When buying any kind of car, you always need to look at insurance as a component of your purchase. Various countries/provinces/states have different laws around what insurance is mandated and what is optional, so by all means refer to your local information sources to determine the baseline of what you need before purchasing a vehicle.
When looking at any vehicle purchase and planning your budget, it is advisable to check with an insurance agent in advance so that you can plan the cost of insurance into your purchase. For example, if you only have $500/month available for car expenses, and insurance will cost you $100/month, you would need to plan for a $400/month vehicle, which might translate to a different model of car, or buying a used car that is slightly older than what you had initially intended. When you find the right vehicle and get close to finalizing the purchase, it is also better to work out insurance in advance so that it is covered on day one (in fact in many places it is illegal to drive an uninsured vehicle).
Like most other products or services, the Internet can also help you to shop for insurance rates. Don’t feel that you need to take whatever is offered by the first insurance agent you talk to, use the Internet to search for posted rates from various insurance companies, and in fact you can even request quotes/bids online from multiple companies without leaving your home, and choose whichever is best.
Similar to your credit rating with a bank (which can impact what kind of loan rate you qualify for), a better driving record will certainly help you to qualify for better insurance rates, so if you have a perfect driving record, be sure to shop around for the best rate, but if you have a spotty history (accidents, tickets, etc.), then you might need to be more flexible, and you may be in the position of taking what you can find, even if the terms are less attractive.
