Car insurance for teens
Getting car insurance for young drivers can be pricey due to their lack of driving experience. In most cases, it's more affordable to add your licensed or permitted teenage driver to your existing auto insurance policy. Your policy's coverages and limits will extend to your teen driver, and some insurers, including Progressive, offer discounts to help offset the cost of insuring a new driver.
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Do you have to add your teenage driver to your insurance?
A teenage driver must have car insurance in almost every state. You can add them to your policy, or you can put them on a separate policy. Buying a standalone policy for a teenager can be expensive due to their lack of driving experience and a higher likelihood of accidents, so it's usually more affordable to add a young driver to your existing policy.
Adding your teen to your policy could lower costs due to the rate you've earned as a longtime driver with an established driving history. Here are a few more reasons why it's usually best to add a young adult driver to your car insurance policy:
Control
Since you already own the policy, you can easily add and update coverages to make sure your teen driver has the right protection.
Flexibility
If your household has multiple vehicles, your teenager will be insured to drive all of them.
Convenience
You'll only have to manage one policy.
How much does it cost to add a teenage driver to your insurance?
According to Forbes Advisor analysis, it costs $2,735 a year to add a 16-year-old to a parent's car insurance, which is about $230 extra per month. Teenagers are more likely to be involved in an accident, so their rates are generally more expensive than an experienced driver with a safe driving history. While the extra costs might sound like a lot, it's generally cheaper to add a teen driver to an existing policy than buying a separate policy.
Pro tip:
A separate policy is rarely the cheaper option for a young driver, but there may be a few exceptions. If you drive a luxury vehicle or an expensive sports car that your teen won't drive, it may be cheaper for them to have a separate policy. Talk to your insurer to fully weigh your options.
How does coverage work if you add a teen to your insurance?
If you add your teen driver to your car insurance policy, they'll benefit from the same protection that you do. All covered drivers have access to all cars listed on the policy, and the liability limits are the same for all drivers on the policy. Teen drivers pose a greater risk of accidents, so you may want to consider increasing your liability limits on the policy, especially if your current limits aren't covering your entire net worth. Learn more about liability coverage.
All extra coverages on the policy will also apply to your teen, including roadside assistance, loan/lease payoff, rental car reimbursement, and disappearing deductibles.
Thinking about adjusting your coverage? Discover how much car insurance you may need. Considering a new policy? Learn how to shop for car insurance like a pro.
How much is car insurance for teens and new drivers?
A separate car insurance policy for teen drivers can be expensive because they have a greater tendency to drive distracted, speed, tailgate, and not wear a seatbelt. The average cost of teen car insurance, however, will vary based on the exact age of the driver, their ZIP code, driving history, and vehicle type. You can find cheap car insurance for teenagers that covers the essentials and fits your budget. Discover the factors that impact car insurance rates.
At Progressive, rates drop by an average of 8% when a driver turns 19 and another 6% at 21. As your teenager becomes more experienced and avoids tickets and accidents, the price for teen auto insurance should keep decreasing. Here's a look at how insurance rates may change over time based on a driver's age group (percentages reflect changes in rate from the previous age group).
| Age | Rate & change |
|---|---|
| 14-17 | Rate & change$247.28 |
| 18 | Rate & change$271.92 (+10%) |
| 19-20 | Rate & change$242.40 (-11%) |
| 21-22 | Rate & change$215.04 (-11%) |
| 23-24 | Rate & change$189.78 (-12%) |
| 25-29 | Rate & change$168.86 (-11%) |
| 30-34 | Rate & change$159.72 (-5%) |
| 35-39 | Rate & change$156.13 (-2%) |
| 40-44 | Rate & change$151.81 (-3%) |
| 45-49 | Rate & change$151.61 (0%) |
| 50-54 | Rate & change$141.85 (-6%) |
| 55-64 | Rate & change$128.60 (-9%) |
| 65-74 | Rate & change$122.26 (-5%) |
| 75+ | Rate & change$127.96 (+5%) |
Note: Table represents car insurance rates by age based on Progressive Personal Auto policies sold countrywide from September 2023 to August 2024.
How to get affordable car insurance for teens
While car insurance for teens may be costly, Progressive offers several discounts for students and teen drivers:*
- Good student: B average or better? Your young driver may earn about a 5%† discount in most states for good grades.
- Multi-car: If your teenager has their own vehicle, we'll chip in another discount just for having more than one vehicle on your policy.
- Teen driver: If your child driver is 18 years old or younger and you have been consistently insured for at least 12 months, we'll add a discount.
- Snapshot®: Our Snapshot® program rewards good drivers based on how they drive.† Plus, our mobile app can reveal if your teen was driving distracted. Learn more about distracted driving.
You can save on car insurance in other ways too. For example, you could:
- Lower your coverage: Removing coverages you no longer need is an easy way to save.
- Increase your deductible: Increasing your comprehensive and collision deductible will increase your out-of-pocket expenses for a claim, but it will reduce your rate.
Learn more ways to lower your car insurance rate.
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