With the holiday season approaching, many have considered buying or passing on a car to their teen drivers. A question that we typically hear is “will I be paying a boatload more for car insurance for my teen?”

The simplest answer is that you probably will pay more for car insurance when you have a teen driver on your plan. Most insurance companies require a higher rate for teenager drivers, because they are more likely to get in an accident that older, more experienced drivers.

Why? There are two factors:

First, teen drivers are statistically the least experienced drivers on the road. Even with the best training, the most careful driver could be in an accident, simply because they are less experienced and do not yet have the muscle memory to avoid what an older, more seasoned driver might.

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There are, however, ways that you can save money, even with a teen driver on your plan.

Here are some of the ways that teens can help to lower the cost of insuring them on the road:

Get good grades

There are many companies that offer a significant discount to students who routinely get good grades (B’s or above).

If your teen has a good GPA, take their report card in to your insurance agency and ask if they have a good student discount. (Teens who are good students are statistically less likely to be in accidents.)

Take driver’s education

There are some states that do not require teens to take driver’s ed before they get on the road. Even if your state does not require it, you might be able to get a discount if your teen takes it anyway.

Enroll in additional training

If your teen is willing to sit through a few more hours of class, you could get an even bigger discount. Many states offer defensive driving classes that are specifically designed to teach drivers how to avoid accidents. Get your teen in one of these classes and they’ll be far less likely to get in an accident and, therefore, far less likely to be a liability for the insurance company.