As a teen, getting your license is an exciting time! For parents and guardians, however, letting go can be stressful, and it often comes with sticker shock when you add a teen driver to your insurance policy. In Washington state, liability insurance — coverage that pays for damages to another person or property — is mandatory for all drivers, including motorcycle riders.
Talk with an agent or broker before your teen starts driving
To put it simply, insuring new teen drivers is expensive because they're the highest crash risk of any age category and have very little driving experience. Adding a teen to your policy will increase your premiums, sometimes more than you might think.
The best time to review your coverage and prepare for this increase is shortly before your teen starts driving. Several months before they get a learner's permit, take a close look at your policy. Schedule a call with your agent — or several if you're shopping around — to talk about your coverage. Review your coverage limits and consider if you need to increase any with a riskier driver on your policy.
If you're shopping around and getting quotes, use our agent and company lookup tool to make sure the agents you're talking to are licensed in Washington state. If you're comparing companies with similar coverage, it may also be helpful to compare complaint data we collect on insurers to get a sense of their customer service record and claims handling trends.
When to insure your teen driver
Many insurance companies require notification when the status of a driver in your household changes. This includes when your teen gets their learner's permit. Talk to an agent about insuring your teen just before they get a learner's permit or driver's license.
Insurance companies can deny coverage for claims if a licensed driver in your home is not listed on your policy and has an accident in your vehicle.
It's usually cheaper to add your teen to your policy
With only a few exceptions, it's generally easier and less expensive to add your teen to an existing policy than it is to buy a separate one. Some situations where this may not be true include:
- Some insurers will require a policy in the teen's name if their vehicle is titled and registered in their name.
- If a teen moves out permanently and no longer lives in your household, they may no longer qualify for coverage under your policy.
- If your family's premiums are high because of other risky drivers on the policy, you might consider getting quotes for a separate policy.
An insurance agent can help you compare costs if a similar situation applies to you.
What to do if your teen driver lives between two households
If parents are divorced or separated, a teen driver may live between two different households. Which auto policy they should be added to can get a bit tricky and differ between insurers. Requirements in these situations vary.
Some insurers require teen drivers to be listed on both parents' auto policies if they're driving vehicles at both households. Other insurers may require proof of insurance at the residence where the teen lives the majority of the time to avoid having to be added to two policies.
Both parents should talk to their insurance agents to ensure their teen meets the insurer's requirements for coverage when they drive.
Tips to keep premiums lower when you add a teen driver to your policy
Adding a new teen driver to your policy tends to raise your premiums substantially. Some strategies to help keep premiums lower include:
- If you buy a car for your teen driver, carefully consider the age, make, and model. Get an insurance quote before you complete the purchase. An older, cheaper vehicle doesn't necessarily mean it's safer or cheaper to insure.
- Ask your agent about bundling discounts and good student discounts.
- Consider a usage-based insurance policy.
- Right before making a big change to your policy is a good time to shop around and compare coverage between companies.
- Visit the Washington Traffic Safety Commission website to find driver training schools and incentives for young drivers to drive safely.