Car Insurance For Teenagers
If a teen is going to college, parents begin preparations years in advance. However, most teens will be getting a drivers license at some point, yet few parents really prepare in advance even though planning can save on car insurance for teenagers and young drivers.
There are several discounts for teen drivers and way to get cheaper car insurance, especially for those who are on their parents’ auto insurance policy. A little research can help parents find the best car insurance company for teenage drivers before they add a young driver to their policy coverage.
Finding The Right Auto Insurance Company
Not all car insurance companies offer teenage car insurance discounts, so shopping around and asking questions is a good idea. Parents might want to consider looking for an insurer several years before the teen will begin driving. Placing other insurance needs like life, homeowners, boat and RV insurance with the same carrier will help parents save money on all their insurance policies and take advantage of the discounts for teen drivers when they add their student driver to the policy.
Also, it is important to realize that car insurance companies have different specialties and determine car insurance rates very differently. One insurance company may specialize in insuring higher risk drivers and provide cheap car insurance for teenagers versus another car insurance company. Comparing car insurance quotes, coverage, and rates from different auto insurance companies is the only way to determine who provides the best, affordable rates.
Good Student Discounts
Quite a few insurance companies offer good student discounts. Since young drivers do not have a driving record or history, insurers need to use other indicators to calculate and determine risk. Good students with good attendance at school demonstrate more responsibility than students with poor grades and poor attendance, so students with a GPA of at least 3.0 may qualify for a good student discount, which can save their parents’ as much as 15% on car insurance. Learn more about discount car insurance.
Working or Volunteering Can Lower Insurance Rates
A clean driving record demonstrates a responsible attitude, but with no driving record to check, other indicators of responsibility can help teenagers keep their rates low. A good work record or employment history at a weekend or after school job, or volunteering several hours a week for a community program shows a good attitude and a sense of responsibility.
Insurance companies and colleges look for many of the same qualities in teenage drivers, so parents can help teens prepare for driving and college at the same time. Cheap car insurance can also allow parents to save more towards college.
Drivers Education Classes
Most high schools, even online high schools, offer drivers education classes for student drivers in their second or third year of high school. These courses prepare students to take the written driving test and road test for their license.
Many car insurance companies offer discounts to teens who successfully complete a high school driver’s education program. If a teen’s school doesn’t offer a driver education program, signing up for a program at a private driving school or with your car insurance company can qualify for the discount.
Defensive Driving Discounts
In several states, car insurance companies must provide a 10% discount for drivers who have completed a defensive driving class. The discount does not apply to teens in all states, but if parents require the defensive driving class, they can make their own car insurance quotes more affordable, and in some states, lower their teen’s rate as well. Defensive driving classes are cheap, take about 8 hours to complete and reduce auto insurance rates for up to two years.
Choosing The Right Car Insurance
Optional coverage like collision and comprehensive can be expensive, so if mom and dad drive late model cars, it may be worthwhile to invest in an old, cheap sedan or compact model for a teen. Liability auto insurance rates for sedans and compacts are lower than for more powerful cars and not carrying optional full coverage on a teenager’s car can save on premiums.
Parents can ask for online car insurance quotes from their insurance company to find cheap car insurance for their teen driver. Also, learn more about collision vs. comprehensive car insurance coverage.
Should A Teenager Have His or Her Own Insurance Policy?
If a teen is a minor, he or she may have to be on the parent’s policy. Usually, it is cheaper for teens living at home to be on the parent’s policy since most companies offer discounts, like multi-car discounts that lower the rates for the entire family’s policy. If a teen is over 18 and not a full time student, parents must decide if the teenager should find and pay for his or her own auto insurance policy.
What If A Teenager Gets A Traffic Ticket?
For a young driver, a traffic citation can raise car insurance premiums significantly. In some states, if a driver is cited for a moving violation, he or she can opt to go to traffic school and have the ticket removed from their driving record, maintaining a clean history and lower rates. In states where traffic school is an option, the one time, low cost fee of traffic school is a lot less expensive than two or three years of increased premium rates for a traffic citation.
Driving Is A Privilege
Driving is a privilege, not from a parent’s perspective, but in terms of the law. A state driver’s license gives the driver permission to drive and the state reserves the right to revoke that permission. Parents should take note of this fact and apply it in their own households where they make the laws. If a teen breaks the rules while driving, parents should suspend his or her driving privileges to avoid losing cheap car insurance rates.
Get Preferred Insurance Rates
Parents can save money on car insurance for teenagers if they themselves qualify for preferred rates. Drivers who maintain a clean driving record and a good credit score qualify for the lowest insurance rates. When parents secure preferred rates while getting and comparing car insurance quotes online, their premiums are usually lower for their teen drivers. This can also set a good example for children who learn that good driving habits save money.
Teens or Students Living Away From Home
If a young driver is over 18 and a full time student living in a college dorm, he or she can remain on the parent’s auto insurance policy. If your son or daughter is not a full time student, and is employed with his or her own home, he or she probably will not qualify for coverage under the parent’s policy and may have to buy a separate policy.
Teenagers or young drivers who are members of the armed forces maintaining their parent’s home address as their own usually qualify for coverage under the parent’s policy.
Teens In the Military May Qualify For Discounts
Although not all insurers offer special discounts for members of the U.S. armed forces, many car insurance companies do provide these discounts. If a teen or young driver in the military is still insured on his or her parents’ policy, the parents may ask about military discounts. If a teen is out of the country on active military duty, parents should notify their auto insurance company since the teen is not driving the car on a regular basis, resulting in cheaper insurance rates.
Safety First
While finding and maintaining lower insurance premiums is important, the safety of teen drivers is paramount. Make sure cars driven by teenagers or young drivers have working seat belts (and make sure they use them), airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control systems, and alarm or anti-theft systems.
Cars with side curtain airbags provide protection from head injuries. Antilock brakes and other safety features help teens stay safe, and car insurance companies often reward high safety-rated make and model vehicles with more affordable car insurance.
Comparing Rates From Different Auto Insurance Companies
Even parents who have prepared in advance and found all the discounts they could should keep comparing online car insurance rate quotes from different insurance companies. It’s easy to get free instant auto insurance quotes and check not only the different carriers, but the adjustments that can be made to an existing auto policy to lower rates. Just increasing the deductible on collision and comprehensive insurance can save money, and it’s free to find out how much the savings may be.
Car Insurance Quotes
It is important that parents and teenagers anticipate the day the teen begins driving and plan for it carefully. Driving a safe make and model car and having proper driver education can not only save money on teen car insurance, it can save lives. Planning ahead and comparing rates and coverage can help make car insurance cheaper for teenagers, so parents and young drivers can celebrate an important milestone in their lives.
By entering your 5-digit zip code, MyCarInsuranceRates.com offers users the ability to shop and compare car insurance quotes online from the best insurance companies in the country, like Nationwide, Allstate, GEICO, Progressive, 21st Century Insurance, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Farmers, AAA, and AARP, helping our users find the best, cheap car insurance available in the market.
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