Considering how much it costs, is it a surprise that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has one of the highest insurance premiums in the U.S.? As anyone who has delved into the premium costs of car insurance knows, computing a car’s insurance is derived from a host of factors, a large part of which is the age group of the driver. But another significant factor in the cost of your insurance is the historical data compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Most of us know that the IIHS does crash tests. But over the years, they have also compiled data on the loss insurance companies incur on all the vehicles available on the market. The resulting vehicle loss list has now become part of the formula for computing a car owner’s insurance premium.

In the case of the S-Class, one assumes that the cost of the car is the reason for the high insurance cost. Actually, the reason why the S-Class costs so much to insure is because it places 2nd on the vehicle loss list, slotting in between the Scion tC and the Mitsubishi Lancer, which placed 1st and 3rd respectively. How and why the LWB S-Class came to be second is for the IIHS to explain. At the other end of the spectrum however, is the smart ForTwo. This car is at the top of the list for the lowest loss vehicle as far as the insurance companies are concerned. So, if you’re a family man and decide to buy a ForTwo as a commuter car, expect to pay one of the lowest premiums around. If you’re Benz is not on the list, but you’re still paying a lot of your insurnace, then it might be a good idea to get some auto insurance quotes and compare.