Shopping for Auto Insurance

Difficult-To-Insure Vehicles

When most people buy a new car, they look for attractive features and often think about safety. In buying or leasing new cars, consumers may not consider the vehicle’s insurability, but they definitely should. Will the car be easily insurable? How much will auto insurance cost?

The following table lists vehicles which a number of insurers have indicated their unwillingness to insure voluntarily, or their willingness to insure only under certain strict conditions or for certain types of operators. This difficult-to-insure list does not apply to all insurers for every vehicle shown, but generally encompasses data provided by many of the leading writers of private passenger auto insurance in New York State.

For each vehicle shown, there are a significant number of insurers that do not wish to write the particular vehicle, due to unfavorable loss experience, high cost or limited availability of replacement parts, or high theft records.

Only vehicles manufactured over the past ten years or so are listed. An exhaustive list of all cars ever manufactured would not be practical and is beyond the scope of this Guide. As such, the cars shown in this list are intended to be “common usage” vehicles, and readers should take into account that similar models may be produced under different names by the same manufacturer. Exotic, high-priced, and limited edition vehicles, such as Rolls Royce, Excalibur, Bentley or Sterling are not included in this list, due to the fact that very few insurers will underwrite such vehicles due to the high replacement and repair costs associated with these vehicles and the fact that there are relatively few of them on the road.

In general, some companies may also refuse to sell a policy, or have restrictions on providing insurance, for vehicle types with the following general characteristics: vans carrying 12 or more passengers, camper vans, cargo vans, step vans, commercial use vehicles, customized / modified construction, those of exceptionally high value (such as - original cost new over $100,000), flatbed/platform vehicles, golf carts, those with high rollover potential, “limited production” makes and models, “low-speed” vehicles, those used in racing, kit cars, replicas, experimental vehicles, amphibious and “Gray market” vehicles (not intended for use in the U.S. and may not meet federal emissions and safety standards).

In addition, some insurers will provide liability coverage for the operators of these vehicles, but not physical damage coverage. Some insurers also indicate that they will write physical damage coverage on these vehicles, but only if the deductible purchased is over a certain amount (e.g., $1,000). Moreover, several insurers will only insure a vehicle that is within a certain age range, such as under ten years old. Insurers are prohibited however, from nonrenewing a liability policy solely on the basis of the age of the vehicle. Other insurers have no finite limitation on the age of vehicles they will consider insuring.

Check with your insurance company, agent or broker about vehicle insurability, and the cost of insurance, before buying or leasing a car. In the event you cannot find coverage for a vehicle in the voluntary market, coverage can be obtained through the Auto Plan. However, the cost will be higher and physical damage coverage through the Auto Plan is limited and is based on the actual cash value of the car up to $50,000.

