10 cars cost the most to insure in 2026, led by the BMW M5 at $652 a month

Shoppers who walk into a dealership for an upscale sedan or a fast coupe fixate on two numbers: the sticker price and the loan payment. The insurance bill sits outside that conversation, even though it keeps arriving for as long as the car stays in the driveway. A policy on a high-end ride can add thousands of dollars a year to the true cost of ownership. It can turn a purchase that looked affordable on paper into a strain on the household budget. Knowing the insurance bill before signing gives a buyer room to weigh one car against another, shop around, or walk away from the deal.

Carriers charge more to cover a vehicle whose repair or replacement runs expensive and whose claims tend to be large. Luxury electric vehicles and performance models fit that description. They carry high-dollar parts, advanced technology, and extra power, and each of those traits raises both the repair tab after a crash and the risk a carrier absorbs. Ordinary, non-luxury models can carry steep rates of their own. Thieves may target them, their features may be expensive to fix, or they may turn up in more claims than typical vehicles. The rate a driver pays tracks what a carrier expects to spend after a loss, and what a vehicle sells for offers a partial clue to that amount. Anyone who understands these factors can brace for a hefty quote before it lands.

The Zebra ranked the 10 vehicles that draw the largest premiums in 2026 in a guide it updated Sept. 3, 2026. The list sorts the entries by average monthly premium. Each entry also gets an average annual total and a manufacturer's suggested retail price, or MSRP, along with a percent-of-MSRP figure. Each entry names the cheapest company among those the publisher reviewed, along with that company's monthly charge. Most entries add an upper-end annual sum, a ceiling that hinges on a motorist's profile and coverage choices. Independent editors and licensed agents write and review the site's content, and the publisher discloses partnerships with some of the firms it covers. This article walks through all 10 vehicles on the list.

Owners of the BMW M5 pay an average of $652 a month to insure the car, a bill the guide puts 260% above the national average for auto coverage. Over 12 months, the tab reaches $7,819. The Audi S8 and Audi RS 7, the closest followers on the 2026 list, each come in $63 a month lower, which leaves the M5 alone at the expensive end.

Two traits push the price of this sedan in the same direction. The M5 marries luxury with track-level performance, and the guide notes that each quality tends to drive premiums higher. Put both in one car, and the M5 hands insurers two separate reasons to charge more.

A purchase price below four other models on the list does little to soften the M5's charges. The sedan carries an MSRP of roughly $119,500, less than the Audi S8, Audi RS 7, BMW X6 M, and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Even so, its percent-of-MSRP figure lands at 6.54%, the second-highest share in the ranking, behind the Lucid $LCID Air. Measured against its own sticker, the M5 costs more to cover than eight of the other nine vehicles, a sign that its price tag alone does not explain the expense.

Picking the right carrier can trim hundreds of dollars from the monthly payment. Progressive $PGR posted the lowest rate for the M5, at about $365 a month. The gap between Progressive's quote and the model's average comes to about $287 a month, or about $3,444 across a year. Farmers, at the other extreme, charges the most of any company reviewed for this car.

Some M5 drivers face annual costs thousands of dollars above the mean. Depending on driver profile and the coverage selected, the sedan's yearly policy can exceed $11,700, more than $3,800 above the typical figure. Set beside Progressive's annualized rate of roughly $4,380, the high-end amount marks a spread of more than $7,300 for the same vehicle. A driver at the top of that range pays more than 2.6 times what Progressive's lowest rate would cost over a year.

The Audi S8 costs owners an average of $7,069 a year to insure, a slim $4 more than the Audi RS 7, even though both models run $589 a month. The monthly tie conceals a gap that surfaces on the annual bill alone. Four dollars spread across 12 months amounts to pocket change on a six-figure sedan. Neither Audi offers a meaningful break over the other.

Engineering drives the S8's steep bill. The full-size luxury performance sedan carries a powerful engine and advanced technology, and the source credits both with pushing its premiums above those of standard luxury sedans. Carbuyer reports that an eight-speed automatic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive deliver that power to the pavement. The hardware puts a concrete face on the muscle the source names as a cost driver.

