• Find the best deal before your child gets their license.
• Take advantage of discounts and avoid surcharges.

Find the best deal before your child gets their license

To get the best deal, you will need to start early. Car Insurance companies don’t usually give their best deal to families with young drivers. In fact, if you have a young driver and a minor violation or violations, you may not be able to find coverage with some companies. However, if you are an existing customer at the time your child gets their license, they are less not likely to terminate your coverage.

Existing customers are treated differently than new unknown clients. Having a new driver on your policy is like having a ticket in some ways. Young drivers get into more accidents than experienced drivers. For this reason it is hard to switch policies after your child starts driving. Shop for the best deal preemptively. Be an existing customer of a good low cost insurer before you “baby” starts driving.

When you discuss your situation with an insurance agent, let him or her know that you want quotes for the drivers you need to insure now and the drivers you will need to insure after you child gets their license. You may find that the company that offers you the best rates for the adults isn’t the same company that offers you the best rate for your teen driver.

Car Insurance Discounts

Your company may offer you a discount if your child completes a drivers education course as opposed to being taught by mom or dad. This discount may more than pay for the cost of the course. Also it may be safer for your child to be taught by a professional. If you’ve been driving for awhile there are probably many things that you do subconsciously. If you are unaware of a behavior that makes you a safer driver you will not be able to teach it. Of course you should give your child lots of supervised practice with an adult whether or not your child takes a drivers ed course.

You may pay lower rates if your child is a good student. Be aware of all of the discounts offered by a prospective insurer. Car insurance companies will typically offer a discount if you carry your homeowners insurance with them as well.

Surcharges for Auto Insurance

Owning certain cars can make your premiums higher. More expensive cars and fast cars can cost more to insure especially when you have a teen driver. Be sure to discuss the impact the purchase of a sports car will have on your policy’s rates.

Tickets also have a greater impact on the cost of insuring a teen driver than the cost to cover an adult driver.

Safety First

Remember, younger drivers have more accidents. When you put your teenage driver behind the wheel, you are putting their life and ours in their hands. It is important to teach and model safe driving behavior. Everything from wearing a seatbelt to driving sober has more impact on a younger driver’s safety than on a mature driver’s safety.