If you're 16 or 17 years old and you own a vehicle, you're eligible to purchase your own auto policy without an adult co-signer. Yes, a 17-year-old can almost always take out car insurance, but being a minor, a parent or guardian will normally be asked to co-sign the policy. The risk to the insurer and the cost to the insured generally decrease as drivers age and gain experience. It's almost always cheaper to include them in your family insurance plan, and most states don't allow a 17-year-old to buy a car insurance policy on their own.
Insuring teens is even more expensive than adolescent girls, as they pay an average of 10% more for coverage. The best way to save on car insurance for 17-year-olds is to add them to their parents' policies, rather than taking out their own car insurance. Teens are more likely to have an accident or file a claim than older drivers, which means that teen drivers pay a much higher rate for car insurance. Age affects auto insurance rates because it is an indicator of driver risk for an insurance company.
Therefore, in most states, a teen cannot independently buy or insure a car because minors cannot own property in most states or sign contracts, so parents would own that property until the child becomes an adult. While you can title a car in the name of a minor, a license plate cannot be issued without proof of the vehicle's liability insurance. Policygenius has analyzed the auto insurance rates offered by Quadrant Information Services for every zip code in all 50 states, plus Washington, D. This may seem unfair, but drivers aged 17 may find some comfort in the fact that older, inexperienced drivers also pay higher auto insurance rates.
If your teen needs to buy their own policy, you should compare the quotes of at least three different insurers to find the best deal. In general, auto insurance premiums continue to fall every year until age 25, when rates begin to stabilize for the next few decades. The age of majority isn't necessarily the same as the age requirement for obtaining a driver's license, so teen drivers can get their license years before they can purchase their own car insurance policy. This can vary depending on the insurer, so the best way to be sure is to contact your insurance company and let them know that a teen with a learner's permit will drive a car covered by their policy.
Leave Reply