Tariffs Could Raise Prices for Popular New Models by 15% — and Make Car Insurance More Expensive

Prices for some bestselling new models may climb by up to 25%. Meanwhile, Insurify projects that the average annual cost of car insurance could rise to $2,527 by the end of 2025, based on the latest tariff updates.

Matt Brannon
Written byMatt Brannon
Matt Brannon
Matt BrannonData Journalist

Matt is a data journalist at Insurify. His journalism background spans 10 years, beginning as a newspaper reporter before moving into online data journalism. While working at the Redding Record Searchlight, Matt’s writing and reporting earned multiple awards from the California News Publishers Association.

Since moving into online content, Matt has specialized in personal finance topics. His writing emphasizes data and trends, highlighting takeaways that help consumers make informed decisions. He has been cited as a personal finance expert by the Associated Press. His research has been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, and the Wall Street Journal.

Matt holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida and resides in St. Petersburg, Florida. Outside of work, Matt enjoys exploring new cities, reading about history, and grumbling over his fantasy football team.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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United States tariff policy continues to evolve, altering projections for how the import duties will affect car prices and insurance rates.

Insurify expects that new rules limiting how tariffs apply to cars and car parts will result in drivers paying less than they would’ve paid under the administration’s previous, stricter tariff policies but still more than they would have paid if the government didn’t impose tariffs.[1]

Insurify data scientists project that insurance costs for the average vehicle could rise 9% by the end of the year, up from 5% before tariffs. The increase would bring the projected annual cost to $2,527 by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, the sales price of the average new car could rise about 15% because of tariffs, according to an Insurify analysis of the 100 bestselling new cars of 2025. Insurify projects these new models could see annual insurance costs rise an additional 6% on average due to tariffs.

“Insurers are bracing for more expensive claims as tariffs raise costs for auto parts,” said Mallory Mooney, director of sales and service at Insurify. “Tariffs could increase car insurance costs for all models, with new models facing larger increases, as more expensive cars are generally more costly to insure.”

Tariffs raise costs for parts and models assembled internationally. Only about 48% of new popular models are assembled solely in the U.S., followed by Mexico (19%) and South Korea (12%), according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

To better estimate how tariffs could impact new car models, Insurify data scientists estimated tariff-driven increases in purchase prices and insurance costs for 100 popular vehicles.

Key findings

  • The typical new car sales price could increase about 15% due to tariffs, and insurance costs could rise 6%, based on each vehicle’s share of domestic content and assembly location.

  • Among carmakers with multiple new models, new Buicks and Hyundais would see the highest average tariff-related increase in sales price, at 22%, followed by Kias at 21%. Tesla (5%) and Jeep (6%) would see the lowest average increase in sales price.

  • Of the three most popular new car models in the U.S., the Toyota RAV4 would see the highest projected cost increase due to tariffs, at 25%, followed by the Chevrolet Silverado (12%) and Ford F-Series (11%).

  • For the average vehicle on the road, car insurance costs may increase by 9% by the end of the year, raising the average annual cost to $2,527. Before tariffs, costs were expected to rise 5%.

How much tariffs could raise new car prices, by automaker

Projection: Sales Price Increase for New Models With Tariffs

Projection: Insurance Cost Increase for New Models With Tariffs

Insurify analyzed the 100 most popular new car models, including 16 carmakers who have multiple models in the top 100.

Based on each new model’s assembly location and the estimated share of foreign content within the vehicle, the brands expected to see the largest tariff-related increases in purchase price are Buick, Hyundai, and Kia. Despite being an American company, Buick assembles three of its four new models outside the U.S., subjecting them to 25% tariffs.

Jeep (6%) and Tesla (5%) models could average the lowest tariff-related price increases. Tesla’s most popular new models, the Model X and Model 3, are assembled in the U.S. with at least 60% domestic content.

Carmaker
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Projected Price Increase for New Models Due to Tariffs
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Projected Insurance Cost Increase Due to Tariffs
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Buick22%8%
Hyundai22%8%
Kia21%8%
BMW19%8%
Mazda19%8%
Lexus17%6%
Subaru16%6%
Chevrolet15%7%
Nissan15%6%
Volkswagen14%6%
Toyota14%6%
Ford13%6%
GMC12%6%
Honda8%4%
Jeep6%4%
Tesla5%3%
*Only includes carmakers with multiple models in the top 100 of sales for quarter 1 2025.

