Generally speaking, we love our kids. Of course they can be a challenge at time, but especially when they are old enough to get their driver’s license, we take a certain amount of pride in that moment, remembering back to when we first got our own driver’s license. But that pride can quickly fade when we talk with our car insurance company and find out how much additional money it is going to cost to add our newly licensed teen to be insured for driving the family car, and in the future, their own car.

We worry about that too, again thinking back to the days when we were teens and got our driver’s license, and some of the things we did with the car that our parents still do not know about even today. The accident and injury statistics for teen drivers cannot be argued with, they have more of both, and that keeps us awake on those Friday and Saturday nights until they get safely home.

The key to make the whole equation much easier is to be able to find cheap car insurance for our teen drivers. If you have been with the same car insurance company for years, this might be a good time to test the waters and see what else is available, since that company may not be keeping pace with the discounts available, even with teen drivers in the household.

Even so, having a teen driver is going to be more expensive no matter which way you look at it. But that said, there are ways to minimize the additional costs of having a teen driver, and allowing you to find the cheap car insurance policy you need while still providing sufficient coverage in case of mishap.

When you are out comparing quotes to find cheap car insurance, you need to be asking questions about how to lower the costs of car insurance, and be sure to let them know that you have a teen driver in the house. Here are some key points to ask and find out how much, if any, discount will be given for car insurance via these points:

Some car insurance companies give a discount if your teen driver has taken a driver’s education course. Make sure the course is certified as a real driver education course that explains risks to the attendee.

Explain to your teen that good grades are mandatory, since almost all car insurance companies will give a discount for a student that maintains a certain grade point average, which is typically around a 3.0 (B average) and should be achievable by your teen. Again, car insurance companies deal with statistics, and those statistics show that more teens are involved with accidents when they have a lower grade point average. This is not the place to explain why that is the case, but nonetheless, it is.

Explain to your teen that driving has responsibilities and some of those responsibilities include obeying traffic laws. If you and your teen can maintain a driving record without tickets or accidents, most car insurance companies will reward you with a lower premium on their “safe driver discount”.

If you also carry life insurance or some other type of insurance, see what kind of additional discount you can get by having those insurance policies with this insurance company. Many insurance carriers will provide an additional discount on all policies using their “multiple product discount” program, but be sure to compare that you are not ultimately paying more for all your insurance policies.

Cheap car insurance is achievable for your teen driver, but you need to shop around and compare quotes. The time and effort you spend on this may pay off handsomely in premium savings for you.