Although many factors contribute to auto insurance pricing, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) generally cost more to insure than other vehicles. This is a general statement, but there are still those who manage to get reasonable rates for their SUVs. Here are four measures you can use to ensure your SUV doesn't cost an arm and a leg to insure:

Get a New SUV

SUVs, especially the earlier ones, had higher risks of rollovers than sedans. To make matters worse, rollovers tend to attract higher fatalities than other types of crashes in passenger vehicles. This means older SUVs present a big risk to insurers who have to pay higher claims for the serious injuries the vehicles.

However, car design technology has greatly increased over the years, and newer SUVs have low risks of rollovers. Therefore, driving a newer SUV is less risky than driving an older one as far as the risk of a rollover is concerned.

Choose a Safe Brand and Model

Different brands and models of SUVs present different risks on the road. Research safety ratings of different SUVs and avoid the ones with dismal records.  You can get good information from the websites of different organizations, such as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), among others.

Make It Difficult To Steal

It's not just the risk of injury that increases insurance rates; the risk that your car may get stolen is also bad for your insurance quotes. According to some statistics, pickups and SUVs are among the most stolen cars. Therefore, you need to invest in making your SUV difficult to steal. Some of the measures to help you here include:

• Parking in a safe garage at home.
• Installing an alarm and using an alarm sticker to deter thieves.
• Locking doors at all times.
• Installing immobilization devices.

Avoid High-Performance Models

For some people, buying a low-performance SUV may defeat the purpose of buying such a car in the first place. However, others just buy SUVS for their roomier interiors, looks, and practicality. If you don't mind performance so much, then avoiding powerful SUVs may help you keep your insurance rates low. This is because the high performance makes it much more likely that you will drive at higher speeds and incur accidents.

Use these tips with the other measures you would take when shopping for cheap auto insurance for any other car. for example, you need to compare quotes and ask your agent about any discounts you qualify for.