See rates from USAA, GEICO, Allstate and other top insurance companies for male and female teen drivers, along with the best ways to save on teen driver car insurance.
It's no secret that insurance for teen drivers is notoriously pricey. The average teen pays $1,332 for car insurance on their parent's policy every six months. If you're a male teen driver, you should expect to pay more than a female teen driver — $1,407 for a six-month insurance policy for a male teen versus $1,257 for a female teen. Per month, male teen drivers pay $25 more for car insurance than female drivers on their parents' auto insurance policy.
Car insurance is even more expensive for teen drivers on their own policy — on average, it costs $2,287 every six months. To save the most money, insuring a teen driver under their parents' policy is almost always the best way to go; compared to a standalone policy for a teenage driver, parents can save $955 every six months by adding them to their policy.
Given the expense of insuring a teen driver, we’ve outlined the cheapest companies for teen drivers below. Continue reading to see state-by-state and coverage-specific costs, along with other ways to save.
| Rank | Company | 6-Month Premium | Monthly Premium |
| Cheapest | GEICO | $1,553 | $259 |
| 2nd | Liberty Mutual | $1,568 | $261 |
| 3rd | USAA | $1,666 | $278 |
| 4th | State Farm | $1,688 | $281 |
| 5th | Nationwide | $1,721 | $287 |
| 6th | Travelers | $1,835 | $306 |
| 7th | Farmers | $2,465 | $411 |
| 8th | Progressive | $2,547 | $425 |
| 9th | Allstate | $2,945 | $491 |
| 10th | Amica | $3,833 | $639 |
The data above comes from 2020 rate filings and should be considered an estimate of your potential costs. If you want real quotes based on your driving profile, enter your ZIP code below to compare quotes.
On average, it costs an extra $300 a year to add a young male driver versus a female teen driver to their parents' policy.
| Gender | Average 6-Month Premium | Monthly Rate |
| Female | $1,257 | $210 |
| Male | $1,407 | $235 |
To see a breakdown of the cheapest insurance companies for teens by gender, continue reading below.
Male teen drivers typically pay more in premium than female drivers because of the comparative risk they present. On average, adding a son to your policy will raise your car insurance rates by $725.
The cheapest insurance companies for adding a male teen driver (between the ages of 16 and 19) to their parents' policy are USAA and Nationwide.
| Company | 6-Month Premium | Monthly Premium |
| USAA | $863 | $144 |
| Nationwide | $1,127 | $188 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,304 | $217 |
| State Farm | $1,305 | $218 |
| GEICO | $1,352 | $225 |
| Amica | $1,499 | $250 |
| Progressive | $1,503 | $251 |
| Farmers | $1,544 | $257 |
| Allstate | $1,743 | $291 |
While not as expensive as teenage male drivers, adding a young daughter to your policy can still increase your insurance rate by an average of $575 every six months. The average monthly premium for a female teen driver on her parent’s policy is $209 — about $1,257 for a six-month policy.
| Company | 6-Month Premium | Monthly Premium |
| USAA | $782 | $130 |
| Nationwide | $998 | $166 |
| State Farm | $1,137 | $190 |
| GEICO | $1,183 | $197 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,235 | $206 |
| Progressive | $1,352 | $225 |
| Farmers | $1,366 | $228 |
| Amica | $1,441 | $240 |
| Allstate | $1,540 | $257 |
USAA, Nationwide and State Farm are the most affordable insurance companies for female drivers between the ages of 16 and 19.
The amount of coverage your teen needs will depend on your vehicle and your personal preferences. We’ll group levels of coverage into three categories: best, good, and minimum:
The data below shows average rates for teenage drivers on their own policy, as opposed to simply joining their parents' policy (see above for that information).
We recommend the “best” coverage level if your teen is driving a high-performance car, you have considerable assets* or you have a loaned or leased vehicle.
| Company | 6-Month Auto Insurance Rates | Monthly Rate |
| Allstate | $3,619 | $603 |
| Amica | $2,961 | $494 |
| Farmers | $3,969 | $662 |
| GEICO | $2,394 | $399 |
| Liberty Mutual | $3,760 | $627 |
| Nationwide | $2,502 | $417 |
| Progressive | $3,812 | $635 |
| State Farm | $2,558 | $426 |
| USAA | $1,814 | $302 |
*Although we always encourage high levels of liability, if you have considerable financial assets your liability insurance can protect you from having these assets seized if you are sued after an accident. You can be sued if the damage you cause after an accident exceeds the value of your insurance.