In addition to higher sales prices, tariffs will also raise the average insurance cost for new models. The five makers facing the highest projected average increases across new bestselling vehicles are Buick, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, and Mazda. The two new Tesla editions included in Insurify’s projections, Model X and Model 3, are made mostly of U.S. content, mitigating tariff effects.

On a model-by-model basis, as many as 23 cars could see insurance rates climb by an additional 9 percentage points. The most popular of these are the Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Trax, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, and Hyundai Elantra.

Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester are among the new models that tariffs will impact the most

Insurify projects the typical new model will see a 15% price increase due to tariffs. But many models assembled outside the U.S. could see tariff-related purchase price increases of up to 25%.

That includes the Toyota RAV4, the third-bestselling new model in the U.S., which is assembled in Japan and has no domestic content, according to NHTSA data.

Among other popular models facing the highest 25% tariff are the Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5, both of which are also assembled in Japan.

Overall, 23 of the most popular new models face the highest tariff-related purchase price increase of 25%, according to Insurify estimates.

The four new models tied for the lowest expected tariff-related price increase of 3% are the Honda Ridgeline, Dodge Durango, Tesla Model 3, and Jeep Gladiator.

Of the 100 bestselling new models, 22 could face both a 25% increase in sales prices and a 9% increase in annual insurance costs. That includes seven of the top 50 bestselling new models of 2025: the Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Trax, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and Hyundai Palisade.

