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Car Insurance for Teen Drivers

It is not easy finding good cars for teens; to keep a balance between buying a car that is affordable as well as reliable since safety is of utmost importance at this point. On top of that, the car insurance for young drivers is quite expensive. Thus you would need to a find a car that not only would be liked by the youngster but also be able to fit in the family's budget. You’ll also need to find the cheapest car insurance for young drivers!

The best bet is to get your teen a used car, a few which are mentioned below which will probably fit your budget more than a brand new car. Among other things these cars are:

  • They should be costing you less than $15,000
  • Rated as an "Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick"
  • They are able to keep fuel costs low, and an EPA rating of 20-mpg combined.
  • Their scores are better than average, according to TrueDelta.com for annual repair requirements

All of these vehicles are from 2012 with electronic stability control (ESC). ESC helps the drivers to get control of a vehicle if they are stuck in a slide and this can be a lifesaver. According to a senior vice president for research at IIHS, the ESC is a must have. "Parents should never consider any vehicle that doesn't have electronic stability control," she has commented.

Below is the list of the auto that are recommended for car insurance 18-year-old (who is also getting their own insurance coverage) by Edmunds, with their average cost, the annual cost of the policy (highest and the lowest). These could be considered the cheapest cars to insure for teenage drivers.

Best Cars for Teenagers

Make and Model Cost of Car MPG Reliability* Lowest Quote Highest Quote
Honda Civic LX $13,489 31 16 $4,020 $6,516
Kia Soul $12,995 27 28 $3,396 $5,796
Subaru Legacy $15,000 26 25 $3,672 $6,672
Toyota Prius 3 $14,500 50 10 $3,324 $6,984
VW Jetta SE $9,464 34 35 $3,744 $6,012
Chrysler 200 4-door $13,000 24 17 $3,864 $5,652
Honda Fit $13,700 31 8 $3,612 $5,796
Hyundai Elantra $13,599 32 25 $3,816 $5,400
Ford Fusion $10,995 26 26 $4,176 $6,252
Nissan Cube $12,998 28 34 $3,936 $5,292
Subaru Impreza 2.0 $11,790 30 15 $4,008 $6,768
Toyota Camry SE $13,980 28 16 $3,720 $7,116
Hyundai Tuscan 2wd $14,500 25 9 $3,348 $5,232

Choosing the Right Car for Teens: "Safety first, then price"

A car that you may find perfect for your teenager might not be so well liked by him or her. The kids would obviously like some fancy car while it might be completely out of your budget as well as it might not meet your criteria of the "right" car. The right car for teenagers, if something that the teens would consider "boring" - in other words, safe cars. The best is to give them a safe, boring car that they are not going to test their driving skills with, and sedan remains the perfect choice for new drivers.

No doubt the safety of the children and the car, in general, is obviously remains the first and the most important factor when choosing a car for teens and then comes the affordability factor which is not far behind. Parents need to check their own budget as well of whatever they can afford to spend on the kid's new car. The list mentioned above has quite a good range of cars between $9,000-$15,000 price ranges that should be kept as the ideal budget. The vehicles range from a basic, small car like a Honda Civic to a bigger car like Hyundai Tuscan SUV.

Most people prefer to give their kids a small and lightweight car and sometimes that is all they can afford, but experts suggest that a bigger car is a better choice for teen drivers. According to them, heavier vehicles are relatively safer in car crashes than the smaller and lighter ones, as the size of the vehicle and weight acts as a protection. When parents think about safety, they are only thinking in terms of the number of airbags, but the size of the vehicle is also very important.

The experts also suggest that you should not get your teen a car with a high horsepower as it would only suggest risky driving. So there should definitely be a big NO for sports cars and there should be no compromise on that as teen drivers do not need such powerful cars.

