Adding a teen driver to car insurance – Nationwide

It takes time for teens to learn how to drive safely. But parents who are going to be adding a adolescent to their policy much need education themselves. That ’ mho why it ’ s crucial to know how to add a adolescent to an indemnity policy and what factors will affect the price of the premium .

Preparing a teen driver

When Lesa Christiancy ’ s daughter turns 16 this summer, parents and daughter will all be ready. Since Christiancy and her husband, Clair, of Nebraska, have done this before, they know how to prepare for adding a adolescent to their car policy policy .
“ One thing we did differently with our daughter from what we did with her two older brothers was to buy her car nine months ahead of her turning 16, ” Christiancy says, explaining that Nebraska state laws allow teens to get a apprentice ’ s allow when they turn 15 .
“ This has given her the opportunity to drive with an adult passenger for a longer period of prison term so she could rehearse driving in all kinds of weather conditions. We ’ ra hop that will make it less nerve-racking for us the first day she takes off on her own ! ”

Adding a driver to car insurance

not all states have the like laws and internal guidelines for policy companies may vary, so it ’ randomness authoritative to check with your agent to find out what laws apply to you. many companies allow a adolescent with a apprentice ’ south allow to be listed on the policy at no charge until he or she becomes a license driver – but don ’ t assume that ’ s the case. The best fourth dimension to talk to your policy supplier is before your new driver gets his or her let. That ’ mho besides a good time to find out what it will cost to add a adolescent to your policy .

Getting a good deal on teen car insurance

“ The biggest shock for us was the addition in rates for all the vehicles on the policy, not just the one our adolescent would normally drive, ” Christiancy recalls. “ The only dismiss we were mindful of was the good student deduction, and our agent helped us obtain that. ”
however, other discounts can apply for families, low mileage and signing up for a program to monitor your adolescent ’ mho drive, so make sure you take time to sit down with your agent and go through all the possibilities. Try to include your adolescent in the discussion so he or she will realize what kind of impact their actions have on the family budget .
For the Christiancy family, bundling home and car policies with their insurance supplier helped save them money. She advises that parents ensure their teens help shoulder some of the responsibility of the increased cost, even if they can ’ t contribute financially .
“ Make sure your child understands that earning good grades will help with the fiscal aspect of policy. thankfully, our kids are all adept students – and that made a big difference for us. ”

Other ways to get cheap teen car insurance

– Pick the right car. “ We started looking at indemnity rates the same time we started shopping for our oldest son ’ mho first car, as vehicle long time and model had a bearing on insurance premiums, ” Christiancy says. Sedans, minivans and SUVs can typically have the best rates for teens .
– Share a car. alternatively of adding another car to the policy, share one that is already on the policy and make your teen the junior-grade driver. It may cost less than if the adolescent were the elementary driver on a car .
– Consider postponing getting a license. Younger drivers can mean higher car policy costs, so if a car is a “ need ” and not a “ motivation ” at the here and now, you could notice considerable savings by delaying getting a license until your driver is 17 .
– Raise your collision deductible. Increasing your comprehensive examination or collision deductible from $ 500 to $ 1,000 could save money on your monthly premium, although you ’ ll want to keep in mind that, in the event of an accident, your out-of-pocket costs will be higher. however, a few years before your adolescent is licensed you can add a vanishing deductible to your policy to help accrue deductible credits, so if an accident does happen you might pay less out of pocket.

Christiancy says the class has saved money by checking with their insurance supplier before making car purchases and then choosing cars that were mechanically sound but already had some scrapes and dings .
“ Teenagers are going to get into accidents, even if it ’ s not their fault, ” she says, noting that her moment son ’ randomness car was hit twice in the school parking distribute by other adolescent drivers. “ A raw cable car will cost a lot more to insure and repair. ”
A good place to start is to have a conversation with your agent to learn about your options for adding coverage for your adolescent to your existing policy .