In many cases we find that young drivers simply buy the car insurance offered by their Parent’s insurance agent. I personally did this when I turned 18. I’ve also seen so many other young drivers buy insurance this way. Is buying auto insurance a financial decision partly based on tradition? Is sounds like a bad idea to base any financial decision on tradition alone, but many of us still do it.

If I could go back to that time I would of probably shopped my insurance with some of the insurance companies that tend to focus on less experienced drivers. Each company has a group they focus on. You’ll notice this with the commercials you see on T.V. Some commercials focus on protecting your assets while others focus more on the rates and the low down payment. The company my Father was with is considered a “Standard” company. Standard insurance companies generally target middle-aged and married customers who own their own home and have a clean driving history. This is just one reason why I would never recommend an 18 year old driver decide on just buying insurance with his or her parents Agent. There are so many options out there.

We recently conducted a research on premiums offered to young drivers in California. If you have some time to check it out you’ll see a big difference between the insurance premiums offered from one company to the next. The difference of thousands between the lowest average premium and the highest average premium. Is it really worth it to pay that much for…tradition? Yes, your parents insurance agent is probably a nice lady and is willing to help you out as much as she can, but have you ever paid thousands for “nice”.

If you happen to be turning 18 or you’re leaving college and need to buy your own insurance policy, never limit yourself to your family insurance company. Being a younger driver, rates are going to be high but it shouldn’t have to cost too much. Review your options and you’ll save hundreds, if not thousands, a year on your auto insurance.

I would like to wish you good luck with finding the right insurance company for your individual needs. Consider using our quote system to easily compare insurance quotes from multiple companies.