The S8 lists at around $120,500, about $8,100 below the RS 7, yet its percent-of-MSRP figure reaches 5.87% against 5.49% for its sibling. Owners of the cheaper Audi hand over the larger annual sum. Between these two cars, a lower sticker price brings no savings on protection.

Nationwide offered the S8's lowest quote at about $299 a month, some $290 below its usual monthly charge. Across a year, the difference adds up to about $3,480. The S8's best quote beats the RS 7's cheapest offer by about $59 a month. Nationwide's showing stands out. Progressive $PGR undercuts the field on eight of the 10 vehicles in the ranking, and the S8 is one of two where Nationwide comes in cheapest.

Coverage selections and a driver's risk factors can lift an S8 policy beyond its average by a wide margin. The list offers no upper annual figure for the S8, leaving its worst-case cost an open question. The RS 7 and most other entries carry one. An S8 shopper stands to save more by comparing carriers than by choosing between the two Audis.

The Audi RS 7 runs an average of $589 a month to insure, matching the Audi S8 to the dollar on a monthly basis. Annual totals split the pair by the narrowest of margins. The RS 7 comes to $7,065 a year, a few dollars under the S8, and that sliver alone sets the two Audis in separate slots on the list.

Sticker price opens a wider divide between the two Audis than their policies do. The RS 7 carries an MSRP of about $128,600, some $8,100 above the S8's sticker of around $120,500. Its percent-of-MSRP figure comes in at 5.49%, against 5.87% for the S8. Owners hand over the same sum each month to protect the pricier machine, and each premium dollar ends up shielding more car in the RS 7's case.

Two vehicles among the 10 post a smaller percent-of-MSRP figure than the RS 7: the BMW X6 M at 4.90% and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class at 3.93%. The RS 7 also wears the second-highest price tag on the list, trailing the G-Class at around $143,000, while the X6 M follows at about $127,200. The three most expensive vehicles to buy hold the three smallest shares, a pattern suggesting that on this list, insurance bills lag behind purchase prices at the top end.

A powerful engine and high-end components make the RS 7, a high-performance luxury sportback, costly to fix or replace after a claim. Carriers fold that repair exposure into the rates they set. The hardware explains why a car that demands a modest slice of its sticker still sets owners back more than $7,000 a year to cover.

Progressive $PGR offers the cheapest option for the RS 7, at roughly $358 a month. A driver who secures that quote pays about $231 less each month than the average, a yearly saving close to $2,770. Some RS 7 policies top $11,000 a year, depending on driver profile and coverage choices. Farmers sits at the pricey end of the insurer field for this Audi.

Progressive's monthly figure annualizes to about $4,296, more than $6,700 below the $11,000-plus ceiling. Company choice and personal risk factors can move an RS 7 owner's bill by thousands of dollars, a swing that dwarfs the few dollars separating this Audi from the S8.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class demands an average of $548 a month to insure, a yearly total of $6,574 for one of the best-known luxury sedans on the road. Familiarity earns the car no break. The S-Class trails the Audi S8 by $41 a month and sits $18 ahead of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. Monthly averages from the S8 down to the SL-Class span $59, and the S-Class falls inside that band, closer to the SL-Class.

The S-Class carries a sticker price near $117,750, below both Audi models ahead of it. Its percent-of-MSRP figure of 5.58% lands between the S8's 5.87% and the RS 7's 5.49%. The RS 7 costs about $10,850 more to buy yet absorbs a smaller share of its price in yearly insurance. Purchase price alone does not set what a policy on this sedan runs.

Progressive $PGR offered the S-Class's lowest average rate, at about $309 a month. Progressive's quote undercuts the model's overall average by about $239 a month. Across a year, the gap grows to about $2,866, trimming more than 40% off the typical annual expense. An owner who secures Progressive's rate pays about $3,708 over 12 months. Farmers sits at the far end of the insurer spread for this model.

Driver risk pushes S-Class bills the other way. Motorists with higher-risk profiles can face steeper premiums than the sedan's average, and the guide gives no upper-end figure for this model. The RS 7, the SL-Class, and six other entries each carry a stated ceiling. The S-Class and the Audi S8 stand as the only two without one. The missing cap leaves S-Class shoppers with less guidance on their worst case.

Progressive's monthly discount dwarfs the distance separating the S-Class from either the S8 or the SL-Class, and it outstrips the full spread covering all three vehicles. The choice of carrier moves an S-Class buyer's bill more than picking among these three luxury models.