Our “good” coverage offers a middle ground between state liability and the top tier coverage. It offers 50/100/50 liability limits and full coverage with a deductible of $1,000.
| Company | 6-Month Auto Insurance Rates | Monthly Rate |
| Allstate | $3,123 | $520 |
| Amica | $2,405 | $401 |
| Farmers | $3,472 | $579 |
| GEICO | $1,999 | $333 |
| Liberty Mutual | $2,855 | $476 |
| Nationwide | $2,178 | $363 |
| Progressive | $3,167 | $528 |
| State Farm | $2,263 | $377 |
| USAA | $1,529 | $255 |
While higher deductibles can help lower your overall premium, $500 deductibles are more common than $1,000. If you’d prefer a $500 deductible, it would raise the group average of the above premiums by 19%, or $977 every six months.
Minimum liability coverage will keep you in good graces with your state’s department of insurance. However, it’s not recommended for more than a few years — especially if you have teen drivers.
However, having minimum coverage is much cheaper than the other coverage buckets above. If you’re worried about insurance costs, you can consider state liability only for your coverage needs.
| Company | 6-Month Auto Insurance Rates | Monthly Rate |
| Allstate | $1,396 | $233 |
| Amica | $1,028 | $171 |
| Farmers | $1,719 | $287 |
| GEICO | $743 | $124 |
| Liberty Mutual | $1,317 | $219 |
| Nationwide | $914 | $152 |
| Progressive | $1,353 | $225 |
| State Farm | $1,004 | $167 |
| USAA | $573 | $95 |
In our analysis of the cheapest insurance companies for teenage drivers, we found that USAA was the cheapest for all coverage levels. If you don't qualify for USAA coverage, GEICO came in second-cheapest.
If you're looking for more information regarding car insurance with teens, see our related articles below.
Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to avoid paying significantly more for coverage for teen drivers. As they age and get more driving experience, their risk will lower. However, there are a few steps you can consider to lessen the financial blow. Let's get started.
If your driver has good grades, typically over a 3.0, you might want to consider the Good Student Discount. Your insurer would require proof, such as a transcript, every six months in order to qualify. On average and combined with a good driver discount, you can expect an average savings of $283! See more information on student discounts from top car insurance companies.
| Age | Male | Female |
| 16 | $439 | $248 |
| 17 | $348 | $222 |
| 18 | $338 | $197 |
| 19 | $278 | $160 |
Another option is what’s called a defensive driver discount. Young drivers who have taken a professional driving course are less likely to receive a citation or get into an accident. These courses can also help teach teens good driving habits to help reduce the potential for citations and accidents which can raise your premium. The exact requirements and specifications for this discount vary, so consult your insurance company for details to get a cheaper rate.
Many state and sometimes school-run programs offer teen driving safety courses. Make sure you check with your insurance company about the requirements before signing up.
Insurance companies not only use you as a rating factor for determining your car insurance rate but also your vehicle. If you’re interested in keeping your premium down it makes financial sense to choose a cheaper vehicle (like a used car) for less experienced drivers. Save the new trucks or luxury vehicles for more experienced drivers.
See our article for more information on moderately priced vehicles for teens.
Although there are some reasons to exclude your teen drivers from your policy, the most cost-efficient solution is to keep them on your policy. Experienced drivers will help reduce the risk presented by a young driver and thus reduce your insurance premium from your car insurance company.
If you're not totally convinced by your teen's driving abilities, you may want to consider what's called accident forgiveness to your policy. While it varies by insurer and your state, this would "forgive" the first accident on your insurance policy — meaning, your rate wouldn't be raised just because you had an auto accident. Note that not everyoffers this protection, and there may also be some age and location restrictions.
If your new driver will be using an older vehicle, make sure you're not paying for coverage you do not need. Collision and comprehensive coverage are only designed for leased or financed cars, or vehicles worth more than $4,000.
The logic behind this is simple; if your vehicle isn't worth much to begin with, paying for coverage you do not need is a waste of money. You can determine the value of your vehicle by using online resources such as Kelley Blue Book and NADA online.
We encourage drivers of all ages to shop for car insurance every six months. As you can see with the data we presented above, there is a lot of price variation amongst car insurance companies. Plus, we didn’t even show all the companies out there! Only by comparing and getting rates from an array of companies can you guarantee you’re getting the best rate.
By shopping with The Zebra, you can see local and national companies for your teen driver. Enter your ZIP code below to get a hassle and spam-free car insurance quote!
