3 Cons Of Owning And Insuring A High-tech Vehicle

There are a million and one factors to consider when shopping for a car, and auto insurance is certainly one of them. A car is a major expense, so the last thing you want is to spend more insuring the car than you did to actually purchase it. You also don’t want to pay an arm and a leg if something happens to your car’s swanky center console that some hoodlum decided they had to have because your high-tech car lacks a similarly swanky alarm system to protect it.

While newer cars may possess advanced technology that was designed to protect you, the same technology can have its pitfalls. Below are three cons to consider before doing an [auto insurance comparison](https://coverhound.com/) on your future high-tech baby.

It can be distracting

With so many monitors and gauges inside cars, it’s easy to get distracted while driving. Between touch-screen center consoles and GPS navigation devices, among other machinery, there are thousands of accidents each day due to distracted driving. Aside from car tech, cell phones and other hand-held devices account for a [large percentage](http://www.distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html) of distracted-driving incidents. While technology like hands-free Bluetooth and heated seats won’t take your eyes off the road, it can still take your focus and delay your reaction times. If your car has a touchscreen front and center, limit your usage to when the car is parked.

It can be expensive

Not only can the abundance of screens and flashing lights be distracting, but they can also be quite expensive to purchase, insure, and replace. If you purchased a fully-loaded vehicle, a decent portion of the purchase price, compared to that of the base model, can be attributed to the additional technology. Between back-up cameras, blind spot indicators, [hands-free tech](https://coverhound.com/insurance-learning-center/hands-free-is-just-as-distracting), touch-screen center consoles, heated (and cooled) seats, and in-car Wi-Fi, modern automakers’ offerings ensure that you never need to disconnect.

The wealth of technology, while appealing to consumers, is not as attractive to insurance companies. All that equipment puts your vehicle at greater risk for vandalism or theft, so insurers may see your sweet ride as a not-so-sweet deal, since they’ll be the ones footing the bill when something bad happens.

It can make your vehicle more attractive to thieves

Highly-desirable add-ons, like that big-screen center console, are there to entice you when car shopping. Unfortunately, they’re also alluring to thieves. While [high-tech security systems] decrease theft, the addition of cutting-edge equipment inside some cars makes them more attractive targets. So, if you’re going to have flashy gadgets on the inside, be sure your outer tech is up to par.

As with any important purchase, you’ll want to protect your investment as best as you can, so be sure to ask about any discounts for security measures to offset some of the cost of a high-tech vehicle.

Start (https://coverhound.com/auto-insurance) the auto insurance comparison process today with CoverHound to see the best premiums from multiple insurers.