How much does it cost to add a teenager to car insurance?

It costs an average of $1,461 per year to add a teenager to your car insurance policy - an increase of 173% compared to the average driver's premium. The exact amount your insurance will go up depends on many factors, including where you live, your driving history, and your credit score.

The most affordable way to cover a teen is to add them to your policy sharing the family car. Adding both a teen driver and a new vehicle to your policy would be more expensive than just adding your child as a listed driver on cars you’re already paying to cover. Adding a new car creates the need for more coverage, which costs more. It’s also way more expensive to get your teenager an individual policy, separate from your own, because sharing a policy with a more experienced driver brings rates down.

Below you can see how adding a 16-year-old driver to an existing policy compares to paying for a separate policy. Quotes assume Geico coverage and a 2014 Hyundai Sonata that is shared between the primary policyholder and the teen driver.

Cost of Adding a Teenager to Car Insurance

Note: Sample quotes are based on a 16-year-old driver.

Having a young driver on the policy can have drawbacks for the primary policyholder. Because your policy will pay for their claims, your teen’s driving habits become part of your insurance history. If your child gets into an accident, you will see premiums go up for everyone listed on the policy. Teens are risky drivers and four times more likely to crash, so your rates could definitely be affected. Premiums increase for about three to five years after a claim.

On the bright side, you’ll be eligible for discounts your teen might not be, like bundling with homeowner’s coverage. Plus, you may be eligible for additional discounts if your child has good grades, attends driver education courses, or takes a defensive driving class.

Most car insurance companies will require teenagers who live with parents to be listed on the parents’ policy. If you’re a parent of a teen with a learner’s permit, your teen should be typically covered by your policy with no action necessary on your part. But as soon as a teen driver is licensed, you’ll need to add them to your policy or prove that they are either insured or permanently residing elsewhere.