Bestselling New Model
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Projected Price Increase Due to Tariffs
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Projected Insurance Cost Increase Due to Tariffs
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Assembly Country
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Percentage of U.S. Content
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Average Bestselling New Model15%6%-32%
BMW 4-Series25%9%Germany0%
Buick Encore25%9%South Korea2%
Buick Envision25%9%China6%
Buick Envista25%9%South Korea3%
Chevrolet Trailblazer25%9%South Korea3%
Chevrolet Trax25%9%South Korea2%
Honda Civic17%4%Japan/Canada/U.S.52%
Hyundai Elantra25%9%South Korea0%
Hyundai Kona25%9%South Korea1%
Hyundai Palisade25%9%South Korea2%
Hyundai Sonata25%9%South Korea0%
Kia Carnival25%9%South Korea2%
Kia K525%9%South Korea0%
Kia Seltos25%9%South Korea1%
Kia Soul25%9%South Korea1%
Lexus NX25%6%Japan32%
Mazda CX-525%9%Japan0%
Mazda CX-9025%9%Japan0%
Mitsubishi Outlander25%9%Japan4%
Subaru Crosstrek20%7%Japan/U.S.25%
Subaru Forester25%9%Japan0%
Toyota Land Cruiser25%9%Japan0%
Toyota Prius25%9%Japan0%
Toyota RAV425%9%Japan0%
Volvo XC6025%9%Sweden0%
Audi Q521%9%Mexico2%
BMW X319%8%U.S.9%
Mazda CX-3019%8%Mexico10%
Nissan Kicks19%8%Mexico10%
Nissan Sentra19%8%Mexico10%
Chevrolet Equinox18%8%Mexico15%
Chevrolet Equinox EV18%8%Mexico12%
Ford Mustang Mach E18%8%Mexico13%
Hyundai Tucson20%8%Mexico/U.S./Korea14%
Nissan Versa18%8%Mexico15%
Volkswagen Jetta18%8%Mexico11%
Kia Sportage21%8%U.S./Korea15%
Toyota Corolla21%7%U.S./Japan18%
Volkswagen Taos17%8%Mexico17%
Chevrolet Blazer16%7%Mexico22%
Ford Bronco Sport16%7%Mexico23%
Kia K416%7%Mexico20%
Kia Sorento21%7%U.S./Korea19%
Ford Maverick15%7%Mexico27%
Nissan Rogue20%7%U.S./Japan25%
Honda HR-V14%6%Mexico30%
Jeep Compass14%7%Mexico28%
BMW X513%6%U.S.32%
Buick Enclave13%6%U.S.35%
Chevrolet Traverse13%6%U.S.35%
GMC Acadia13%6%U.S.35%
Lexus RX17%6%Canada/Japan32%
Toyota Tacoma13%6%Mexico33%
Cadillac Escalade12%6%U.S.37%
Chevrolet Silverado12%6%U.S.37%
Chevrolet Suburban12%6%U.S.37%
Chevrolet Tahoe12%6%U.S.37%
Ford Escape12%6%U.S.36%
GMC Sierra12%6%U.S.37%
GMC Terrain12%6%Mexico37%
GMC Yukon12%6%U.S.37%
Honda Prologue12%6%Mexico36%
Ford Bronco11%5%U.S.42%
Ford Expedition11%5%U.S.42%
Ford Explorer11%5%U.S.43%
Ford F-Series11%5%U.S.40%
Hyundai Santa Fe11%5%U.S.43%
Nissan Frontier11%5%U.S.40%
Ford Ranger10%5%U.S.46%
Lexus TX10%5%U.S.45%
Chevrolet Colorado9%5%U.S.49%
Nissan Altima9%5%U.S.50%
Nissan Pathfinder9%5%U.S.50%
Subaru Ascent9%5%U.S.50%
Subaru Outback9%5%U.S.50%
Honda CR-V8%4%U.S./Canada54%
Mazda CX-508%4%U.S.55%
RAM Pickup8%4%U.S.55%
Toyota Camry8%4%U.S.55%
Toyota Corolla Cross8%4%U.S.55%
Toyota Tundra8%4%U.S.53%
Chevrolet Express7%4%U.S.57%
Honda Accord7%4%U.S.58%
Kia Telluride6%4%U.S.60%
Tesla Model X6%4%U.S.60%
Toyota Grand Highlander6%4%U.S.60%
Toyota Highlander6%4%U.S.60%
Toyota Sienna6%4%U.S.60%
Volkswagen Atlas6%4%U.S.60%
Acura MDX5%3%U.S.67%
Chrysler Pacifica4%3%Canada69%
Honda Odyssey4%3%U.S.70%
Honda Passport4%3%U.S.70%
Honda Pilot4%3%U.S.70%
Jeep Grand Cherokee4%3%U.S.71%
Jeep Wrangler4%3%U.S.68%
Dodge Durango3%2%U.S.73%
Honda Ridgeline3%3%U.S.73%
Jeep Gladiator3%2%U.S.74%
Tesla Model 33%2%U.S.73%
*For vehicles with multiple available trims, increases in sales price and insurance costs were averaged across trims. Assembly countries vary for certain models based on trim.

Tariffs could increase average car insurance costs 80% faster by the end of 2025

Tariffs make car insurance more expensive because they make car parts, which are often imported, more expensive. Insurify’s projections for how tariffs will change pricing for car insurance have evolved over the past few months as the administration has added, exempted, and revised tariffs that would impact pricing for car parts.

Before the U.S. announced tariffs, Insurify projected inflation and insurer losses would push the average cost of car insurance 5% higher by the end of the year. By April, that projected increase rose to 19%, following multiple sets of tariffs that would affect auto parts pricing.

Since then, tariff policy has softened, with the government appearing to clarify that tariffs would not “stack” — meaning auto parts that could’ve been tariffed multiple times would instead only face the highest applicable individual tariff.[2]

Following the latest adjustments to tariff policy, Insurify projects the average cost of car insurance could rise 9% by the end of the year. That figure is an estimate based on the share of domestic vs. foreign content in the average vehicle, as well as factoring in approximate exemptions for parts compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Projection: Average Annual Cost of Car Insurance With Tariffs by the End of 2025

