Insuring an Aston Martin

As the manufacturer of some of today's sleekest and most desirable sports cars, Aston Martin has carved out an impressive niche for itself. The British company, which is headquartered in Gaydon, Warwickshire, has been in business for nearly 100 years. During that time, the automaker has managed to maintain its reputation for producing utterly magnificent vehicles. One thing's for sure: these cars don't come cheaply. You have to be willing to pay a pretty penny if you'd like to own one of these exclusive sports cars. Limited numbers of each vehicle are produced each year, which drives up the costs associated with them even more.

Brief History

The company was founded in 1914 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, whose last name contributed to the brand's official name. The other part of the name is derived from the Aston Clinton Hillclimb, which is a famous uphill racing course in England. The company's fortunes were immediately impacted by World War I, which postponed the production of its first vehicles for a few years. From the beginning, however, this luxury automaker has placed a high priority on producing gorgeous sports cars, and no expense is spared to produce them.

Sky-High MSRPs cause Sky-High Insurance Rates

The MSRP or value of a vehicle has a dramatic impact on the average cost to insure it, and varies with insurers. A quick glance at today's lineup reveals that these are among the most expensive vehicles on the road today. The 2012 V8 Vantage, for example, has a starting MSRP of $123,000. That is actually reasonable when you consider the starting MSRP of the 2012 DBS, which is $275,000. At $190,000, the starting MSRP of the 2012 DB9 falls in the middle. These prices are largely to blame for the fact that this is the most expensive type of vehicle to insure. The average annual cost to insure an Aston Martin is $2,784.81.

Low Theft Rates Come as No Surprise

Very few of these vehicles are produced each year. After all, very few people can afford to buy them. It comes as no surprise, then, that theft rates for sports cars are quite low. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, none of the 348 DB-7 vehicles that were produced in 2001 were stolen. Aston Martin vehicles are not included on lists that are published by the National Insurance Crime Bureau either, which indicates that they aren't popular with car thieves.

Safety Features have Little Impact on Cost to Insure

Most of these vehicles are jam-packed with premium safety features, which would normally make them more affordable to insure. However, the astronomical MSRP of these vehicles overshadows whatever safety features these vehicles may have. To complicate matters, the federal government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have not conducted tests on most modern Aston Martin models, so it is not possible to get current safety ratings for them.

If you have the means to afford one of these models, you should also be prepared to pay a premium for auto coverage. Owning one of these cars is an incredible experience, however, and most people would agree that high insurance premiums are a small price to pay.