Young drivers are almost always classified as high-risk because of their lack of experience and driving history, resulting in significantly higher auto insurance premiums. Dealing with these elevated costs underscores the importance of seeking the most competitive vehicle insurer for you as even a modest discount can translate into substantial premium savings. Having the names of insurers who are known to be more lenient towards teenage drivers would be a good starting point.
However, it’s important to note that not every insurance company is equally competitive in every state, and your individual circumstances set you apart from other young drivers. While you can begin your automobile insurance comparison shopping with specific company names, it’s crucial not to stop there. Obtain quotes from additional companies and sources, including independent agents, who may have insider knowledge.
Young drivers are statistically more likely to cause accidents and damages due to lack of experience. This is clearly visible in teenage years as drivers between 16 – 19 are three times more likely to get involved in fatal crashes in comparison to 30 – 59-year-olds, according to the CDC. Youngsters are also more likely to claim since they aren’t financially established to pay for even small damages out of pocket.
When purchasing your own car insurance policy, the highest premiums typically paid between the ages of 16 and 19. At 16 years old, a driver can expect to pay nearly four times more for a minimum liability-only policy and 3.6 times more for a full coverage policy compared to a 25-year-old driver. Fortunately, as individuals reach the age of 19, premiums tend to decrease to nearly half of what they were at age 16. Between the ages of 21 and 25, insurance costs become more affordable, and you’ll find a wider range of insurance companies willing to provide coverage based on your driving record, whether you’re obtaining your policy independently or as part of someone else’s policy.
Automobile Insurers to Consider
Including a teenage driver on their parents’ auto insurance policy can lead to a significant rise in premiums. However, in most instances, this choice remains considerably more cost-effective compared to obtaining an individual insurance policy for the teenager. The best companies for adding a young driver to your policy are; State Farm, Auto-Owners, Erie, Country Financial and Farm Bureau, according to ValuePenguin and GEICO and Nationwide are other two companies mentioned in other studies.
Identifying the most competitive companies can be quite challenging due to the multitude of factors and varying zip code considerations that influence premium calculations. For example, in the aforementioned list, Erie offers car insurance in 12 states, Auto-Owners in 26 states, and Country Financial in 19 states presently and cannot help you if you don’t live in one of those states. Moreover, each study may yield entirely distinct lists depending on the specific parameters they’ve adopted. It’s certainly advisable to explore these options and obtain quotes from these companies; however, it’s important to note that their offerings might not align with your individual circumstances.
Furthermore, the most suitable automobile insurer for you can change depending on the discounts you are looking for and can qualify. For example, Progressive can be a cheap choice for youngsters who like to buy and manage their policies online. Allstate can offer a 10% early signing discount. State Farm can allow you to keep your good student discount up to age 25. The older you get with more experience the more choices you will have. Which company ends up the best for you will depend on your age, the discounts you can qualify for, your vehicle and choice of coverage.
Vehicle Insurance Solutions for Teenage Drivers
Here are a few solutions that may help in keeping the costs down until you get over these ages with high premiums;
- Stay on your parents’ policy as long as you can and build history. Several companies including Auto-Owners count the years spent under someone else’s policy as insurance experience.
- Buying a cheap and cheap to insure automobile and going for a liability-only policy can keep the costs manageable. The premium difference between buying a full coverage policy and minimum state-required liability-only policy is $4,801 (3 times) on average for a 16-year-old, $3,953 at 17, $3,446 at 18 and $2,640 at 19. Travelers, GEICO, State Farm, Mercury and Progressive in that order are the cheapest companies when a youngster wants to buy state-required minimum coverage, according to a WalletHub study.
- Generally, usage-based policies work better for young drivers. They may be high risk but it can be managed by knowing what to avoid and when to avoid driving. For example, not driving at night, keeping the mileage under control, watching your speed and going easy on the brake can help them convince companies like State Farm, Progressive and Auto-Owners to offer them lower rates with telematics-based automobile insurance.
- Pay-per-mile policies can be a good solution as well since these policies include your age and other negative factors like lack of experience when they calculate your base premium. Nevertheless, the base premium is only part of the premium you pay. The rest of the premium is heavy based on the mileage you drive and not affected by your age, resulting in lower premiums especially if you don’t drive long distances. Nationwide is one of the companies offering a good and widely available pay-per-mile program.
- Youngsters should get 6 month auto insurance as this will accelerate experience related discounts and you will have more chance of taking your next birthday into account.
- Getting all the discounts you can qualify for is a very effective solution. For example, State Farm offers good student discounts until the age of 25 even after you finish school. Progressive has a few discounts including Snapshot telematics program. With Progressive you can get large overall discounts by getting quotes and signing your policy online and going paperless. Allstate offers as much as a 10% early signing discount for buying your policy at least ten days before your renewal date. You can even save 3 – 4% with the auto-pay option. These are easy discounts and have nothing to do with age or experience.
- Even if you have your own car, your parents may be able to include you in their policies, as long as you still live with them. Again, companies like Progressive have a more flexible approach to multi-car insurance discounts. You may also get special treatment from your parents’ insurer, especially if you are still living with them. They can offer saving simply because of the additional business from the same household. For example, American Family offers special discounts to children of their current policyholders.
- As always, obtaining multiple insurance quotes and conducting a thorough price comparison can enable you to pinpoint the most cost-effective car insurance provider suited to your specific needs, ultimately leading to substantial savings. The aforementioned companies each have their own incentive programs and tout significant discounts for various reasons. Nevertheless, the true indicator lies in the ultimate price they present. Ultimately, the insurer that offers the most competitive rates for teenage drivers is likely to provide the most favorable quote, emphasizing the importance of collecting as many quotes as possible to identify such a company.
Identifying a single vehicle insurance company as the ideal choice for young drivers proves to be an intricate task due to the multitude of variables at play. Each individual’s age, location, vehicle type, educational or occupational status, living arrangements, and preferences regarding telematics can vary significantly. With so many factors in play, subject to change depending on various circumstances, it becomes imperative to obtain a minimum of five quotes, and ideally even more, in order to assess and explore your available options thoroughly.