Can Teens Get Their Own Car Insurance Policy Without Parents
Reader’s Question:
Im only 17 years old and will be purchasing my first car next month or so. Is it possible to get car insurance without my parents?
Grey
Detroit MI
It is unlikely that you will be able to purchase car insurance policy without your parents or a legal guardian to help you sign with the contract.
An auto insurance policy is a legal contract. Many states require policyholders to sign the documents to make them binding and insurers generally have underwriting guidelines restrictions to the named insured should not be under the age of eighteen. Well since you said that you are 17 years old, it is unlikely that you can get your own car insurance policy without your parents with you to sign the contract with you.
Typically, you need list all members of the household that is 14 years old and older, whether they are licensed or not. These household members must be included in the rating otherwise they should be excluded specifically on the policy.
You can purchase an auto insurance policy but, because of your age your parent would need to sign the documents with you.
For the meantime, if you still live with your parents, you can be added to your parents policy until you become 18 years old. If your parents are worried of getting expensive car insurance rate, you can share payment for the premium until you get your own policy. Keep in mind that it is much cheaper to be added to your policy than having a separate policy.
Adding My 16 Year Old Teenager To My Car Insurance Policy?
Reader’s Question:
I am from Nevada and am thinking of adding my 16 year-old daughter who has no driver’s license yet under my car insurance policy. Would it be a smart move, or would it just raise my car insurance premiums?
Belinda
Reno, NV
The State of Nevada mandates that the minimum age to apply for a full driver’s license is sixteen. With this in mind, your daughter needs to have a driver’s license first before she can be listed under your insurance policy. You must remember that young drivers are expected to meet 50 hours of behind-the-wheel experience, with 10 hours completed in darkness.
Nevada laws also require a licensed driver who is 21 years old or older and has been a driver’s license holder for at least a year seated next to the young driver at all times. If driver education is not available within your area, and you do not have internet access to have your daughter take an online driver education course, your daughter is required to complete 100 hours of supervised driving, with 10 hours of that completed in darkness.
About your insurance premiums, always bear in mind that car insurers generally charge the highest premiums for drivers under the age of 25. A number of factors can affect the cost of having your teen under your policy. These may include your daughter’s performance in school, how often she is accompanied in the car by an adult, or the type of vehicle she drives. Sporty or large cars generally cause more serious damage and will cost more to insure.
If you would really like to save money on your insurance rates, have your daughter take the certified driver’s education course since most car insurance providers give discounts to teens that have successfully completed the course.
Cheap Teen Car Insurance Rates In Utah
Reader’s Question:
I bought my teenage son his first car here in Utah. Is there a way that I can save on his car insurance, who has cheap rates these days?
Roger
Salt Lake City, UT
The occurrence of car insurance claims for accidents involving teenage drivers are usually higher, which means that getting your teenage son car insurance will be expensive for you. However, if your son can maintain a clean driving record, his car insurance rates will most likely be reduced with age. Try to educate your teenage son about being a good and responsible driver.
And along with responsibility comes the significance of having car insurance. Try explaining to him the functions and relevance of car insurance and why a teenage driver like him needs to have one. Don’t forget to remind him as well about the expenses and costs of car insurance premiums, so that he’ll have a better understanding of how to save up for it.
Why don’t you let your son share with you some of the costs for his car insurance premiums? That way, his mind can focus on driving safely because he knows that if he damages the car, his insurance rates might go up. Also, tell him about the effect of traffic violation tickets on car insurance rates. The more tickets you get, the higher premiums you pay.
If you want to get cheaper rates, there are insurance companies in Utah that give discounts on their policies. Just make sure that your son has a good record without traffic violations or insurance claims.
There are also discounts for good driving students especially if you’re adding your teenage son to your car insurance policy. Try surfing the web for free online quotes or call your local agent to find more about how you can save up on your son’s car insurance rates.
Ask for discounts, you never know what you might be able to get and how much you can save by asking. Some popular discounts can be given for:
1. Military personnel
2. Good grade students
3. Union membership and bank member affiliations
4. Safe drivers with no claims in last 7 years
5. Defensive driving school attendance
6. Clean credit history – used by many carriers to determine payment risk
As a Parent Am I Required To Have My Teen Driver Added To My Auto Insurance?
Reader’s Question:
I live in Evansville, Indiana and my teenage son just got his drivers license. Am I required to inform my insurance carrier that he is already driving?
Ben
Evansville, IN
Yes, most insurance carrier require you to tell them of all licensed household drivers so you have tell your car insurance agent that your son already got his driver’s license. This means that he will have to be listed to your car insurance policy and be rated as a driver in your policy.
Insurance providers rules and guidelines vary but generally insurance providers will require you to add all licensed drivers in your household on your car insurance policy in Evansville, Indiana. Since your son has already obtained his drivers license your car insurance carrier should be informed and they will advise you if you are required to add your son or not, most likely you will have to add him in order for him to have coverage.
An insurance carrier is allowed to consider all resident operators of an insured automobile in rating of a car insurance policy. This includes your teen, even if he has only a learner’s permit.
Cheap Teen Automobile Insurance New Jersey
Reader’s Question:
We purchased a new vehicle for our seventeen year old daughter and we would like to get a separate car insurance policy for her so we will not be liable if anything happens. But our car insurance company in Paterson, New Jersey said that we will still be held responsible in case of accident, is this correct?
Anna
Paterson, NJ
Generally, yes, it is true that you will still be responsible as parent to a minor. In many states, a minor will require consent from their parents. In most states, a teenager will need to get their parent’s consent form before they can get their drivers license that state that parent’s will be held liable for any negligent acts that will cause damages.
