One of the greatest things that a child has to look forward to is the day they turn sixteen and are able to get their driver’s license and experience a little bit of freedom that comes with age. Once they have passed their driving exam and have become licensed they cannot wait to grab mom or dad’s set of keys and hop in the car and take it for a spin; unfortunately, throughout all of the excitement, there may have one big issue that is usually overlooked by an enthusiastic teenager and that is the fact that they need auto insurance.

Parents are well aware of the issue of needing to insure their newly licensed teen and to their dismay, are also well aware of the fact that car insurance for a 16 year old is usually quite expensive. Fortunately there are many ways to help ensure that the cost of insuring these youths can be kept as low as possible. The key aspect to finding the lowest costing policies is to shop around and do it with a little bit of a plan. Yes, consumer guides may sound like broken records by reciting “shop around” over and again, but shopping around comes down to far more than just comparing the rates of various insurers.

Tips to Finding Affordable car insurance for 16 Year Olds

Teenagers have many options when it comes to shopping around and finding affordable automobile coverage and each should be utilized before settling for a policy. A good start is to get help from a parent; chances are they were in your shoes before and have been insured for quite a while and any additional assistance can be well worth it. One of the options that teens have is to compare the cost of obtaining policies on their own versus being added to a parent’s existing coverage; in many cases it is much cheaper to be added to a policy than getting insured on their own. Of course, this may not necessarily be beneficial if the parent currently has a high end vehicle or sports car on their policy unless the youth will be driving it.

There are also ways that the teenager can lower the cost of their premiums and parents should encourage. A common discount offered by insurers is the good student discount and depending on the company it can yield savings of up to 20%; this is usually given to students who maintain a “B” grade point average or higher and will not only bring a smile to a parent’s face, but save money in the process. Another thing that 16 year olds can do is to take a state recognized defensive or safe driving class which insurers will also give a discount upon completion. The last thing a youth wants is more school, but it can pay off by equipping them with tools and knowledge which can help them be safer on the road. One can also refer to government publications such as the Ohio Consumer Guide to Teenage auto insurance to obtain additional information when insuring a new driver.