 
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With Tariffs: Projected Annual Cost by End of 2025
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Without Tariffs: Projected Annual Cost by End of 2025
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Estimated Cost Increase Attributable to Tariffs
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Alabama$1,811$1,743$68
Arizona$2,142$2,063$79
Arkansas$2,654$2,557$97
California$2,835$2,732$103
Colorado$2,991$2,878$113
Connecticut$2,698$2,600$98
Delaware$3,431$3,308$123
Florida$3,610$3,484$126
Georgia$3,165$3,052$113
Hawaii$1,540$1,481$59
Idaho$1,544$1,485$59
Illinois$2,128$2,050$78
Indiana$1,757$1,691$66
Iowa$1,704$1,640$64
Kansas$2,055$1,977$78
Kentucky$2,375$2,288$87
Louisiana$3,057$2,944$113
Maine$1,277$1,229$48
Maryland$4,418$4,255$163
Massachusetts$1,888$1,816$72
Michigan$3,025$2,915$110
Minnesota$2,740$2,639$101
Mississippi$2,481$2,390$91
Missouri$2,398$2,310$88
Montana$1,975$1,901$74
Nebraska$1,800$1,734$66
Nevada$3,333$3,214$119
New Hampshire$1,021$981$40
New Jersey$2,737$2,637$100
New Mexico$1,976$1,900$76
New York$4,335$4,183$152
North Carolina$1,390$1,339$51
North Dakota$1,334$1,283$51
Ohio$1,539$1,481$58
Oklahoma$2,176$2,094$82
Oregon$1,930$1,857$73
Pennsylvania$2,294$2,209$85
Rhode Island$2,584$2,487$97
South Carolina$3,738$3,603$135
South Dakota$1,908$1,838$70
Tennessee$1,806$1,740$66
Texas$2,995$2,886$109
Utah$2,186$2,105$81
Vermont$1,593$1,530$63
Virginia$2,436$2,345$91
Washington$2,205$2,125$80
West Virginia$1,994$1,918$76
Wisconsin$1,797$1,730$67
Wyoming$1,565$1,506$59

Source: *Insurify analysis of car insurance data and tariffs as of May 2025

The average driver in Maryland, which already has the highest average insurance cost in the U.S., could pay an added $162 due to tariffs. Before the U.S. imposed new tariffs, Insurify projected that four states would see costs remain flat or decrease. With tariffs, each state would see a year-over-year price increase, ranging from about 2% to 14% on average.

State
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With Tariffs: Projected Annual Cost by End of 2025
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Without Tariffs: Projected Annual Cost by End of 2025
sort ascsort desc
Estimated Cost Increase Attributable to Tariffs
sort ascsort desc
Projected Year-Over-Year Cost Increase With Tariffs
sort ascsort desc
United States$2,527$2,435$929%
Alabama$1,811$1,743$686%
Arizona$2,142$2,063$799%
Arkansas$2,654$2,557$979%
California$2,835$2,732$10310%
Colorado$2,991$2,878$1136%
Connecticut$2,698$2,600$9810%
Delaware$3,431$3,308$12311%
Florida$3,610$3,484$12614%
Georgia$3,165$3,052$11312%
Hawaii$1,540$1,481$593%
Idaho$1,544$1,485$594%
Illinois$2,128$2,050$788%
Indiana$1,757$1,691$666%
Iowa$1,704$1,640$648%
Kansas$2,055$1,977$786%
Kentucky$2,375$2,288$879%
Louisiana$3,057$2,944$1138%
Maine$1,277$1,229$485%
Maryland$4,418$4,255$1639%
Massachusetts$1,888$1,816$725%
Michigan$3,025$2,915$11010%
Minnesota$2,740$2,639$1019%
Mississippi$2,481$2,390$919%
Missouri$2,398$2,310$889%
Montana$1,975$1,901$746%
Nebraska$1,800$1,734$668%
Nevada$3,333$3,214$11912%
New Hampshire$1,021$981$402%
New Jersey$2,737$2,637$10010%
New Mexico$1,976$1,900$764%
New York$4,335$4,183$15214%
North Carolina$1,390$1,339$5110%
North Dakota$1,334$1,283$516%
Ohio$1,539$1,481$586%
Oklahoma$2,176$2,094$826%
Oregon$1,930$1,857$737%
Pennsylvania$2,294$2,209$858%
Rhode Island$2,584$2,487$977%
South Carolina$3,738$3,603$13510%
South Dakota$1,908$1,838$708%
Tennessee$1,806$1,740$668%
Texas$2,995$2,886$10910%
Utah$2,186$2,105$818%
Vermont$1,593$1,530$632%
Virginia$2,436$2,345$917%
Washington$2,205$2,125$8010%
West Virginia$1,994$1,918$765%
Wisconsin$1,797$1,730$677%
Wyoming$1,565$1,506$596%

State by state: The most common car brands on the road

Residents in some states rely more on automakers that are relatively exposed to tariff-related cost increases. Chevrolet is the most popular automaker in 28 states, and Insurify projects that its new models could average a 15% increase in sales price and up to a 7% increase in annual insurance costs. Of 11 popular new Chevrolet models, 10 source a majority of their content from outside the U.S.

