When it comes to cheaper auto insurance, family-friendly four doors are usually your best bet.

The humble though still popular Chrysler Town & Country is a sensible car that's fairly cheap to insure. On the other hand, if imported luxury is your preferred mode of transportation, be prepared for hefty insurance premiums to go with all the trappings.

Knee-buckling beauties like the 12-cylinder Mercedes SL65 AMG can set you back a national average of $3,543.81 per year in insurance costs alone, making it one of the most expensive cars to insure, according to data from Quadrant Information Services commissioned by Insure.com.

Overall, European brands including Mercedes, Porsche, Aston Martin and BMW are the most expensive to safeguard.

"Repairing just one feature after a crash could cost a small fortune," notes Insure.com of the well-stocked of a BMW 750i which can set you back about $3,280.70 in annual insurance fees.

Meanwhile, American and Japanese non-luxury minivans, SUVs and sedans make up the 10 least expensive cars to insure, according to Quadrant's data. The top four cheapest cars to insure are minivans.

The four-door, six cylinder Chrysler Town & Country LX, for example, costs an national average of $1,091.80 per year to insure. The five-door, four-cylinder Toyota Sienna costs $1,100.66 per year to insure, and a similar Toyota Sienna LE costs about $1,107.70 to insure.

For comparison's sake, Quadrant calculates average annual insurance premiums based on a single 40-year-old male driver with a clean driving record, good credit, and who commutes 12 miles to work each day.

The premiums Quadrant comes up with include uninsured motorist coverage with policy limits of $100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident, plus a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage.

Premium quotes come from six large insurance carriers: State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, Farmers and Nationwide.