Shopping for a new car brings many considerations. Aside from a car’s fun features, you’re probably evaluating things like size, gas mileage and horsepower. What many people forget to check on, however, is how a new car will affect insurance rates.

Yes, in addition to your own personal stats (including things like your driving record, age, sex, credit history and geographic location), your car can play a big role in how much you pay for auto insurance.

What gives?

Comprehensive and collisions costs are mostly to blame, according to this article, featured by MSN Money. Because, unfortunately, when repairs need to be made, insurance rates increase. This is especially true for higher-end cars. Generally speaking, the more your car is worth, the more it’s going to cost to repair. Insurers realize this and will take it into account when determining your premium.

In addition to repair costs, insurers look at a variety of other factors when it comes to putting a premium price tag on your vehicle.

Here are a few other rules of thumb:

Horsepower matters. If it goes fast, chances are that we’ll drive it fast. And that means a greater chance of speeding tickets and accidents. Accordingly, sporty cars tend to see higher insurance premiums that family sedans.
Size matters. According to the MSN Money article, small sport cars are involved in more car crashes. Smaller cars also tend to bear the brunt of the damage during an accident. Conversely, SUVs may see higher premiums, as they cause more damage than average-sized cars.
Attractive features may attract thieves. Music crankin’, rims spinnin’…might be your idea of a dream car, as well as the hooligan’s down the street. So before pimping that ride, check to see what the insurance will cost you.

So what is your best bet for cheap insurance? Well, statistically, station wagons, mini-vans and family sedans show a much lower accident rate and generally come with less expensive premiums.

Of course, working here at InsureMe, I knew all of these things as I shopped for a new car last year. And while I didn’t feel like spending my shoe budget on insurance, I wasn’t exactly eager to reach for the keys of a mini-van, either.*

The solution? Gather a list of your automobile picks as you’re shopping and run them by your insurance agent. Before you buy the car. Factor any possible premium adjustment into your car payment. If you can afford it–and comfortably–then you’ll be able to make a sound purchasing decision about your new car.

I did a little homework of my own last year and ended up with affordable insurance and a safe, fun set of wheels that I loved. And you can be sure it wasn’t a mini-van.

Check out the MSN Money article here to learn about the 10 costliest (and 10 cheapest) cars to insure. And don’t forget to check out our article, Auto Insurance: What You Drive Could Cost You.

*Disclaimer: I don’t see anything wrong with mini-vans. We had one while I was growing up and it was very functional for active kids, made for easy college moving and was pretty fun to drive. It’s just that I’m a young person (if you were confused by my use of the word ‘hooligan’) and I don’t really need all that room. And also I never had much luck getting a date in my parents mini-van.