Should We Turn Japanese to Lower Our Car Insurance?

apanese manufacturers have always been noted for producing dependable motor vehicles, however, now that they have swept the board in the UK's largest ever car reliability survey should we all be switching to Hondas, Toyotas and the like to lower our car insurance premiums?
It's well known that the more conventional and reliable the car, the lower car insurance premiums tend to be. According to the Which? survey, it doesn't get any more reliable than Japanese cars with Honda topping the reliability index at 85 percent, Toyota in second with 84 per cent, while Daihatsu, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki all tied with 83 percent.
Perhaps to the surprise of many who deem Germans traditionally the producers of the most dependable vehicles, the Audi, Mercedes Benz and BMW marques all produced average scores while Volkswagen was rated as poor.
So with finances tight should we switch to a Japanese car to save money on our car insurance?
The answer is - not necessarily. Car insurance companies will take into account the insurance group rating, power and performance of a vehicle, as well as any modifications. A Nissan 350Z, for example, will cost more to insure than a Ford Fiesta. So really, it all depends on the vehicle.
Another point is that Toyota and Honda are leading the way in the manufacturing of 'green cars' - the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic IMA are the top-selling hybrids in the world. However, whereas these vehicles can secure significant savings at the pump this isn't relatable to car insurance where you'll actually pay extra due to enhanced repair costs.