Although Honda is a Japanese company, its newer models stand to face lower tariff-related increases. Seven of nine popular new Honda models are made mostly from U.S. content.

Carmaker
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Projected Average Sales Price Increase for New Models Due to Tariffs
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Projected Average Insurance Increase for New Models Due to Tariffs
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Chevrolet15%7%
Toyota14%6%
Ford13%6%
Honda8%4%

What drivers should know about tariffs

It will take time for tariff-related costs to show up in the typical driver’s car insurance rates. At the earliest, drivers might notice these costs around the end of 2025. Before insurers can raise rates due to tariffs, they generally have to submit requests to state regulators, explaining how they’re spending more money on claims due to more expensive costs for parts.

Consumers still have options for saving money on car insurance. Drivers can compare quotes from a variety of insurance companies to find the best available deal. They can raise their deductible to secure lower premiums, or they can make use of telematics devices or programs that track driver behavior.

Ultimately, the most important factor in keeping one’s auto insurance rates affordable is a safe personal driving history.

Methodology

To see how tariffs could impact new vehicle prices and insurance, Insurify data scientists looked at the 100 bestselling models in quarter 1 of 2025 for which American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) data is available. Specifically, they analyzed the share of each vehicle’s content made outside the United States and each vehicle’s country of final assembly. Where applicable, the data represent an average across a model’s different trims.

Vehicle price increase projections reflect a flat 25% tariff on all vehicles imported from countries outside the United States, Mexico, and Canada. For models assembled in these three countries, the projections represent a 25% tariff on a model’s non-U.S. content and up to a 15% tariff discount of the total MSRP, as the White House has announced will be in effect for the next year.[1]

For models that are not new, insurance projections in this report factor in two main tariff costs, including the 25% automobile and auto parts tariffs and 25% tariffs on an estimated share of car parts from Canada and Mexico that are not USMCA-compliant. Insurify’s data scientists then calculated how these tariffs would affect car insurance rates by factoring in the proportion of average vehicle content that is foreign.

From there, Insurify analyzed the share of typical vehicle repair costs represented by parts and the proportion of a standard full-coverage car insurance policy that covers damages to one’s own or another’s vehicle. Insurify calculated tariffs’ effects on auto insurance prices on a national level and then equally distributed across states.

To calculate baseline prices, Insurify’s data scientists examined more than 97 million rates in the company’s proprietary database, quoted via integrations with over 120 insurance partners. Driver applications originate from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and include information on the exact coverage specifications of each driver’s quoted policies. Insurify excluded Alaska data due to lower quoting volume.

The premiums in this report reflect the median insurance cost for drivers between the ages of 20 and 70 with clean driving records and average or better credit, unless otherwise noted. Yearly prices in this report are two-year rolling medians to manage extreme market volatility over the past few years.

For media inquiries or questions about our study, please contact the author here.

Sources

  1. The White House. "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Incentivizes Domestic Automobile Production."
  2. CNN. "Trump eases auto tariffs."
Matt Brannon
Matt BrannonData Journalist

Matt is a data journalist at Insurify. His journalism background spans 10 years, beginning as a newspaper reporter before moving into online data journalism. While working at the Redding Record Searchlight, Matt’s writing and reporting earned multiple awards from the California News Publishers Association.

Since moving into online content, Matt has specialized in personal finance topics. His writing emphasizes data and trends, highlighting takeaways that help consumers make informed decisions. He has been cited as a personal finance expert by the Associated Press. His research has been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, and the Wall Street Journal.

Matt holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida and resides in St. Petersburg, Florida. Outside of work, Matt enjoys exploring new cities, reading about history, and grumbling over his fantasy football team.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Edited byEvelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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