When you go car shopping, what are you looking for? Are you looking for a sporty little two seater that’s going to impress the babes or a sensible sedan with plenty of room for car seats? Do you want a car that’s going to be good on gas mileage or one that will give you plenty of space to spread out? These are all things that people think about when they’re standing in the middle of a car lot looking for their next set of wheels. What they don’t usually consider is which car will give them cheaper car insurance.

Unless you’ve taken the time to sit down with your insurance agent and find out how they calculate the cost of your car insurance you probably don’t realize that your car itself has as much to do with your insurance premiums as, say, your driving history. Insurance companies don’t like to pay out claims, and there are certain cars that seem to attract trouble like a magnet! You could be the best driver in the world, but if you’re behind the wheel of a “high risk” car cheaper car insurance is going to be as hard to come by as front row seats at a Hannah Montana concert.

So how do you know which cars are going to give you cheaper car insurance? You do your homework. The first thing you should do is make a list of what, exactly, you need in a car. There are a lot of resources on the web that will help you find cars that are cheaper to insure, but they usually forget to mention that this isn’t a one size fits all solution. You’re not going to fit five kids in a Toyota Prius. Not legally, anyway! That means you need to shop with your family in mind.

When you’re shopping for a car you can find out how big a risk your car is the same way your insurance agent does-by consulting the Highway Loss Data Institute. The HLDI has statistics on just about every make and model on the market, and they can tell you whether the car you’re considering buying has losses that are considered to be less than, equal to or greater than the average loss for its vehicle class. Fewer losses and expenses as a result of accidents and/or theft=cheaper car insurance every time.

Regardless of what type of car you’re going to buy, know that cars with advanced safety features are always going to equal cheaper car insurance premiums. Safety features like airbags and anti-lock brakes are going to minimize the injuries suffered by you, your car and your passengers if you’re ever in an accident, which is going to lower your comprehensive and liability insurance costs dramatically. Remember, the less they’re likely to have to pay out, the less you’re going to have to pay in!

Security features like car alarms and GPS tracking systems can also pave the way to cheaper car insurance. Since your car insurance provider has to pay the bill if your car is stolen and/or vandalized, taking steps to stop that from happening will always win you bonus points with your insurer-and the cheaper insurance premiums that go with it!

Cheaper car insurance might not be the first thing on your mind when you go shopping for a new car, but it shouldn’t be the last either. Do your homework before signing on the dotted line and you’ll have the hottest car insurance rates in town every time.