In the state of New Jersey, I not aware of any age restrictions on getting car insurance if you only have provisional license or learners permit. Normally you will need to have your parent’s consent before you can purchase car insurance if you are still a minor since you will need to sign to a legal binding paperwork. So, if you are still seventeen years old and planning to purchase car insurance in New Jersey, then you would need to have your parent or legal guardian to sign the car insurance policy with you.
It is much cheaper to add your child in your car insurance policy in Paterson, New Jersey than having a separate car insurance policy for your daughter. You may consider to get umbrella policy to protect your assets.
Young Driver Automobile Insurance in Minnesota
Reader’s Question:
Is it possible for me to get my own car insurance policy in Minnesota? I am a 18 year old beginner driver, and I finally got my own car…..yahoo!!
Richard
Minnetonka, MN
You should be able to get your own car insurance policy at age of 20 if you are a fully licensed driver. Your vehicle insurance rates will probably be expensive as a young driver. However you would be able to place auto insurance on your car if you are fully licensed.
If you do not have your own car, then you may obtain a non-owners vehicle insurance policy. Basically this is a liability coverages that could be used when renting a vehicle.
If you are still residing at home with your parents normally it will be cheaper to stay on their auto insurance coverage until you move out. Some parents though would want their children to have their own car insurance policy once the child has bought a vehicle which they do not want to place on their car insurance policy.
At the age 20, as an adult, you can have your own auto insurance policy. Normally you would have to have a parent or legal guardian sign on your insurance document if you are under eighteen years old since teens cannot enter into contracts.
Do I Have To Add My Young Driver To My Auto Insurance Policy?
Reader’s Question:
I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I would like to know if I have to name my sixteen year old son as a driver on my car insurance policy? I have been told that if I have auto insurance then anyone I permit to drive my car is covered.
Jerome
Ann Arbor, MI
Most insurance carriers in Ann Arbor, Michigan require you to list all licensed household members on your car insurance policy since they are a risk factor the insurance carrier is allowed to take into account when determining your car insurance rates. According to the MI insurance regulator, the Office of Financial and Insurance Services, in their insurance consumer information sheet that your insurance carrier will ask about all licensed drivers in your household and look up their driving history as part of the rating process.
While automobile insurance normally covers those that the vehicle owner gives permission to operate it, the insurance carrier also has the right to require as part of your car insurance policy that you tell them of all licensed household members so they can pull their driving history and rate you accordingly. Friends that may borrow your vehicle from time to time are not the same type of risk for an insurance companies and that is why friends and neighbors are not required to be listed on your auto insurance policy while household members are. Household members obviously have access to the automobile that those living outside of your residence do not.
If your son is just starting the Michigan graduated driver licensing (GDL) process and only has his learner’s license you should inform your insurance carrier. It may be that they will permit you to wait until he is fully licensed before requiring him to be added or will want him added now at this stage.
You can contact your insurance carrier to determine what they require of you regarding listing your sixteen year old son on the car insurance policy. If you have specific MI insurance law questions you can contact the Michigan insurance regulator.
Do I Have To Pay For Teen Driver Auto Insurance in Massachusetts?
Reader’s Question:
My auto insurance carrier is insisting that I list my newly licensed daughter as a primary driver on one of the car on our insurance policy. Can they do this? Is this mandatory in Massachusetts? I was under the impression that my daughter just needed to be added on the insurance policy as a driver and could drive any of the cars listed on our insurance policy. We live in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Charles
Lynn, MA
It can differ but many insurance carriers like to list the driver as the primary on the car that he or she drives the most, though they are covered to drive the other household cars also (as long as no exclusions are on the car insurance policy). It appears that your insurance carrier is such a company that requires your daughter to be listed as the primary driver on the vehicle that he primarily drives and that is not unusual.
While this is up to the insurance carrier to decide typically if they match up the different drivers with the different cars that they drive the most, to find out if this is mandatory in Lynn, Massachusetts you can contact the state’s insurance regulatory body. In Massachusetts this is the Division of Insurance and can be contacted by calling their consumer hotline at (617) 521-7794 or you may contact them online
I’m Only 14 Years Old – Can I Legally Drive Now?
Reader’s Question:
I am only 14 years old and I would like to know if I can have a relative teach me how to drive in Canton, Ohio?
Ethan
Canton, OH
No, you cannot begin driving at the age of 14 in Canton Ohio. According to the Ohio law that the minimum age to begin driving legally is when you are fifteen years and six months year of age. In Ohio you can get a temporary permit if you are at least 15 years and 6 months of age so at the age of 14 you would be too young to get your temporary permit and be able to operate a car legally with a supervising adult driver.
So while you may want to begin to learn to operate a vehicle at the early age of fourteen doing so could get yourself and the owner of the vehicle you are driving cited by law enforcement officer and severe penalties. When you are old enough to operate a vehicle and have your permit or license then your parents will need to notify their insurance provider to be certain that you are properly covered by their car insurance policy
Maryland Teen Car Insurance – Can I Put My Teenager On My Policy?
Reader’s Question:
Can I insure my teen daughter on my car insurance policy if she does not live with me? She has her own house. We live in Maryland.
Calvin
Columbia, MD
The answer to that question depends on whether you want to insure your teen daughter to drive your vehicle or insure her vehicle on your insurance policy policy in Maryland. You can easily insure her as a driver on your car insurance policy by contacting your insurance carrier to find out their procedure and if there would be any additional premium due. If you want to insure her vehicle on your policy you will need to check with your insurance provider as some of them will not insure cars from more than one household on a single car insurance policy. This might not apply if she is a student and keeping her vehicle away at school.
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