Car Insurance for Teenagers

It's a right of passage for most teenagers to get their license. We smile proudly and tell our friends that our teen got their license on the first try. Then, we get the shock of a lifetime when we find out how much it costs to insure our new young driver.
Why does it cost so much for our teenagers? Drivers under the age of 25 pose the greatest risk to insurers because of their high level of at-fault accidents. It's that simple. Insurance companies seek to limit their exposure to this high level of risk by charging higher insurance rates for 16 to 24 year-olds than for any other age group.


One trick you can use is the same one that parents have been using for decades. It is possible to add a teenage driver to a parents existing auto insurance policy as an occasional driver; once that teen has a permanent drivers license. While this can still be relatively expensive compared to the cost of insuring an adult, it usually saves some money on the cost of insurance overall.
It may even be possible to get a discount directly on your teen driver, if you've invested in your child's driver education. If your teen has taken a defensive driving course, this is likely to get you (and your teen) a break on the cost of insurance. It's well worth the time and money.
My parents took advantage of all of the above. I took a defensive driving course. I was listed as an occasional driver on their insurance. In addition, they purchased a less expensive, older model vehicle that was ultimately shared by my siblings and myself. As a result, my parents saved even a bit more money on my insurance because I was listed as an occasional driver only on the older model car. How can this save you money? Well, older vehicles generally pose less risk to an insurer because repairs tend to be less expensive. Therefore, the insurance premium cost is going to be even lower than if you had your teen listed as a driver on your family vehicle. It also ensures that if your young driver does happen to get into an accident, they haven't banged up the primary family car.