Car insurance providers are not that friendly to young drivers. Being young who can be carefree while on the road, teen drivers are considered a risk and as such, they normally have to deal with high insurance premiums. Their rates can even be twice as that of experienced drivers.
Additionally, they are only allowed to use certain cars. What this means is they may not have the chance to drive their dream car while they have not reached the legal age of 21.
The average car insurance for teen drivers depends on various factors such as his family, driving record and credit score. Each provider utilizes its own system in calculating the basic rates.
Parents, on their part, can choose only the car they can afford. It’s a good idea to explain to your young driver about the car insurance issue and accompany them in selecting the right car.
Based on carinsurance.com’s data, there are certain quality vehicles that are cheap to insure and can be used by teens. The low insurance premium these cars can avail of is based primarily on their top of the line safety features.
Brand New Cars
The Audi A3 and Honda Accord Sedan models may be a bit pricey but significant savings can be enjoyed moving forward. This is due to the advanced features of the car such as its front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control. For rear passengers, there’s an option to add side airbags mounted in the seat.
The Ford Taurus is another cheap car to insure owing to its simple features. Interestingly, it often gets a perfect score from the NHTSA which means it’s one of the safest vehicles available in the market.
Second Hand Cars
Families who don’t have enough extra funds to buy a brand new car can settle with a second hand vehicle for their teens. Research has shown that parents in the U.S. with teen drivers claim they’re spending less for their child’s car these days. Most teens were also found to be using used vehicles.
Among the used vehicles, the 2008 and 2009 model years are considered affordable at less than $15,000 and reliable. It also earned top marks in crash tests and are rated at more than 20 mpg in both city and highway driving.
The cheapest second hand cars to insure include the Audi A3 compact hatchback, Honda Accord, Ford Taurus and Subaru Forester.