The cost of insurance ranks as one of the two least importantfactors to new car shoppers, according to a survey released todayby the Progressive Group of Insurance Companies.

Fuel efficiency is the second factor of least interest tobuyers, according to the survey conducted by the Mayfield,Ohio-based company.

The survey found that overall purchase price, at 46 percent, isthe most important factor, followed by make and model, at 31percent. Safety and performance come in a distant third, tied at 7percent.

Robin Harbage, Progressive product development manager, said itwas remarkable that car shoppers are concerned with the economicsof buying a car, but not what it actually costs to use it.

"We want people to realize that insurance can have a biginfluence on how much they pay to operate their own car over thelong haul, and that the type of vehicle they buy makes a differencewhen it comes to the cost of insurance," Mr. Harbage said.

When determining rates, insurers generally consider factors suchas the vehicle's make, model, year, weight, horsepower and bodytype. "They analyze how often specific types of cars are involvedin accidents or are stolen, and how much they've paid out in claimsfor various makes and models," Mr. Harbage said. "This helps thempredict the likelihood of future losses and set accurate ratesbased on risk."

And even if budget-conscious consumers are willing to buy a carthat is generally less expensive to insure, they can still savemoney on their insurance by shopping around, Mr. Harbage added.

"Because different insurers consider different factors whensetting rates, the cost to insure a given vehicle can vary byhundreds of dollars among companies," he said.