A newly licensed teen is the single biggest jump most families see in their auto premium, and there's no way to pretend it isn't. But there are legitimate ways to bring the number down without cutting the coverage that protects them.
New drivers have the least experience and the highest crash rates, and carriers price for it. The increase is real. What you control is how much of it you keep.
A modest, safe, older vehicle costs far less to insure than a new or high-horsepower one. Assigning the teen to the lower-risk car on the policy can help too. See our home & auto page.
The temptation is to drop to minimum limits to offset the cost. That's backwards — a new driver is exactly who's most likely to cause a serious claim. Keep real liability limits (we floor at 100/300/100 — see our article on auto limits) and find the savings in discounts instead.
One caution: shop it at renewal. Carriers price teen drivers very differently, and an independent agent can move you to the one that prices yours best.
Tell us the driver and the cars and we'll shop it across carriers for the best real number — without cutting the coverage that protects them.
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