It\u2019s the eternal dilemma of young parents with a growing brood of children \u2014 do you abandon all illusions of being wild and free by going all suburban and hopping on the minivan wagon, or do you choose a luxury SUV which retains some bit of pre-parent dignity?\u00a0 Both the minivans and luxury SUVs are some of the safest types of cars to drive; they have the lowest driver death rates, and are ideal for families traveling together.<\/p>\n
As a parent, the appeal of a mini-van is easy access, space, and convenient features that are now becoming more and more standard: entertainment stations, automatic sliding doors, folding-down back seats, and extended \u201ctrunk\u201d space.\u00a0 Luxury SUVs give off less of the \u201cmom and pop\u201d vibe and offer powerful engines, while still offering quite a bit of space, but less of the frumpy convenience.<\/p>\n
When comparing the two from an auto insurance standpoint, both can be relatively expensive, since the vehicles are quite large, and in general, the bigger the car the better crash ratings it receives.\u00a0 Also, these vehicles are coming out with more safety features that keep young families in mind, and this helps to lower the auto insurance premium as well.\u00a0 However, there are some distinct differences that make one type of car generally cheaper than the other.<\/p>\n
In studies, it\u2019s been found that SUVs are generally favored by men – who generally are more expensive to insure than women, especially those under 25 – 41% of SUV drivers were male compared to 36.4% of minivan drivers, however, the average age of drivers for both types of cars were in their early 50\u2019s.<\/p>\n
It was shown that SUVs have higher claim rates than minivans, because of their size and weight. They can cause more damage to other cars, passengers, and property in a collision, resulting in higher third-party claims. Also in a crash, the heavier SUV has been known to roll over more commonly in collisions than minivans, meaning a higher auto insurance premium.\u00a0 In addition to these factors, SUVs can also be more costly to repair or get parts for, as well as more expensive to fill up on gas.<\/p>\n