
Best Car Insurance For 19-Year-Olds
State Farm, Geico, and Liberty Mutual offer the best car insurance for 19-year-olds considering each one’s unique discounts for teens and students.
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Key Points:
- State Farm offers a good student discount of up to 25 percent, plus more money-saving features.
- 19-year-olds pay more than older drivers for car insurance.
- Compare rates from multiple companies to find the best option.
What is the best car insurance for a 19-year-old driver? It’s generally known that teenagers, as a demographic, are pricey to insure because they are still new to the road. The good news is that 19-year-olds are much cheaper to insure than 18-year-olds–especially if you take advantage of discounts. This guide will explain how to find the best car insurance for teen drivers and provide tips for ways to lower premiums.
How Much Is Car Insurance For A 19-Year-Old?
Our rate data includes costs for 16, 20, 30, 40, and 50-year-olds. In general, insurance policies for 19-year-olds cost slightly more than policies for 20-year-olds, which average about $4,019 per year or $335 per month. These rates apply to individual policies. It’s usually cheaper to add a 19-year-old to a family plan than to have them buy their own.
Below, you can see our car insurance rate data by age.
Age | Average Annual Cost | Average Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|
16 | $8,261 | $688 |
20 | $4,019 | $335 |
30 | $1,968 | $164 |
40 | $1,853 | $154 |
50 | $1,747 | $146 |
What Factors Influence The Cost Of Car Insurance For A 19-Year-Old?
Auto insurance rates vary depending on several demographic details. Car insurance for 19-year-olds is particularly expensive because these drivers are seen as less risk-averse and more likely to get into an accident, resulting in a claim. The other factors that commonly impact premiums are:
- Marital status
- Location
- Gender
- Credit score
- Driving history
- Vehicle make and model
Insurance for a 19-year-old is generally costly, not only because of the driver’s age but other factors that likely apply to teenagers. Young drivers usually have short driving histories and low credit scores. These things further impact premium rates.
Many people wonder about the role gender plays in finding cheap car insurance for your teenager. While this can influence rates slightly, some states, such as California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and others, don’t allow companies to use gender as a pricing factor.
Types Of Car Insurance
Most of the time, states require bodily injury liability insurance and property damage liability insurance. The common types of auto coverage are detailed in the chart below.
Insurance Coverage | Details |
---|---|
Bodily injury liability (BI) | When you are at fault for an accident, this covers medical payments for the other driver. |
Property damage liability (PD) | When you are at fault for an accident, this covers vehicle repair costs for the other driver. |
Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) | When the other driver is at fault for an accident and does not have enough insurance, this covers your repair and medical costs. |
Comprehensive coverage | When your vehicle is damaged by a non-collision event such as theft or hail, this covers your repair or replacement costs. |
Collision coverage | Regardless of who is at fault for an accident, this covers repair costs for your vehicle. |
Medical payments coverage (MedPay) | Regardless of who is at fault for an accident, this covers medical payments for you and your passengers. |
Personal injury protection (PIP) | This is similar to medical payments, except it will also cover lost wages and death benefits. |
The cost of car insurance will change depending on which type of policy you purchase. If you can afford it, you want to get full coverage. Consider buying comprehensive and collision coverage in addition to the state minimum liability requirements.
How To Find Cheap Car Insurance For A 19-Year-Old
There are many good strategies for securing low rates on car insurance for a 19-year-old. The best option is to insure teenage drivers on their parent’s policies. Adding a dependent to your policy will increase your rates by a lot, but not by as much as it would cost to purchase a separate policy for a teenager.
Some discounts commonly offered by insurance providers may apply to your situation. Contact your insurance provider and ask about the following types of discounts:
- Safe driving discount
- Good student discount
- Student away at school discount
- Low mileage discount
State Farm offers a good student discount of up to 25 percent, which is the best in the industry. Some providers also offer discounts for young drivers who complete a driver education course. For example, Liberty Mutual offers a discount for drivers under 21 who complete an approved course.
Another way to lower premiums is to opt for a higher deductible. You will have more out-of-pocket costs if you need to file a claim, but this could be worth it.
Finally, a good credit score will also help you save money. While it takes time to build credit, there are a few things teenagers can do. Start using a credit card as soon as possible, being sure to pay off your full balance on time every month. Having a job can also increase your credit score and ultimately decrease your insurance costs. These are long-term strategies to consider before your teen is ready to purchase insurance.
Try Usage-Based Insurance
Nineteen-year-olds might not have much driving history. However, they can take advantage of usage-based programs to get discounts for safe driving habits. Examples include:
- State Farm Drive Safe and Save™
- Progressive Snapshot
- Geico DriveEasy
- USAA SafePilot®
- Liberty Mutual RightTrack®
- Allstate Drivewise®
These programs can award big discounts if you’re a safe driver. But beware–some can raise your rates or remove other safe driving discounts if you aren’t a safe driver.