Illustration: Quartz

The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class requires an average of $530 a month in insurance premiums, a bill that totals $6,364 across a full year for this luxury roadster. The source blames the car's performance capabilities and high-end components for pushing its insurance past the norm. The roadster carries a sticker price around $113,100, and the source's percent-of-MSRP figure for it comes to 5.63%.

Progressive $PGR offers the cheapest SL-Class policy at about $241 a month. Drivers who land that quote pay $289 less each month than the model's typical figure. The same discount shrinks to $239 on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, where Progressive charges about $309. Across 12 months, Progressive's SL rate works out to about $2,892, less than half the yearly average. Farmers sits at the opposite extreme as the most expensive carrier in the source's graphic for the roadster, though the graphic attaches no dollar amount to Farmers.

Some SL-Class owners can pay more than $8,800 a year, depending on the coverage levels they choose. The top of that range sits at least $2,436 above the annual average. A gap of $5,900 or more separates Progressive's annualized rate from that ceiling. A spread that wide makes comparison shopping worth the effort for anyone behind the wheel of this roadster.

The SL-Class runs $18 a month less to insure than the S-Class, yet the roadster's percent-of-MSRP figure edges past the sedan's 5.58%. The S-Class lists near $117,750, about $4,650 above the roadster. Mercedes-Benz's AMG GT sports car sits on the other side, listing near $101,750 and running $24 a month cheaper than the SL. The BMW X6 M breaks that tidy order. BMW's performance SUV carries a sticker near $127,200, about $14,100 above the SL-Class, yet its owners pay $11 a month less. Purchase price alone cannot explain where the roadster lands, which lends weight to the source's focus on its performance and parts.

The BMW X6 M averages $519 a month to insure, which works out to $6,233 over a full year. The report links the bill to three traits of this high-performance luxury SUV: its sticker price, its powerful engine, and its costly components. The report adds that the trio lifts its premiums above what owners of many other SUVs pay.

The X6 M carries an MSRP of about $127,200, the third-highest on the list, behind the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Audi RS 7. Its percent-of-MSRP figure of 4.90% is the second-smallest among the 10 vehicles. Relative to its showroom tag, the SUV's coverage burden looks light next to every sedan and sports car in the lineup.

The X6 M runs $50 a month more to cover than the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, though the G-Class sells for about $15,800 more. Across a year, the difference reaches $610. The comparison shows that a steeper showroom tag does not by itself produce a bigger insurance bill.

Progressive $PGR charges the least among the carriers in the comparison, around $243 a month, less than half the SUV's average. Over 12 months, that rate comes to about $2,916. The quote sits $276 below the X6 M's monthly average. Some drivers face annual bills near $10,900 at the upper end of the range, about 3.7 times the Progressive figure. Farmers comes in as the priciest carrier for this model.

The X6 M undercuts its stablemate, the BMW M5, by $133 a month, despite a price tag about $7,700 higher. A buyer weighing the two BMWs could spend more on the SUV at the dealership and face a smaller monthly bill. Nearly $8,000 separates the annualized Progressive rate from the top of the X6 M's range, about 13 times the $610 gap between this SUV and the G-Class. Carrier choice, coverage, and driver profile can swing an owner's yearly outlay by a wider margin than picking between these two luxury SUVs.

The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, a luxury sports car, costs an average of $506 a month to insure, which adds up to $6,073 over a full year. The ranking ties the hefty bill to the car's high-performance design and to the steep price of fixing it after damage. Both traits raise what a carrier stands to pay out when an owner files a claim.

Progressive $PGR quotes the AMG GT at about $131 a month, the cheapest offer in the comparison. Over 12 months, that charge totals about $1,572, around one-quarter of the car's mean yearly total. At the opposite end, some drivers may face annual costs above $14,000, about 2.3 times the mean.

More than $12,400 separates the yearly cost of the Progressive policy from the top of the reported range. No other vehicle among the 10 shows a spread this wide between its lowest quote and its upper bound. The Lucid $LCID Air comes closest without matching the Mercedes. The gap reveals how far a driver's profile and coverage choices can push the bill for this model.

