Same age. Same licence class. Same postal code. Same 8,000 km/year.
I pulled quotes for 52 model-year 2024 vehicles under one fixed profile — G/G2 driver, born 1983, L6P — and sorted them by monthly premium. No shopping around between brokers. No mixing coverage tiers. Just: what does the car itself do to the number?
The spread was uncomfortable.
Lowest monthly: $211.78
Highest monthly: $630.90
Average: $291.07
Median: $255.75
That's roughly 3× from cheapest to priciest, on paper, for the same person.
What I was testing
This isn't a "find me the cheapest broker" tool. It's a vehicle sensitivity view: hold the driver steady, swap the car, watch the premium move.
Profile used:
- Postal code: L6P
- Driver: G/G2, DOB 1983
- Usage: 8,000 km/year
- Model years: 2024 only
- Sample size: 52 vehicles
If you're cross-shopping SUVs before you buy, this is the question worth asking: not "what's a good car?" but "what does this car do to my monthly line item?"
The cheap end surprised me (Subaru, mostly)
The bottom of the list wasn't dominated by bare-bones sedans. It was a cluster of Subaru wagons and compact SUVs, plus a few budget crossovers.
| Vehicle | Segment | Monthly | Annual (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subaru Outback 2.5i AWD | Mid-size crossover | $211.78 | ~$2,516 |
| Subaru Forester 2.5i AWD | Compact SUV | $213.12 | ~$2,531 |
| Mitsubishi Mirage ES | Subcompact hatch | $219.37 | ~$2,614 |
| Subaru Crosstrek AWD | Subcompact SUV | $219.62 | ~$2,617 |
| Nissan Kicks S 2WD | Subcompact SUV | $219.71 | ~$2,618 |
| Chevrolet Trax LS 2WD | Subcompact SUV | $220.89 | ~$2,632 |
| Subaru Impreza 2.0i AWD | Compact hatch | $225.70 | ~$2,689 |
| Kia Seltos LX 2WD | Subcompact SUV | $228.49 | ~$2,718 |
| Hyundai Kona Essential 2WD | Subcompact SUV | $233.73 | ~$2,780 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross L 2WD | Subcompact SUV | $237.86 | ~$2,829 |
Four Subarus in the top seven. If you're already leaning Japanese AWD for winter driving, the data here doesn't punish you the way some "popular" picks do later in the list.
The middle is crowded — and that's where most of us shop
Most vehicles landed between ~$240 and ~$310/month.
Examples that sit in that band:
- Toyota RAV4 LE 2WD — $273.82/mo (~$3,255/yr)
- Honda Civic LX — $297.20/mo (~$3,532/yr)
- Ford Explorer XLT AWD — $300.58/mo (~$3,572/yr)
- Kia Telluride EX AWD — $298.89/mo (~$3,552/yr)
The RAV4 feels "default sensible" for a lot of Ontario buyers. At ~$274/month for this profile, it's mid-pack, not cheap — roughly $60/month more than a Forester or Outback in the same run.
That gap adds up: ~$720/year without changing driver, postal code, or km.
The expensive tail is where assumptions break
These were the standouts at the top of the premium stack:
| Vehicle | Segment | Monthly | Annual (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexus RX350 AWD | Luxury mid-size SUV | $630.90 | ~$7,485 |
| Toyota Grand Highlander XLE AWD | Large SUV | $603.30 | ~$7,158 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD | Off-road SUV | $504.20 | ~$5,984 |
| Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD | Electric sedan | $436.83 | ~$5,186 |
| BMW X3 M40i AWD | Luxury compact SUV | $422.81 | ~$5,020 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | Mid-size SUV | $413.19 | ~$4,906 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | Electric compact SUV | $373.60 | ~$4,437 |
Two patterns I noticed:
1. "Safe family SUV" ≠ cheap SUV
The Honda CR-V LX came in at $366.08/month (~$4,348/year) — ~$92/month more than a RAV4 in the same batch, and ~$155/month more than a Forester.
If you're deciding between "CR-V vs RAV4 vs Forester" on reliability alone, this run says the insurance line item is not a tie.
2. EV savings aren't automatic
Model Y and Model 3 Performance landed well above many gas crossovers here — not in the bargain basement. For this profile and postal code, "electric = cheaper insurance" didn't hold as a blanket rule.
How I'd use this before buying
- Shortlist 3–5 vehicles, not one dream trim.
- Quote the exact trim you'll register — "RAV4" vs "Grand Highlander" is not a small difference.
- Compare monthly and annual side by side; $15/month feels trivial until it's $180/year for five years.
- Use the spread as a sanity check when a broker quote arrives. If you're near the median (~$256/month) for a compact SUV, you're in the ballpark of this dataset. If you're quoted CR-V money for a Kicks, ask what changed.
Limits (read this before you argue with the numbers)
- One profile, one postal prefix, one model year. Your age, record, and FSA will move these.
- Not a bindable quote. Treat this as orientation, not an offer.
- Trim and options matter. Base LX vs loaded AWD can shift the result.
- Not financial or legal advice. It's structured homework — the kind I wish I had before my last purchase.