Teen Drivers: Car Insurance Rates for Three Scenarios


State First Cheapest Yearly Rate Second Cheapest Yearly Rate Third Cheapest Yearly Rate
Alabama ALFA $1,272 Nationwide $2,433 The Cincinnati $2,673
Arkansas Columbia Insurance $2,980 Southern Farm Bureau $3,184 Shelter $4,092
Arizona Ameriprise $4,220 Progressive $4,394 Allied $4,490
Colorado Colorado Farm Bureau $2,840 Grange Insurance Association $3,176 American Family $3,820
Florida Electric $4,131 21st Century $5,345 Mercury $6,221
Iowa Pekin Insurance $927 Progressive $1,326 Farm Bureau $1,539
Illinois Erie $3,158 The Cincinnati $3,210 Hastings $3,504
Kentucky The Cincinnati $3,234 Kentucky Farm Bureau $3,744 Motorists Mutual $4,749
Michigan Chubb $3,299 Hastings $3,345 Miller $3,668
Minnesota Farm Bureau Mutual $3,225 Western National $4,158 Allied $4,308
Mississippi ALFA $1,553 Unitrin $2,472 Mississippi Farm Bureau $2,599
New Hampshire Commerce Insurance $1,056 Nationwide $2,124 Concord $2,664
Ohio Erie $812 Grange Insurance $1,320 Nationwide $1,488
Pennsylvania Nationwide $1,944 Erie $3,304 Chubb $3,958
South Dakota Unitrin $2,760 Farmers $2,784 Western National $3,216
Tennessee Erie $1,160 Utica National $2,456 The Cincinnati $2,907
Virginia Chubb $1,332 Nationwide $1,752 ALFA $1,986
Washington Capital $2,882 Grange $3,110 PEMCO $3,823

Getting the car insured for your teen is definitely an expensive task! While you may think they have become responsible, the insurance company may not think the same way and give them a high-risk rating. Car insurance policy for young drivers is always very expensive, whether you add your teens to your existing policy or even if you get their own policy. Teens are usually considered as an added risk and the insurance companies will obviously charge you for it. Males are usually riskier than female drivers according to the public records on fatal accidents.

The public stats is one of the main reasons for the premium increase when adding teens to an insurance policy, the rates to the parents existing insurance policy can double and a premium increase of anything between 100-200% is actually quite common.

So what to do when your teen is finally getting his car and now needs to do the difficult and pricey part, the insurance! So what can be the best option, shall the parents add the teen to their own existing policy or get an individual one for the teen? Different possibilities are mentioned below. It is always best to shop around for the best rates in insurance coverage as there can

  • Add the teen to your policy: You can do the most basic option, that adds your teen to your own policy. The experts however claim that then you basic premium would almost double in rate and could be anything in between 50-350% increase in your premiums!
  • Buy your teen an old used car: You can also buy your teen a late model car like financed 2012 Toyota Corolla and their insurance premiums would still fluctuate vastly between $4,000-$8,000.
  • Buy a better car for the teen: You can get a 2008 Ford Taurus for the teen, getting the liability coverage only this will reduce the rates a bit and the cheapest cost would still remain around $4,000

Safety and Car Insurance Tips for Teen Drivers

Safety is always the foremost factor when deciding on anything for the teen. Safety is always the most important factor and insurance coverage is one way of addressing that risk. You obviously end up paying a lot more in terms of insurance premiums for the policy you get for the teen but at the end of the day; it is worth it to have the peace of mind.

  • Be a role model: If your kid has always seen you drive carefully and cautiously on the road, he will probably follow suit. A well-trained driver is the best safety feature for any car. Parents should make their teens practice often behind the wheel be a good role model.
  • Teen driver course discounts: There might be some discounts for drivers' education course or maybe they have an education course or even a teen program. The best is to ask your insurer about it.
  • Umbrella Coverage: The experts claim that the best thing you should do is get an umbrella coverage, which means you should have an extra layer of liability protection.
  • Good student discount: You can tell your teen to keep his grades up and can get a discount if they are able to maintain a B average at least. The discount can be anything between 5-15%
  • Policy adjustments for colleges: When your teen has finally gone to college, your rates can now start to fall. Now you may be paying less in premiums, only if the car is there with you. There are many such best car insurance companies that actually reduce the rates for those teenagers attending school that is at least 100 miles away from home and those who do not have a car on campus.

Finally, you have all the details required that will help you decide which car will be the best for you to buy for your teenager, keeping in mind not only their safety levels, the durability of the car as well as how affordable it is for you. The above safest cars for teens should be helpful for you to decide. Good luck!

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