Is it cheaper to insure a Honda Civic or Mazda 3?

The Honda Civic sells for a total cash price of $18,347 and the Mazda 3 sells for an average sticker price of $18,381. While the window price is something that must be considered as you are trying to make the decision to purchase either a Civic or a Mazda 3, you will need to look beyond just the initial cost of the car to find a vehicle that you can afford now and years down the line.

One of the smartest ways that you can go about comparing the Civic and Mazda 3 is to consider the Trust Cost to Own (TCO) published by industry data collected by Edmunds. The cost to own adds up the initial purchase price and other recurring expenses that you are taking on when buying a car. These recurring costs include: depreciation, taxes, titling, financing charges, fuel expenses, maintenance costs, repairs, and the cost to insure the car.

True Cost to Own: Mazda 3 vs. Honda Civic

The True Cost to Own a vehicle is a single figure that is calculated after adding up the most common expenses car owners must cover when they own a car for 5 years. Based on the totals, it costs a total of $34,007 to own a Honda Civic Coupe. This is $446 more than the TCO of the Mazda 3 which is $33,561.

It is easy to assume that the difference in ownership costs is primarily because one costs more than the other to purchase, but in this case that is not true. While the sticker prices are similar, the Mazda 3 does tend to cost more to buy. It is the recurring costs, like the cost for insurance, that adds up and eventually makes the Honda Civic the more expensive car to insure.

Comparing the Costs to Insure Each Vehicle

Insurance premiums are personalized based on your driving habits and your driving history. While your personal information can change the cost to insurance a car, there is a base rate that can help you determine which rate is going to be higher.

The Mazda 3 is cheaper to insure by a figure of about $1,500. According to the data, the average premium for a Mazda 3 for the first year of ownership is $1,635. At the end of 5 years, you can expect to pay around $8,767 for Mazda coverage. To buy the same coverage limits on a Honda Civic, you will pay around $1,913 for the first year and $10,258 for 5 years. This data pinpoints where a large portion of the difference in costs lies.

Why Are Insurance Costs Higher for the Honda Civic?

When a vehicle is in the same class and the same price point as another vehicle, it can perplex you to learn that the insurance costs are so dramatically different. One of the main reasons that vehicles carry higher premiums is because of how they perform in safety tests. A poor performance makes a car more risky to insurers.

According to the NHTSA, which is a government agency in charge of assigning crash ratings, the Mazda 3 has earned an overall 5-star rating and has a 10.5% risk of rollover. The Civic, on the other hand, earned a 4-star rating and has a 11.8% risk of rollover.

Since the Mazda 3 is the safer vehicle, the premiums to buy Bodily Injury, Uninsured Motorist, and Medical Payments will be lower. Although these premiums are higher, premiums to cover the Civic for physical damage will be lower because the cost to repair the Honda are statistically lower. In the end, the Mazda 3 costs less to insure and the Honda Civic costs less to maintain.