About $706 a year for full coverage on a national average — 51% less than the $1,438 average car. Insurers rate the Smart Fortwo at an index of 49 where 100 is a typical vehicle, based on how often and how expensively these cars actually generate claims (latest data covers 2017-2019).
The premium isn't spread evenly across the Smart Fortwo: Collision — damage to your own car in a crash — carries its highest loss index at 49, while Collision sits at 49. Those 0 points are the real reason behind the price, and they are the part a quote form never shows you. Against what the car is worth the bill looks different again: a 2016 Fortwo sells for a median $8,300, so a year of cover costs 8.5% of the car's value. Over 11 generations of data the index has climbed from 39 (2006-2008) to 49 (2017-2019). Calculated from 19 insurance-loss records and live US listing prices.
Why a Fortwo 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 $706: Liability (BI + PD) $339 · Collision $198 · Comprehensive $85 · Other (UM / PIP) $85.
How it changed by generation
Insurance-loss index of the Fortwo 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 Fortwo has become more expensive to insure over time (+11 points).
What a Fortwo costs by state
Where you park matters as much as what you drive. The Fortwo's index applied to each state's average premium — the same car, the same cover, different postcode:
| State | Fortwo 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 Smart Fortwo's loss index of 49 — your own quote also depends on age, record, deductible and ZIP.
Smart Fortwo insurance — frequently asked
How much is insurance for a Smart Fortwo?
About $706 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 49 applied to the US average premium.
Why is the Fortwo expensive or cheap to insure?
For the Smart Fortwo the costliest area is Collision at an index of 49, covering damage to your own car in a crash — against 49 for its cheapest. Insurers set premiums from claim history like that, not from the sticker price — which is why the Smart Fortwo lands at 49, not at what it costs new.
Is that a lot relative to the car's value?
A year of cover is 8.5% of what a 2016 Fortwo sells for — $706 against a median price of $8,300. Cheap cars often show a higher percentage even when the dollar premium is lower, and at 8.5% the Fortwo sits on the expensive side of that trade.
Does its safety rating lower the premium?
Not directly. The Fortwo holds 4 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 Fortwo can differ by hundreds between two drivers.
How we work this out
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