There are various costs involved in buying a car, which means the final price you pay will often be a great deal more than the vehicle's sale value alone. The cost of essential services such as car insurance can vary significantly depending on the type of car you drive. You could face steep premiums even if you've avoided accidents and managed to maintain a no-claims bonus for many years.

Generally speaking, the more expensive a car is to buy, the higher it will cost to insure. This is also often the case with rare vehicles that are difficult to find replacement parts for in the event of damage. If you're buying vehicles such as sports cars that are more associated with reckless driving, you may also be required to pay steeper premiums than when buying city cars like sedans and station wagons, which are typically used for shorter commutes and are involved in fewer road accidents.

According to a recent study of average insurance rates for a number of vehicles worldwide, the most expensive cars to insure were found to belong to the Mercedes and BMW range - namely the Mercedes SL65 AMG, SL63 AMG and S65 AMG and BMW 750i and 750Li, all of which cost more than £1,500 per month on average in premiums. These are the rates for the 'average' driver - a single, 40-year-old male who travels 12 miles to work and back each day, with a good driving record.

Even if you drive a vehicle that's comparatively expensive to insure, there are a number of ways to reduce your car insurance premiums, and it's often advisable to compare different rates offered by several leading providers before making your decision. To cut car insurance costs, you can check whether there are any features of the policy that you feel you don't need and then request to have them removed. You may also consider taking a refresher course to obtain a driving safety certificate that can be shown to your insurers as evidence of your safe driving skills.

At the other end of the scale, the least expensive vehicles to insure were found to include the Chrysler Town and Country four-door wagon, Sienna 4 Cylinder wagon, Toyota Sienna LE, Honda Odyssey LX and Nissan Murano SL. In the case of some of these vehicles, these low rates may be partly due to their excellent safety standards that often reduce the amount that needs to be claimed on insurance policies following collisions.

The author of this article is a part of a digital blogging team who work with brands Confused.com. The content contained in this article is for information purposes only and should not be used to make any financial decisions.