How to Get Car Insurance for Teenagers

This is a guest post by Kelly Kehoe. You can also submit a guest article about saving money.

When your teenager gets their driver's permit, it can be both a dream and a nightmare. For one, they will soon be able to drive themselves places without having to rely on you for transportation (thus giving you and your child more freedom and schedule flexibility). However, there is also the issue of proper road safety, getting a good price on car insurance, and buying their own car so they're not constantly asking to borrow yours once they have their license.

Getting a Driver's License

Getting their first driver's permit or license is often among a teenager's top priorities, so it's not advised to postpone the event longer than need be (unless you live in a city where public transportation is readily available, of course). Getting a driver's license is a big step into the real world for your child, so they'll naturally be wanting to get their license like the rest of their peers. Before your child sets out on the road, however, the issue of car insurance ought to be tackled to prevent any disasters, particularly in that critical first year of driving.

Car Insurance Online Comparison

Fortunately, it is quite easy to compare car insurance online these days, allowing you to get free quotes from a variety of providers in a matter of minutes. Major companies have the quote function right on their homepages, and initially, all you need is very basic information, such as zipcode, driver's information, car background, etc. This is, of course, assuming that you're not going to just add your child onto the existing family policy, which can go either way in terms of affordability (some companies are more young driver-friendly than others).

Discounts Available

While comparing these car insurance offerings, be sure to keep an eye out for good student discounts. Some companies take 10%-25% off (or a set monetary amount) of your annual insurance costs if your child has shown exemplary performance in school. Usually this means a 3.0 GPA or greater, though this figure may vary from company to company. This may not seem like much, but any discount you can get with your young driver can be a relief, as their insurance costs are the highest among all driver demographics (particularly males under age 25, as statistically speaking, they have the greatest likelihood of getting into a car accident).

For further savings, get your child an older car that's designated by insurance companies to be a "safe vehicle." These not only cost less to insure in general, but you can drop collision insurance altogether because the car is probably not expensive enough to be worth saving in the event of a crash in which it is totaled. For more information on safer cars for teenagers, see the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Teenage Auto Insurance

Insuring teenagers doesn't have to be as impossible as it may look at first. Yes, it will likely be pricier than your own policy, but that is because you currently outweigh your teen in terms of driving experience and knowledge of the rules of the road. As long as you are careful about shopping around for the best rates—including the potential discounts that can be had — then your teenaged driver will soon be road-ready without draining your wallet.

How expensive has it been to find insurance for your teenage friends and family?

Kelly Kehoe is a car insurance quotes comparison fiend who shares tips online to help young drivers compare car insurance.

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