Ask Kim
Put Teen Drivers on Your Policy
Usually you'll pay a lot more if you buy your children their own auto insurance.
By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
November 1, 2007
Should I put my teenagers on my car insurance or get them their own policies?
Put them on your own car insurance. The base rate usually starts out lower, and your multi-policy and multi-car discount can cut rates by another 15%.
Meanwhile, boost the liability limits on your auto policy and consider an umbrella policy that can raise your entire family's auto and homeowners insurance limits by $1 million. An umbrella policy tends to cost just about $200 per year, says Jamahl Johnson, of Johnson Family Insurance in Washington, D.C., which is about the same as the savings you'll get from the multi-policy and safety-course discounts.
You also can earn discounts if your child has good grades or takes a driver's safety course.
For more information about buying car insurance, see our Smart Shopper's Guide to Auto Insurance and The New Math of Auto Coverage.