DIFFICULT-TO-INSURE AUTOMOBILES

MANUFACTURER	MODEL OR CLASS
AC (auto car)	All Models
Accubuilt	All Models
Acura	Integra GS-R, Legend GS, Legend L, Legend LS, NSX, NSX-T, NSX De Tomaso, SLX, TL, CL, RSX
AIRPOD	All Models
Alfa Romeo	All Models
Allard	All Models
Alvis	All Models
AM General	Hummer, Humvee, HMCO, HMCS
Ameritech	All Models
Amphicar	All Models
Ariel	Atom 3, Atom 3S
Aro	All Models
Ascari	All Models
Aston Martin	All Models
Asuna	All Models
Auburn	All Models
Audi	5000, Some Quattro Models, R8, S, SQ5, RS & TT models, E-Tron GT
Austin Healy	All Models
Avanti	All Models
Azure Dynamics	All Models
Bentley	All Models
Berlina	All Models
Bertone	All Models
Bizzarini	All Models
Bitter	All Models
BMW	760Li (12 cyl), Alpina B7, CS Series, i8, "L" Series, "M" Series, 21, "Z" Series, 760Li (12 cyl); Series 135, 335, 435, 550, 650, 750, 840, 850,G3 GTR; Dinan models; I4; IX
Bombardier	Neighborhood
Bricklin	All Models
Bristol	All Models
Bugatti	All Models
Buick	GNX, Reatta, Regal GMX, Regal Grand National, Regal GS, Skyhawk Turbo
Cadillac	Allante, ATS-V, CTS-V; CTS-V Sport; Deville Convertible, Eldorado Models, XLR-V; XTS-V Sport; Hearse & Limousine models; CT4-V Blackwing
Callaway	All Models
Campagna	All Models
Caterham	All Models
Chaparral	All Models
Checker	All Models
Chevrolet	Berlinetta, Camaro IROC-Z, Z-28, RS, ZL1; Cavalier Z24, Caprice LS, Corvette models, El Camino, Express models, G2500 & G3500 series, Grand Sport/GT Championship Edition/Z06/ZR-1, Impala SS (396/427)( pre-1994), Hammer, K3500, Lingenfelter, Lumina Z34, “SS” Models, Silverado C3500, Sparks Turbo, Vans (extended & full size), some RV models
China Motors	All Models
Citroen	All Models
Clenet	All Models
Coda	All Models
Cord	All Models
Daewoo	All Models
Daihatsu	All Models
Daimler Chrysler	300 SRT, Conquest & Conquest TSI, Crossfire, GEM models, Laser, Maybach, TC, Limousine models, ME, Prowler
DCX	Sprinter models
DeLorean	All Models
DeTomaso	All Models
Dinan	All Models
Dodge	B350, B3500, Challenger, Charger, Colt GTS Turbo, Conquest, Durango (SRT Trim 8 Cylinder), Some Daytona Models-esp. Turbos & IROC-Z, Neon, Raider, Ram Wagon, Shelby Models, Spirit R/T, Sprinter Vans, SRT, Stealth, Viper
Dongfeng Motors	All Models
Duesenberg	All Models
Dune Buggy	All Models
Dynasty	Motorcar
Eagle	Vision TSI, Talon, Talon TSI
Edaran Otomobil	All Models
Edonis	All Models
Elegant	All Models
Elio	All models
Evans	All Models
Excalibur	All Models
Fairthorpe	All Models
Falcon	All Models
Ferrari	All Models
Fiat	Abarth, Bertone, Pininfarina, Spider Models, X1/9 Models
Fisker	All Models
Ford	Aspire, Bronco II, EXP Lightning, Club Wagon - E350, Cobra models Econoline Wagon – E350, Focus RS, Focus ZX2, F350, limousine models, some Mustang Models, Pantera, Ponoz Roadster, some Probe models-esp. GT, RV models, Saleen & Shelby Models, Sierra Models, GT 40, GT420, GT Supercar, Taurus SHO, Think models, Thunderbird Sport Models, Transit, SC, Torino GT (390), SVT/ Lightning
Freightliner	Sprinter Van
GEM	All Models
Gemballa	All Models
Geo (Chevrolet)	Metro XF1, Prizm GS1, Storm, Storm GS1, Tracker
Ginetta	All Models
GMC	Syclone, EV-1, Hummer, P-30, Rally Wagon, RV models, Savana 2500 & 3500 series, Typhoon
Glassic	All Models
Gremballa	All Models
Gumpert/Apollo	All Models
Hennessey	All Models
Honda	Civic Del Sol SI & VT, CRX & CRX Si, EV Plus, FCX, Prelude SI & VT, VTEC, S2000
Hummer	H1
Hyundai	Some Genesis models, Scoupe, Tiburon GT, Veloster
