Drivers under the age of 17 are nine times more likely to experience car accidents than adults. Therefore, it's not surprising that auto insurance for teens can cost up to double what adults pay. Yet many teen drivers pay for their own car insurance and need to find affordable rates. Polishing up your driving skills, choosing the right vehicle, and getting good grades can all go a long way in lowering auto insurance premiums.
Take Driving Courses
Even if your parents taught you how to drive, there's value in professional training. Driver's education classes may help teens still working towards a license. In some cases, your state will require you to take these lessons, anyway.
If you're already licensed, ask your insurance company about defensive driving course discounts. By taking this course, you'll learn valuable skills for avoiding accidents in either form of training. By lowering your personal risk of getting in an accident, you can help prove to your insurance company to lower your premiums while you're still in the risky teen driving years.
Choose a Safe and Reliable Vehicle 
Forget about the cool factor or the thrill of speed when choosing a car as a teen driver. Insurance companies typically charge more for newer vehicles with high performance designs.
If you want to save money on your auto insurance, stick with reliable vehicles with plenty of safety features. Used, but reliable vehicles also often prove less of a cost risk. These vehicles also cost less to repair or replace. This in turn leads to savings the insurance company passes down to you.
Your mom's hand-me-down sedan may not turn heads when you drive down the street, but driving it instead of a sports car could save you hundreds of dollars per year on insurance premiums.
Improve Your Report Card
Most insurance companies can only guess at your personal responsibility level by looking at what teen drivers do as a whole. Proving your personal level of responsibility to the insurance company may lower your rates. Getting good grades and similar school achievements is one of the most accessible ways to prove your responsibility. Many insurance providers offer substantial discounts to students who maintain a certain grade point average.
Each insurance company is different, so call your provider to see what discounts they offer for teens. Most companies understand that high rates are hard to afford on the pay from an after-school job. Our agents are more than happy to help you choose the right policy rates.