The AMG GT's MSRP of about $101,750 leaves much of its premium unexplained. The source puts its percent-of-MSRP figure at 5.97%. The Porsche Panamera lists within $200 of the Mercedes but costs $23 less a month to cover. The Lucid Air sells for about $31,850 less than the AMG GT, yet its monthly bill sits $3 lower. Sticker price offers a weak guide to what owners of this Mercedes pay.

Shopping among carriers rewards an AMG GT owner more than the owner of any other model on the list. Progressive undercuts the AMG GT's monthly figure by $375, a savings worth about $4,500 over a year. The Audi S8 posts the next-largest monthly discount at $290, or $85 short of the Mercedes. The ceiling above $14,000 runs about 8.9 times Progressive's annual charge, the largest such multiple among the 10 vehicles.

The Lucid $LCID Air carries a percent-of-MSRP figure of 8.64%, the heaviest insurance burden relative to price among the 10 vehicles on the list. The electric sedan also wears the smallest sticker of the group, at about $69,900. Owners pay an average of $503 a month, or $6,040 a year, for coverage. The Air's monthly bill runs $20 above the Porsche Panamera's, even though the Panamera costs about $31,650 more to buy.

Electric luxury models such as the Air belong to a class that insurers treat as costly to cover. Luxury EVs carry expensive parts and advanced technology, and both traits push up the bill to fix or replace a car after a crash. Carriers set rates around the size of the claims they expect to pay. A modest purchase price does nothing to shrink a repair bill tied to pricey parts and advanced systems.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class sells for more than twice the Air's sticker price, yet its owners spend $34 less a month on their policies. Its percent-of-MSRP figure comes in at less than half the Lucid's. The two models invert the pattern a shopper might expect, with the cheaper car drawing the larger bill. The figure on the window explains little of what carriers charge for these 10 models.

Nationwide offers the Air's lowest average rate among the carriers the publisher reviewed, at about $229 a month, or $274 below the model's average premium. Across 12 months, the Nationwide quote comes to about $2,748. Nationwide beats every rival on two vehicles in the ranking, the Air and the Audi S8, and Progressive $PGR holds the cheapest rate on the other eight. At the opposite extreme, some Air policies climb to nearly $15,000 a year, depending on the driver's profile and the coverage the buyer picks.

Roughly $12,000 a year separates the Nationwide average from the costliest Air policies. The gap exceeds the average annual premium of every vehicle on the list, the BMW M5 included. It dwarfs the $2,196 spread between the highest and lowest average yearly bills across all 10 models. An Air owner's insurer, profile, and coverage tier swing the bill by a wider margin than separates any two averages on this list.

The Porsche Panamera, a luxury performance sedan, carries an average insurance bill of $483 a month, or $5,791 across a full year. Its high-performance components and luxury features inflate repair costs, according to the guide, and insurers build those expected expenses into their prices. The sedan's monthly premium sits $169 below the BMW M5's, the steepest on the list.

Progressive $PGR offers the lowest Panamera rate at about $249 a month, $234 below the average. Across 12 months, the Progressive quote comes to about $2,988, a little more than half the typical yearly sum. Some drivers shoulder a heavier load, with charges that may approach $9,800 a year. The upper figure runs about 1.7 times the sedan's average annual total. Between the cheapest monthly quote and that ceiling, one Panamera owner could pay more than three times what another does. The guide's graphics name Farmers as the most expensive insurer for the sedan.

The Panamera's list price of about $101,550 undercuts every other vehicle among the 10 except the Lucid $LCID Air. Its percent-of-MSRP figure lands at 5.70%, fifth-highest in the group. The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT comes closest on price at about $101,750, a $200 difference. Yet the AMG GT averages $23 more a month to cover and carries a 5.97% share. Twin price tags still yield unequal insurance bills for these two performance cars.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class breaks any neat link between purchase price and insurance cost. The SUV wears a sticker about $41,450 higher than the Panamera's, yet its average monthly charge comes in $14 lower. Its percent-of-MSRP figure of 3.93% sits 1.77 percentage points below the Panamera's. The BMW X6 M, a performance SUV, has an MSRP about $25,650 above the Panamera's but averages a mere $36 more a month. Sticker price alone would lead a shopper to underestimate what the Panamera demands in premiums.