If you dread driving in winter, imagine living in Barrow, Alaska, where temperatures dip below freezing 316 days a year on average. But even in the coldest places, residents still have to get around. Unless you have a dogsled, you’re going to want a rugged vehicle and good car insurance.
We rounded up six all-wheel-drive SUVs that get top ratings for their ability to smash through snowbanks and scale icy inclines, then looked at car insurance rates for the vehicles in five of the country’s coldest, snowiest places. Although all of the vehicles are hardy and the places cold, we found that insurance rates varied quite a bit among vehicles and towns.
[Compare car insurance quotes through NerdWallet’s Car Insurance Comparison Tool.]
Coverage you need for winter driving
Icy, snowy weather can boost the risk of crashes. Here’s the auto insurance you’ll need to be covered for any situation winter might bring:
- Liability: In case you crash into someone else.
- Collision: For damage to your own car, in case you hit a car, a pole or any other object.
- Comprehensive: For damage to your car due to weather, such as hail, and crashes with animals. (It also covers car theft.)
We included all these coverage types for our cold locations. The two Alaska locations we analyzed tied for cheapest car insurance rates in our study, at $1,498. That’s less than one-third the priciest location, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, where rates averaged $5,120.
Among the vehicles, the Honda CR-V was cheapest to insure, while the pricey Mercedes GL63 was most expensive. Average rates went up in order of vehicle price, with one exception — the Toyota Sequoia was cheaper to insure than the Porsche Macan, despite being slightly more expensive to buy.
Car insurance rates for SUVs in cold places
| Honda CR-V | Jeep Grand Cherokee | Chevrolet Tahoe | Toyota Sequoia | Porsche Macan | Mercedes GL63 | Average by location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow, Alaska | $1,117 | $1,402 | $1,272 | $1,449 | $1,621 | $2,129 | $1,498 |
| McGrath, Alaska | $1,117 | $1,402 | $1,272 | $1,449 | $1,621 | $2,129 | $1,498 |
| Alamosa, Colorado | $1,839 | $1,947 | $2,114 | $2,382 | $3,191 | $4,083 | $2,593 |
| International Falls, Minnesota | $2,154 | $2,319 | $2,354 | $2,751 | $4,018 | $5,706 | $3,217 |
| Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan | $4,048 | $4,152 | $4,403 | $4,834 | $5,877 | $7,403 | $5,120 |
| Average by vehicle | $2,055 | $2,245 | $2,283 | $2,573 | $3,266 | $4,290 | |
| Vehicle MSRP | $26,795 | $31,995 | $49,300 | $53,355 | $52,600 | $119,450 |
Methodology: All of the rates are for 30-year-old male and female single people driving 10,000 miles a year, with liability injury limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 in property damage, plus comprehensive and collision with a $500 deductible, and uninsured motorist protection. Your rates will be different. Source: NerdWallet research.
America’s toughest winters
Not surprisingly, many of the coldest, snowiest places in the United States are in Alaska. But tough winters abound across the Lower 48 as well. Here are some places that consistently set records for snow and low temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Barrow, Alaska
There’s a little tip of Alaska that sticks up farther than the rest of the state’s northern coastline. That’s where Barrow is. The city’s average daily low (6.3 degrees) and its average overall temperature (11.7 degrees) are lowest in the U.S., and Barrow drops below freezing 316 days per year, more frequently than anywhere else in the country.
- Average SUV car insurance quote: $1,498
McGrath, Alaska
Although Barrow is coldest most of the time, McGrath holds the record for the lowest low ever recorded in the U.S.: 75 degrees below zero. McGrath is in the southern half of Alaska, far from the coast.
- Average SUV car insurance quote: $1,498
Alamosa, Colorado
Outside of Alaska, Alamosa, Colorado (“Gateway to the Great Sand Dunes”), gets the coldest each day, with an average low of 23.9 degrees. Why so cold? It’s at 7,546 feet.
- Average SUV car insurance quote: $2,593
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls, Minnesota, across the river from Ontario, Canada, has the coldest-ever temperature recorded in the lower 48: 55 degrees below zero. The city calls itself the “Ice Box of the Nation,” although it has sparred with Fraser, Colorado, over that title to the point where the two towns have sued each other.
- Average SUV car insurance quote: $3,217
Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
Other locations in the U.S. average more annual snowfall than Sault Sainte Marie, but few people live in those places. Sault Sainte Marie’s 13,959 residents endure an average of 119 inches of snow a year, so it’s fitting that the Upper Peninsula town is home to the International 500 Snowmobile Race.
- Average SUV car insurance quote: $5,120.
No matter where you live or what kind of vehicle you drive, you can find deals on insurance by using NerdWallet’s car insurance comparison tool.
Aubrey Cohen is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: acohen@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @aubreycohen.
Image via iStock.
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