Can you remember how exciting it was for you when you finally got your license or better yet when you got your first car? I sure can! It is key to understand the insurance world before you set foot in, anyone under 25 years of age is automatically going to pay higher rates than those who are older, and as a parent it is important to keep a good record and your rates down, so it’s our recommendation to not add a teenage driver on your policy, even with a perfect driving record, you will be exposed to a big change in your monthly bill. It’s not going to be easy for the new driver in the family to pay for their car insurance the first 6 months, but they have got to start somewhere, and be able to build discounts on their policy by maintaining continuous coverage for at least 6 months, this is of course counting they maintain a clean driving record and accident free.
The main reason why you shouldn’t add a teenage driver to your policy is because of the risk your exposing to your current policy with discounts in some cases for Safe Driving, or Accident Free. Say you add your daughter and her new wheels to your policy, if she is involved in an accident it will not only reflect her and her particular vehicle. As a driver on your policy you are rated as a team for lack of better words and that accident will stay on her driving record for 5 years, so while she’s on your policy not only are you paying more already because she’s a young driver but now rated with an accident and you have lost discounts. In most situations we recommend talking to your agent and asking them to exclude teen drivers from your policy (of course as long as this is true and they are in fact not operating the vehicles, or they are covered somewhere else) I’m sure your agent will try their best in finding the young driver in the family a good rate on their very own policy. It’s a win/win situation, they will become independent, and hey if they are old enough to have a car of their own they are old enough to take care of their auto insurance needs.
Here are some ways to reduce the car insurance rates for a young driver:
- Make sure that the car is equipped with all the necessary safety options. Cars with recommended safety equipment are rated at more affordable rates.
- Mileage is important when calculating your risk by an insurance company. The higher mileage you have, the higher the car insurance rate.
- Insure an affordable car. A car such as a sports car is much more costly to cover. Before you decide which car for the teenager to drive, get quotes and prices of insurance on different cars. However if you prefer a sports car, you should be prepared for the high cost of car insurance even before you add the young driver factor.
- Compare car insurance quotes from at least five companies, do your homework shop around! This is very important for young drivers because it not only can save money but can make sure they get the best coverage for the lowest cost available to them.
It is important to check out all you can about any auto insurance company and what kind of programs they may offer a young driver when getting