Infiniti	FX45, G35, G37, IPL-G, M45, Q50, QX60, QX70
Isuzu	Amigo, Impulse Models, Trooper (95 & 96)
Jaguar	Some models-esp. X/XJ-S/XJ-SC Models, XJ220, XJ Supercharged, XJ Super Sport, XFR, XKR
Jeep (AMC Chrysler)	Kaiser, Postal Units, Scrambler, Willie, Wrangler, CJ Series, DJ-5, Grand Cherokee SRT 8 (425 HP Hemi), Trackhawk
Jensen	All Models
Jinan Flybo	Spark-EV, XFD-60000ZK
KandiDirect	Kandi Coco
Karmin Ghia	All Models
Kelmark	All Models
KIA	K900
Kit Cars	All Models
Koenigsegg	All Models
Krystal Koach	All Models
Kurrent	All Models
La Forza	All Models
Lafer	All Models
Lamborghini	All Models
Landrover	Range Rover County, Defender models
Lancia	All Models
LeBlanc	All Models
Lexus	IS-F, LS 500, SC300, SC400, SC430, LFA
Lincoln	Mark VII B, Mark VII LSC, Mark VIII
Lotus	All Models
Lucid	All Models
Maserati	All Models
Maybach	All Models
Mazda	Mazdaspeed models, Miata, Some MX Models, Some RX Models
McLaren	All Models
Mercedes-Benz	550, 560, 600, some AMG models, SLS, CL models, LFA, S65, SL, SL63 Black, SL65, SLR, S600Roadsters, Sprinter, EQC, EQS
Mercury	Some Capri Models, Cougar XR-7
Merkur	Scorpio
MG	All Models
MGB	All Models
Mitsubishi	3000 Models, Eclipse Models, Evolution, Lancer EVO, Montero, Starion Ralliart, EVO-RS
Monteverdi	All Models
Morgan	All Models
Mosler	All Models
Mullen	M-11
NEVCo	Gizmo
Nissan	200SX/240SX/300ZX, Roadster Models, GTR, Pulsar, NV models, NX2000, Sentra SE-R, Skyline, Stillen models, Z Models, ZX Models, Juke Nismo
Noble	All Models
Oka NEV ZEV	All Models
Oldsmobile	Achieva w/HO Quad 4 Engine, 442(400), Cutlass Calais Quad 4
Pagani	All Models
Panoz	All Models
Pantera	All Models
Panther	All Models
Peugeot	All models
Pini	All Models
Pininfarina	All Models
Plymouth	Conquest, Laser, Prowler
Polestar	All Models
Pontiac	350, Fiero / Firebird / Formula / Solstice models, Trans-Am, Grand Am GT, LE, SE, High Output Models, Grand Prix GT/G TP, SE, GTO, Lingenfelter models, Sunbird GT, Sunbird SE
Porsche	All models
Proton	All Models
Puma	All Models
Qvale	All Models
Ram	1500 TRX
Renault	Alliance, Alpine, GTA, Fuego, Twizy
Rivian	All Models
Rolls Royce	All Models
Rossion	All Models
Roush	All Models
Ruf	All Models
SAAB	Turbos
Saleen	All Models
Saturn	Postal Unit, Sky Redline (Turbo)
Scarab	All Models
Scimitar	All Models
Shelby	All Models
Skoda	All Models
SLK	350
Smart	"Grey market" models
Spyker	All Models
Sparks Turbo	All Models
Sprinter Van	All Models
Stallion	All Models
SSC	All Models
SSI	All Models
Studebaker	All Models
Sterling	All Models
Stutz	All Models
Subaru	Brat, Impreza STI, Legacy GT, Postal models, some XT Models, SVX, WRT-STi, WRX Turbo, WRX-STI
Sunbeam	All models
Suzuki	Samurai, Sidekick
Tata	Nano
Terrafugia	All Models
Tesla	All models
Think	City
Toyota	All Trac, Celica GT, Celica Supra, HKS enhanced Supra Turbos, Landcruiser (2-Dr Hardtop), MR2, Scion IQ Electric
Triumph	All Models
TVR	All Models
Ultima	Can-Am 640 & GTR 640
Ultimate Aero TT	All Models
UNIMOG	All Models
Vector	All Models
Volkswagen	Cabrio, Corrado, Passat W8, Phaeton, Golf R,GTI, Scirocco 16v, R32, Touareq V8/V10, Thing
Volvo	850 R, 850 Turbo, C70, S80 T6
VPG	MV-1
Yugo	All models
Wheego	Whip LiFe
Wiesmann	All Models
Wild Fire	WF650, WF250
Winnebago	All Models
ZENN	All Models
Zenvo	All Models
ZEV Smiley	All Models
Zimmer	All Models

Shopping for Auto Insurance

Difficult-To-Insure Vehicles

DIFFICULT-TO-INSURE AUTOMOBILES

Consumer Questions and Complaints

Translation Services