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Choosing a car (and affording the insurance) for  a teen driver

12/31/2012

6 Comments

 
At Windrock Insurance we’re often asked “What's the best type of car for my new teen driver?” Because we help lots of East Tennessee families get the best auto coverage for less, we do have some expertise to offer.

Safety and affordability can go together. That's what we'll consider as we try to answer this question. When choosing a first car for teen drivers there are three factors to consider:

  1. Initial cost of purchase. This is self-explanatory -- you must be able to afford it!
  2. The vehicle’s safety features. Airbags are a must, anti-lock brakes are important too. Crash test data is available online for almost any car.
  3. Cost to insure. Generally, the more safety features a car has, the better its crash test data, and the lower its repair cost -- the cheaper it will be to insure. Performance cars are a no-no. They will always be the most expensive for teens. Boring is good; speed kills.

And remember this: the most expensive type of auto insurance coverage in Tennessee is collision. You must have comp & collision (full coverage) if you finance a vehicle. Therefore, to save money, avoid financing your teen's vehicle if possible. Otherwise, the monthly insurance payment could equal or exceed the car payment!

Pickup trucks and minivans often rate lower for insurance purposes than cars (Not that your teen is going to want to drive a minivan).

And remember, some companies offer discounts for drivers ed course completion and good grades for full-time students. Again, boring -- but very helpful.

Here's another tip: Your insurance will always be cheaper if there are more drivers than cars in your household. If there are two adults and one teen in a household and only two cars, that's going to be cheaper than having three cars in the household. Also, if you have two teens it will be much cheaper to insure if they share a car rather than each having a car. 

Choosing a first car for teen drivers can be a stressful task. However, by doing a little homework you can feel more confident in your decision.  There are safe, inexpensive cars out there that you and/or your teen driver can afford to operate and insure in Tennessee.

You just have to find them. And we're always happy to do advance quotes on cars that our customers consider adding to their policies. Just call, text, or e-mail from the car lot and we can usually get you a rate in minutes. This is just one of the extra services we try to provide for our customers.

If you would like a quote for your teen driver on auto insurance call us at (865) 435-7470 or start a quote here.


6 Comments
Massachusetts license plate lookup link
4/23/2013 03:14:36 pm

I am glad that I found this information. I am the type of person that loves to be inspired. Whether it be with regards to home life or business. This blog has some great posts and your posts inspire me to be productive and has given me ideas to move forward.

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Daelin link
5/8/2015 02:21:33 am

I was unaware that insurance would be cheaper if you have more drivers in the household than you have cars. Is that a real stipulation of buying insurance or do you simply mean that by sharing cars you don't have to insure more vehicles? Clearly, less cars would be less money. When one of those drivers is a teenager, you definitely want to do anything you can to save on costs because it will automatically be higher for new drivers.
Daelin

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Teen link
4/2/2018 01:25:56 pm

Here's another low-cost...and nearly fool-proof...way to get that device out of your teen driver's hands: Make sure they start out driving with a stick & clutch (manual transmission). They may still be texting at stops, but good luck doing it on-the-fly.

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Amy Winters link
10/23/2018 11:18:00 am

I'm glad you pointed out that having your teens share a car will save you money on car insurance. I have two kids, and the youngest is about to get her learner's permit. Money's a little tight right now, so I think we'll take your advice and have them share a car to save on auto insurance.

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Georgia link
2/23/2021 09:22:57 am

Thanks for wwriting

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Clare B link
4/10/2021 08:54:39 am

Good reading this post

Reply



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    Owner/agent Brad Isbell is a strange person -- he actually likes to talk and blog about insurance, safety, and saving money.

    Windrock Insurance
    Oliver Springs, TN

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