Drivers who are bound to a stringent auto budget may be surprised to learn that smaller, inexpensive vehicles actually cost more on average to insure. Insure.com recently released a compilation of the most and least expensive cars to insure in 2012 that does not reflect the assumptions of many consumers.

While luxury automobiles like Porsche, Audi, Mercedes and BMW topped the list of most expensive, one might assume that more basic models would be on the affordable end of the insurance spectrum. With SUVs, trucks and minivans rounding out the least expensive ratio, what makes the unassuming compact or mid-size vehicles more costly to insure?

MarketWatch used data from Insure.com to explain why the cost of insuring a Honda Civic ($2,353 per year) more than doubles the yearly insurance cost of a Toyota Sienna ($1,111). Accident claims play a determining factor into the price of a premium.

"Even if you’ve never crashed a car, you’ll end up paying if other people are crashing your choice of car," said editorial director of Insure.com, Amy Danise.

Accidents involving compact cars amount to more damage, injuries and substantial repairs, establishing a relationship between health care costs and insurance rates. Other elements that lend themselves to high insurance rates include incidents of theft and geographic location.