About $1,236 a year for full coverage on a national average — 14% less than the $1,438 average car. Insurers rate the Ford Explorer at an index of 86 where 100 is a typical vehicle, based on how often and how expensively these cars actually generate claims (latest data covers 2022-2024).
The premium isn't spread evenly across the Ford Explorer: Medical payments — medical bills for you and passengers — carries its highest loss index at 92, while Bodily injury sits at 83. Those 9 points are the real reason behind the price, and they are the part a quote form never shows you. Among 78 suvs we hold data for, the Explorer ranks #24 from cheapest, below the class median of 94. Against what the car is worth the bill looks different again: a 2026 Explorer sells for a median $46,184, so a year of cover costs 2.7% of the car's value. Over 19 generations of data the index has climbed from 80 (2004-2006) to 86 (2022-2024). Calculated from 43 insurance-loss records and live US listing prices.
Why a Explorer costs what it does
Insurers don't price a car with one number — they track losses separately for each kind of cover. An index of 100 is the average vehicle, so anything above means this model generates costlier claims of that type:
Read it as «where the money goes». A high Collision figure means these cars are expensive to repair after a crash; a high Comprehensive figure points at theft, weather and vandalism instead. Estimated annual split at $1,236: Liability (BI + PD) $593 · Collision $346 · Comprehensive $148 · Other (UM / PIP) $148.
The Explorer against its class
Every suvs we hold insurance data for, cheapest to insure first. The Explorer is highlighted — rivals are clickable if you're cross-shopping:
Class as defined by insurers (SUVs), not by us — it groups cars by how they're actually driven and repaired. Median for this class is 94, roughly $1,352 a year.
How it changed by generation
Insurance-loss index of the Explorer across every generation in the data. Newer isn't automatically cheaper — driver-assist systems cut crash frequency, while sensors and aluminium panels push repair bills up:
Each point averages every recorded variant of that generation. The Explorer has become more expensive to insure over time (+6 points).
What a Explorer costs by state
Where you park matters as much as what you drive. The Explorer's index applied to each state's average premium — the same car, the same cover, different postcode:
| State | Explorer est. / yr | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | +39% vs US | |
| Louisiana | +38% vs US | |
| New York | +32% vs US | |
| District of Columbia | +26% vs US | |
| Georgia | +21% vs US | |
| Texas | +20% vs US | |
| Wisconsin | -30% vs US | |
| Hawaii | -31% vs US | |
| Idaho | -32% vs US | |
| North Dakota | -33% vs US | |
| Vermont | -33% vs US | |
| Maine | -36% vs US |
Six priciest and six cheapest states shown. Figures are the state's average premium scaled by the Ford Explorer's loss index of 86 — your own quote also depends on age, record, deductible and ZIP.
Ford Explorer insurance — frequently asked
How much is insurance for a Ford Explorer?
About $1,236 a year for full coverage at the national average, versus $1,438 for a typical car. That's the model's insurance-loss index of 86 applied to the US average premium.
Why is the Explorer expensive or cheap to insure?
For the Ford Explorer the costliest area is Medical payments at an index of 92, covering medical bills for you and passengers — against 83 for its cheapest. Insurers set premiums from claim history like that, not from the sticker price — which is why the Ford Explorer lands at 86, not at what it costs new.
Is the Explorer cheaper to insure than rivals?
It ranks #24 of 78 in the suvs class, where the median index is 94 against this car's 86. Cheaper rivals are listed in the chart above.
Is that a lot relative to the car's value?
A year of cover is 2.7% of what a 2026 Explorer sells for — $1,236 against a median price of $46,184. Cheap cars often show a higher percentage even when the dollar premium is lower, and at 2.7% the Explorer sits on the cheap side of it.
Does its safety rating lower the premium?
Not directly. The Explorer holds 5 stars from NHTSA, but crash-test performance and repair cost are priced separately — a car can protect occupants well and still be costly to fix.
Where does this data come from?
Insurance-loss indices published for real vehicles, combined with NAIC state average premiums. It's claim history, not a quote engine — so it shows what these cars actually cost insurers rather than what one company would offer you.
Will my own quote match this?
Treat it as a baseline for the car itself. Your figure also moves with age, driving record, deductible, mileage and ZIP code — the same Explorer can differ by hundreds between two drivers.
How we work this out
Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.