[ams6110]

It will have some effect, but insurance is a fairly small piece of the total cost of ownership of a car. It will be interesting to see if the cost of all the extra mechanisms and electronics to make a self-driving car are offset by lower premiums over the expected period of ownership.

[milesf]

Small? I pay over $1000 a year for insurance up here in Canada, and keep my vehicles for more than 10 years. That's a good chunk of the cost of a vehicle.

[001sky]

http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

[ams6110]

Interesting, I picked what I thought would be a "typical" car (Ford Focus sedan) and it shows the insurance getting more expensive as the car gets older. That's exactly the opposite of my experience with any car I've ever owned.

I'm also reminded why I drive old cars that are cheap to insure. My insurance costs are a fraction of what that page shows.

[stormbrew]

This assumes the insurance cost of a non-self-driving car doesn't go up as the pool of people using them shrinks and the liability shifts to them. Insurance companies like people who probably won't have to take their money more than people who will eventually have to.

[elchief]

Is it?

Let's say I buy a new 2014 Corolla for $16,800 and keep it for 20 years.

My insurance (in BC) would be about $100/month or $24,000

Even according to the Edmunds' calculator, insurance is the largest single cost.