Teen drivers drive up cost of insurance rates
- Details
- Published on Monday, 15 June 2015 17:34
- Written by PRNewswire
The average married couple pays 80 percent more for car insurance after adding a teen driver to their policy, according to a new report from insuranceQuotes.com. And Illinois is among the most expensive states in which to insure a teen driver.
The report said 16-year-olds cause the highest spike in premiums (96 percent); the average impact decreases to 60 percent at age 19.
Teenage males are much more expensive to insure than teenage females (average increases of 92 percent and 67 percent, respectively). Six states prohibit insurers from using gender in their rate calculations (Hawaii, Massachusetts,Michigan,Montana,North CarolinaandPennsylvania).
The most expensive state to insure a teen driver isNew Hampshire, where the average premium jumps 115 percent. Teen drivers cause premiums to more than double in four other states:Wyoming(104 percent),Illinois(104 percent),Maine (103 percent) andRhode Island(102 percent).
"It's really expensive to insure a teen driver, but good student discounts can take some of the sting out of these bills," saidLaura Adams, senior analyst, insuranceQuotes.com. "I've seen discounts as high as 25 percent for students who maintain at least a B average in high school or college. Students and their parents need to proactively request this discount."
Hawaiiis the only state that does not allow age and length of driving experience to affect car insurance costs. As a result, teen drivers only cost 17 percent more to insure inHawaii, the lowest increase in the nation by far.New York Statehas the second-lowest increase (53 percent), followed byMichigan(57 percent) andNorth Carolina(60 percent).
The cost to insure a teen driver has actually fallen a bit since 2013, when the average annual increase was 85 percent (98 percent for males and 73 percent for females).
To view the average premium increases in all 50 states and theDistrict of Columbia, go to
http://www.insurancequotes.com/auto/teen-driving-costs-61515
insuranceQuotes.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to calculate rates using data from the largest carriers in each state. The averages are based on a married and employed 45-year-old male and 45-year-old female who each drive 12,000 miles per year with policy limits of$100,000for injury liability for one person,$300,000for all injuries and a$500deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. The hypothetical drivers have clean driving records and good credit. The rates include uninsured motorist coverage and refer to new business policies.
