People tend to believe that the reason why convertible vehicles have higher auto insurance premiums is due to their lack of safety. Let�s get the facts straight. First of all, with the new safety standards, convertibles are nearly as safe as hardtops. Although they are less stiff than hardtops, they are reinforced in other areas to compensate. Technology has really come forward to provide new safety devices such as pillars that pop up in a rollover to side-curtain airbags.

There are three main reasons why insurance premiums are higher for convertibles. For starters, convertibles are more expensive than hardtops given the same type and model vehicle. For example the Audi TT convertible is $2,000-$3,000 more expensive than the coupe. The Corvette convertible is $7,000 more expensive than the coupe.

The second reason is car theft. Convertibles are among the most stolen of all cars. For example, the Corvette convertible had the second highest loss payment of all cars.

And finally, convertibles are generally high-performance and sports cars, which naturally carry higher premiums to begin with. You don�t normally see econocars with a soft top.

When it comes to convertibles, expect to pay a couple of hundred more a year for insurance. That really isn�t too much considering how much a convertible would cost you. There�s always a price to pay for being impractical.