How to Keep Car Insurance Low with a Teenage Driver

How to Keep Car Insurance Low with a Teenage Driver

When the kids grow up and learn how to drive, it may or may not be a relief for parents.

On the one hand they can drive themselves to college or social events, which will free up some time for you as a parent. But on the other hand, an additional driver in the family almost always means additional expenses, including the cost of purchasing additional car insurance and possibly even an additional car.

Teenagers are considered high risk drivers, and thus taking out an insurance policy for a young driver can prove to be incredibly expensive.

However, the good thing is that insurers look at a number of factors when determining the premium rate, and you can work on these factors to lower your rates. This article highlights some steps you can take to keep your car insurance costs low when you have a teenage driver.

• Consider Practical Training Courses

Practical training courses such as Pass Plus can help in lowering your auto insurance cost. This is a course that will help your young driver to improve their driving skills. The course will prove to the insurer that the driver is skilled and responsible.

To sign up for the course, simply find an approved Pass Plus instructor in your area and book a class. The training takes a few hours covering driving on motorways, at night, on dual carriageways, on rural roads, in all weather, and in town.

• Choose New Cars Wisely

If you intend to buy a new car for your teenager, choose wisely. The model and size of the car will affect the premium rates.

Smaller, cheaper cars with low maintenance will generally attract lower insurance premiums, whereas insurance for fast, sporty and expensive cars tends to cost a lot more.

You can check a car’s insurance cost even before you buy it. In addition to the cost, don’t forget that this is a first-time driver and thus you should go for a car that is safest for them to drive.

• Invest in Advanced Safety Features

Many insurers will offer you a discount when the vehicle has security features that can reduce accidents, injuries and theft. Some good examples include electronic stability control, advanced braking systems, steering wheel locks, automatic seat belts and lane departure warnings.

Even though the savings you get for installing safe features may not be huge, the features will play a big role in enhancing the safety of your young driver.

• Compare Quotes

It’s vital that you compare quotes from a wide range of providers rather than automatically accepting a renewal quote or going with the first company that springs to mind, and this is even more true with younger drivers where premiums can be sometimes be astronomically high.

Fortunately, there are a number of insurance comparison services that can help you do just that, without having to waste hours contacting each insurance provider individually.

It’s also worth double checking whether there is a price comparison service that’s specifically tailored to your region, since they may be able to offer better deals from local providers. For instance, if you’re based in Northern Ireland then CompareNI.com would be able to help you compare car insurance quotes from local providers, and the platform has a number of exclusive deals for motorists in Northern Ireland that you wouldn’t find on other price comparison sites.

• Bundle Car Insurance with Other Policies

Getting your car insurance from the same company you use for your home insurance can be cheaper when the insurer is willing to give you a discount for being their loyal customer.

However, it’s vital that you compare quotes from other providers before deciding on whether or not to accept the discount, since it’s only by comparing different quotes from different providers that you’ll know whether or not the one you’re being offered is truly competitive.

• Consider Black Box Car Insurance

This is an option that will give your teen the opportunity to prove that he or she is a safe driver for you to qualify for a cheaper policy. The insurer will install a box in the car that will track driving habits such as speed, braking, mileage and cornering. The device then sends feedback to the insurer and they will use that to determine premium rate and discounts.

Black box auto insurance is normally a good option for teenage drivers, as it could help you save hundreds of pounds each year just by proving that your teenager is a responsible driver.

Guest Article.