Why do they call it a vehicle make and model?

You'll likely hear the phrase "make and model" when you're shopping for a car or getting auto insurance. "Make" refers to the vehicle's manufacturer, such as Ford or Chevrolet. "Model" is the name of the product.

Many types of products have makes and models, including refrigerators and washing machines, computers and smartphones like the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy.

Examples of vehicle makes and models are Ford F-150, Honda Civic and Nissan Rogue.

A car's make and model influences your auto insurance rates. Insurers drill down even further and take into account body style and trim level. The body style refers to whether it's a sedan, hatchback coupe or station wagon. The trim level is often the letters at the end of car names like DX and LS. For instance, Honda Civic LX or even Honda Civic Sport Touring.

An EX might look the same or almost identical to you as an LX, but they are different in some way whether it's equipment or amenities. To an insurer, they are different vehicles with different claims records. You could pay hundreds more to insure the same make/model, but with different body style and trim levels.

How and why the type of car you drive affects your car insurance

When devising car insurance rates, auto insurance companies also take into account your driving record, ZIP code and the demographics of the drivers of the vehicle, including age.

Insurance companies want to limit risk. If an insurer finds that it pays out more claims for a specific make and model, it will consider that vehicle riskier. That means higher insurance rates on those vehicles. Some reasons why could be a make/model gets into more accidents or is stolen more than other vehicles.

An insurer will also take into account safety features on vehicles and the cost of claims. A sports or luxury car that costs more to fix will cost more to insure than a standard pickup truck.

Your ZIP code also plays a large role in your rates. Insurance companies will set higher rates for ZIP codes with higher claims. You can find out your ZIP codes' average car insurance rates by checking out CarInsurance.com's Average Car Insurance Rates.

Before buying a vehicle, it's a good idea to check how much it will cost to insure. If you're buying a new car, go to Insure.com's new car insurance tool. To get an idea of rates for top-selling used vehicle make and models, you can also review the chart below:

You'll also see in the chart below the most and least expensive used cars to insure for 2006 to 2016 model years. Enter a year between 2006 and 2016 in the search field to see the rankings.

Average car insurance rates by year for 2006 to 2016 models

You can also get quotes from auto insurance companies. This is especially a good idea if you're torn between two types of vehicles. You may find it will cost hundreds more to insure one vehicle compared to another. That could influence your car-buying decision.

Before contacting insurers, you'll want to have:

• Your driver's license number and the license numbers for anyone else who will be listed on the policy
• The vehicle's year make, model and other information, including body style and trim level
• The Vehicle Identification Number
• Your registration

You'll also want to think about what coverage levels you want for collision and comprehensive coverage, as well as liability.

Once you have that information ready, contact at least three car insurance companies and get quotes for the same policy. A good place to start to find a car insurance company is checking out Insure.com's Best Insurance Companies.

Also, ask about discounts. Auto insurance companies give discounts for a whole variety of things, including bundling your auto and home insurance, being accident-free, affiliations with employers and organizations and even having a student with great grades on your policy.

Let CarInsurance.com take you through the auto insurance buying process.