Average Cost of Car Insurance for 18-Year-Olds
The average cost of full-coverage car insurance for 18-year-olds is $458 per month.
Country Financial, Erie and State Farm are the cheapest companies for 18-year-old drivers based on our analysis of thousands of full-coverage auto insurance quotes from 36 companies across the country.
To find the cheapest rates for you, get quotes from multiple companies.
How much is car insurance for 18-year-old drivers?
Full-coverage car insurance for an 18-year-old driver on their own policy costs an average $458 per month. There's a difference of $618 per month between the cheapest insurance company, Country Financial, and the most expensive, Amica.
Find Cheap 18-Year-Old Auto Insurance Quotes
Price differences like this show why it's so important to compare insurance quotes to make sure you get the best rates.
Monthly car insurance rates for 18-year-old drivers
- Country Financial offers the cheapest rates, at $223 per month for full coverage. However, it's only available in 19 states.
- Erie has the second-cheapest rates for 18-year-old drivers at $247 per month. Erie is a regional company and only offers car insurance in 12 states and Washington, D.C.
- State Farm is the cheapest car insurance company for 18-year-olds that is widely available across the country with a rate of $272 per month.
How do car insurance rates for 18-year-olds compare to other ages?
An 18-year-old driver can expect to pay less for car insurance than younger, less experienced drivers.
However, drivers under the age of 25 tend to have higher insurance rates because they are more likely to make mistakes and cause accidents. As you get older and have more years of driving under your belt, your insurance rates should start to drop.
Do car insurance rates go down at age 18?
On average, 18-year-old drivers pay 13% less for car insurance than 17-year-olds. At 18 years old, you have more driving experience than newly licensed 16- and 17-year-olds do, and your rates reflect that.
New drivers are the exception to this rule. If you are a new driver at 18 years old and are getting car insurance for the first time, you will likely pay more than a driver who was licensed at age 16 and has two years of driving experience.
Average cost of car insurance for 18-year-old male vs. female drivers
The average cost of car insurance for 18-year-old female drivers is 13% cheaper than that for 18-year-old male drivers. For 18-year-olds, female drivers pay $490 per month for full coverage, while male drivers pay $565.
Monthly full-coverage car insurance rates by gender
Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | $565 | $490 |
| 19 | $444 | $382 |
| 20 | $383 | $331 |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers ages 16 to 19 is three times as high as the rate for female drivers in that age group, making male teens a much higher risk to insurance companies.
However, some states — California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan (in certain cities), Montana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania — don't allow insurance companies to use gender to determine car insurance rates. Male and female drivers in these states should pay the same price for auto insurance coverage, all else being equal.
Best cheap car insurance for 18-year-olds by state
Hawaii is the cheapest state for an 18-year-old to get car insurance. The average rate of $164 per month for full coverage is 64% cheaper than the national average. Louisiana is by far the most expensive state at $1,053 per month.
Full coverage car insurance quotes
Can an 18-year-old get their own car insurance?
An 18-year-old can buy their own car insurance policy. However, we recommend getting added to your parents' policy if possible. It's usually much cheaper than having your own separate policy.
The average cost of adding an 18-year-old to a parent's car insurance policy is $271 per month for full coverage. That's $139 less per month than the average cost of an 18-year-old getting their own car insurance.
Parents will typically see their rates go up when they add a teen driver to their policy. They can help offset the increased cost by asking for discounts. For example, parents might be able to get a multi-car discount if your teen drives a separate car or a good student discount if your teen maintains a 3.0 GPA.
How to get cheap car insurance at 18 years old
Besides staying on your parents' policy, the best way to get cheap auto insurance quotes is to shop around. Prices can vary by thousands of dollars per year, so it is helpful to compare car insurance quotes from multiple insurance companies.
There are a number of other ways 18-year-olds can find deals on car insurance, including:
Frequently asked questions
What is the average monthly cost of car insurance for an 18-year-old?
An 18-year-old can expect to pay an average of $458 per month for full-coverage car insurance. However, rates vary significantly based on where you live and the insurance company you choose.
Can an 18-year-old get car insurance on their own?
Yes, 18-year-olds can get car insurance policies on their own. However, you could pay 62% less if you share a policy with your parents.
Is insurance cheaper when you turn 18?
An 18-year-old driver can expect to pay around 13% less for car insurance than a 17-year-old. Rates are usually cheaper for 18-year-olds because they have more experience behind the wheel than younger drivers. However, a newly licensed 18-year-old will pay more for car insurance than someone who has been driving since they turned 16.
Is it cheaper to be on your parents car insurance?
Yes, it is cheaper for 18-year-old drivers to share car insurance with their parents. On average, teen drivers can save $139 per month by having a joint family policy.
Who has the cheapest car insurance for 18-year-olds?
Country Financial has the cheapest full coverage rates for 18-year-old drivers at $223 per month. However, it's only available in 19 states. State Farm has the best widely available rates at $272 per month for full coverage. However, the cheapest company for you may be different depending on where you live.
Do insurance companies sell short-term car insurance for 18-year-olds?
Reputable car insurance companies do not sell short-term car insurance. If you're an 18-year-old driver and you see ads for one-day, one-week or one-month car insurance, don't be tempted. Insurance policies generally only come in six-month or one-year terms, although you can typically cancel them at any time, and you can choose to pay monthly.
Methodology
We collected car insurance quotes for thousands of ZIP codes across nine of the most populated states in the U.S. Our sample drivers were single 18-year-old men and women who drove a 2015 Honda Civic EX and had clean driving records.
We compared rates for full coverage policies with the following limits:
Coverage | Limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 deductible |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | Minimum, when required by state |
To determine the rates for each age group, we collected thousands of quotes from every ZIP code in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and Georgia.
To find the average rate by gender, we compared quotes for full-coverage car insurance across ZIP codes across Georgia.
The average cost of adding an 18-year-old to a parent’s policy is based on full coverage quotes from thousands of ZIP codes across Illinois, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Quotes are for a 50-year-old with an 18-year-old on their policy.
Our analysis pulled insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. The rates we collected were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should only be used for comparative purposes, as your own quotes may differ from our averages.