SCGBox

Hi All -

I searched for a post on this but didn't find anything, which surprised me. Couldn't find anything across the web on Google either.

Has anyone else noticed/experienced your insurance premium going up due to a recategorization of the Scion XB?

I just received my insurance policy renewal for 2007. My premium should have gone down 10-15%, but instead it went UP a nominal amount.

My insurance agent did some digging and found that the "ISO symbol" (I believe ISO in this context stands for Insurance Safety Organization or something like that) for the XB went up from a "7" last year to a "15" this year.

The ISO symbol is a categorization that dictates the cost of collision and comprehensive coverage, I believe - and it's a national standard that applies across insurance companies. Apparently inexpensive safe cars have lower ISO symbols, and a luxury or sports car would have a higher one.

Based on the most recent safety tests, or parts costs, or involvement in accidents or whatever, the XB jumped a number of categories. I guess it takes 2-3 years after a car has been on the market until a car's category stabilizes...

I figured this is happening to everybody, anyone else experience this? Sort of a rude awakening, to buy a car and figure it has an insurance cost of $X and then to see that leap 10%+ in a year because the car is reconsidered inherently "riskier"

TheICEbox

You may want to find another insurance agency. Mine actually lowered a bit when I switched to the xB.

xBster

mine went down almost $70 from my previous vehicle....went up 4 dollars this renewal, I'm pretty happy...not so terrible

jwaj2002

mine is already classified way high, farm berau(sp?) lists it in the same class as a hummer, not an h2 or h3 either

xBster

that's weird, jwaj2002, mine rates a 5-door wagon through Allstate...I think I would look into that....

jwaj2002

I'm not goin to all state, seen bad stuff at work with them, I don't care I'm still only payin 228 a month, still 200 a month less then regressive

exige

what bad stuff have you heard about them?

screamnchikn

78 a mounth state farm

jwaj2002

well I work for a body shop, and I've seen how much of a pain it is to get them to ok the work, no offense to them they just require 100 times more then anyone else, they don't generally do a direct repair either they have to come out and write the estimate, then the shop writes one, and so on and so on

exige

o gotcha.....so do you recommend state farm or who? i'm under my parents plan for ohio casualty group....not sure if they're related to any national chains... who would you say is the best and is affordable for the most part?

jwaj2002

well at your age... with a tc, good luck, your gonna pay a mint with whoever you go with, though progressive is probably your best bet, because alot of companies won't insure people under the age of 22 (farm buerau for one), call progressive and get the quotes from them

Bsbox

Mine went up for no apparent reason. I'm 29 and haven't had so much as a parking ticket in over 6 years. Does anyone think that the insurance companies will be able to distinguish between the new and old xB body styles? The new one has the tC engine and is therefore a different class of vehicle.

jwaj2002

vin will be a dead giveaway