigate how your choice of car will affect your insurance premium. A healthy dose of reality before you buy will have an immense impact on what you pay out each month to keep your car on the road.