Maine Teen Car Insurance Tips

As parents may already know, buying car insurance for a teenager can make the family insurance bill extremely high. There are ways to cut premiums if there is a teen driver in the household, but in most cases, teens will pay more for insurance because statistics show that they are involved in more fatal and serious car accidents. Here are some money-saving car insurance tips for your Maine teenager.

*You can control the cost of a teen's car insurance by not buying them a vehicle considered to be a sporty model. Although this will likely not be a popular choice, choosing a more sedate model will keep insurance costs low. Generally speaking, the higher the horsepower, the more the insurance will cost. You should also look for a vehicle with a relatively low theft rate.

*Heavier, older vehicles are harder to drive in a reckless manner, so they are cheaper to insure. If your older car is paid off, you can omit the comprehensive and collision coverages and carry liability insurance only, and on older cars, the Blue Book value is lower. Both of these facts will lower your teen's insurance bill, but that's often not enough to really get cheap car insurance.

*Most insurers offer discounts for those with good driving records. Stress to your teen that they need to drive carefully, and don't make claims for minor dings and dents. Make sure your teen follows traffic rules so thy aren't ticketed; both tickets and claims can make insurance for teens cost-prohibitive.

*Taking a driver's ed course can lower a teen's insurance cost. Some states require that teenagers take a driver's ed course as a condition for getting their license, and if your teen does well in the course, your insurance company may offer you a lower premium. If your locale doesn't require driver's ed, find a class on your own. Most community colleges and high schools offer them, and if they don't you can contact your local DMV to find a list of places that do.

*If your teen gets good grades in school, most insurance companies will offer you a reduced premium. Those that do well in school are generally thought of as more responsible than the average teenager, and so they are seen by insurers as less of a risk.

Above all, make sure that your teen knows they are starting out with a blank slate. If they keep their driving record spotless, their insurance costs will decrease over time. Some insurers reduce the rate for every year a teen is not ticketed or involved in an accident. You should compare car insurance policies and rates before buying insurance for your teen in Maine; your current policy may be adequate for you but not for your teen.