Most programs also require all drivers on a family plan to participate. Everyone can get a discount after a testing period.
Best Insurance Companies For 19-Year-Olds
Our picks for the best car insurance for 19-year-olds are State Farm, Geico, and Liberty Mutual.
#1 State Farm: Best Overall Provider
State Farm offers great opportunities for teens to save on car insurance. It offers a 25 percent discount for good students until they turn 25. State Farm also offers a driver training discount to individuals under 21 and a student-away-at-school discount to students who only use their cars on vacation.
Besides that, State Farm has an app called Steer Clear®. With this program, drivers under 25 complete driving courses and mentoring requirements to get a discount. Combined with generally affordable rates, these factors make State Farm a great option for 19-year-olds.
Learn more in our State Farm insurance review.
#2 Geico: Best For Basic Coverage
In our Geico auto insurance review, we found this auto insurance provider to be one of the top choices for young drivers. Geico has many discounts that can apply to teenage drivers, including:
- Good student discount
- Good driver discount
- Airbag discount
- Seat belt use discount
- Defensive driving discount
- Membership discount
- DriveEasy app
Geico is a full-service provider and offers add-ons like roadside assistance and mechanical breakdown insurance. AM Best rates Geico’s financial strength at A++, Superior, which is the highest score possible. It also maintains an A+ rating from the BBB.
#3 Liberty Mutual: Best Customizable Coverage
Liberty Mutual is another great car insurance option for 19-year-olds. The company offers three discounts that apply to the age group: New Teen Driver, Teen Driving Program, and Good Student.
Families can get the New Teen Driver discount if they’ve added a teen driver to their account within the last year. The Teen Driving Program discount applies when drivers under 21 take an approved educational course, and the Good Student discount applies to students under 25 who maintain a B average or better.
Finally, Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack program can award discounts of up to 30 percent for good drivers. RightTrack works through a smartphone app that tracks your driving in real time. You’ll get a discount if you apply after a 90-day period.
Best Auto Insurance For 19-Year-Olds: Our Take
The first step to buying car insurance for anyone–teenager or otherwise–is to compare prices. Age isn’t the only factor that affects rates. Your ZIP code, car, and gender (depending on the state) all play a role. To find the best car insurance for teens, start comparing prices using our quote comparison tool.
Car Insurance For 19-Year-Olds: FAQ
Below are a few frequently asked questions about car insurance for 19-year-olds.
Does car insurance go down at 19?
Yes. Age is a big factor in determining car insurance rates, and you can expect rates to decline as you grow older. The younger you are, the less driving experience you have and the more likely you are to engage in risk-taking behaviors.
What is the cheapest car insurance for 18-year-olds?
There is no single cheapest option for everyone. For teenage drivers, we think Geico and USAA offer affordable rates, as well as Liberty Mutual and State Farm. Look for policies that offer good student discounts and low mileage discounts. You may also be able to lower your teen’s rates by having them take a defensive driving class.
How much is insurance on a Mustang for a 19-year-old?
Expect to pay thousands of dollars per year to insure a Mustang for a 19-year-old driver. Prices vary greatly depending on many factors. The type of car and the age of the driver are important, but there are other details that will also impact the cost.
At what age is car insurance the cheapest?
Determining what age car insurance is the cheapest is a gamble. So, if you’re wondering what age car insurance goes down, rates typically decrease as you get older. Finding a cheap rate also depends on other factors, such as location and credit score.
How We Rate Auto Insurers
Our review team extensively researches auto insurance providers to deliver informed and unbiased assessments of leading companies. We evaluate several key rating factors that are important to consumers to determine which providers are the best in the industry:
- Reliability: It’s important that an auto insurer is able to meet its claims obligations. Companies with a strong financial strength rating from AM Best score best in this category. Established insurers with a long history of reliable service also receive positive marks.
- Availability: Insurance companies that offer wider availability to consumers in terms of state availability and few eligibility requirements are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Coverage: To determine our coverage score, we look at the number of coverage options available as well as coverage limits and deductible options. Our ratings also take into account additional services and benefits like roadside assistance.
- Pricing: Cost can be difficult to compare between insurers because so many factors impact annual premiums. The cheapest insurer for one driver may not be the cheapest for another. To determine our cost score, we look at insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services, discount opportunities, and consumer reports.
- Service: We comb through customer reviews on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to learn about customer experiences. Insurers with a low volume of complaints score well in this area. We also consider the claims process, giving higher ratings to car insurance providers that offer a smooth experience.
- Technology: Providers with an online quote tool, easy-to-use claims app and a usage-based insurance app score best in this category.
*Data accurate at time of publication.