What are the Cheapest Cars to Insure for Teenagers?
The Subaru Outback, Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 are the cheapest cars to insure for a teen driver. They all cost around $440 per month to insure for full coverage when sharing a parent's policy.
Find Cheap Car Insurance Quotes in Your Area
ValuePenguin gathered rates for 24 cars that cost around $30,000 or less with high safety ratings.
Older cars are also cheaper to insure. A seven-year-old car is about 13% cheaper to insure than a new model.
The most expensive cars to insure for a teen are a Volkswagen Jetta or Nissan Sentra.
Best cars for teens
The cheapest cars to insure for teens are all midsize crossovers: The Subaru Outback, Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.
These cars all let you sit higher and get a better view of the road, have advanced safety features and starting prices of $30,000 or less.
1. Subaru Outback
- Retail price: $28,895
- Cost to insure new : $435/month
- Cost to insure used : $377/month
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NHTSA safety rating:
The cheapest cars to insure for a teenage driver
Model | MSRP | Mo. rate (new) | Mo. rate (2017) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subaru Outback | $28,895 | $435 | $377 |
| Honda CR-V | $29,500 | $438 | $376 |
| Mazda CX-5 | $29,300 | $439 | $381 |
| Honda HR-V | $24,600 | $447 | $391 |
| Hyundai Kona | $24,250 | $449 | — |
| Toyota Corolla | $22,050 | $450 | $451 |
| Subaru Forester | $27,095 | $451 | $391 |
| Chevrolet TrailBlazer | $23,100 | $454 | — |
All rates are monthly insurance quotes for the cost to add an 18-year-old to their parents' insurance policy.
Most expensive cars to insure for teens
The most expensive cars to insure for teens are the Volkswagen Jetta, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Prius, among the vehicles included. They all cost at least $530 per month to insure, or about 22% more than the cheapest model.
The most expensive cars to insure for teens are mostly smaller sedans with lower vehicle heights and lower visibility.
This may be because they're more likely to sustain damage in a crash with a larger car, give the driver a worse view of the road or lack certain safety features that reduce the risk of a crash. However, all of the most expensive cars have 5-star safety ratings from the NHTSA.
Model | MSRP | Mo. rate (new) | Mo. rate (2017) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Jetta | $21,345 | $555 | $466 |
| Nissan Sentra | $20,890 | $543 | $459 |
| Toyota Prius | $27,950 | $532 | $446 |
| Mazda Mazda3 | $24,170 | $526 | $447 |
| Toyota Camry | $26,420 | $524 | $433 |
All rates are monthly insurance quotes for the cost to add an 18-year-old to their parents' insurance policy.
Besides popular car choices for teens, there are other models that would likely be even more expensive for a teen driver — such as a Corvette sports car, or a luxury car like a BMW.
What makes a car cheap to insure?
Insurance companies set rates based on how likely a car is to be involved in a claim, and how expensive that claim will be. So, cars that are less likely to be crashed or stolen, and those that are cheaper to repair or replace, are generally cheaper to insure.
- Lower retail price: Cheaper to replace or repair
- Vehicle age: Maximum insurance payout decreases over time
- More replacement part availability: Reduces repair cost
- Less powerful motor: Reduces risk of serious crash
- Advanced safety features: Reduces risk of crash, and potential cost of bodily injury/liability claim (but also increases repair cost)
- Medium-sized: Increases driver visibility on the road, and protects occupants in a crash
Unfortunately, car insurance for a teenager is almost always expensive, no matter what car they drive. The two best ways to reduce the price of car insurance for a teen are to share a policy with parents, and to look at lots of companies to find the best price — at least five.
Methodology
To find the cheapest cars to insure for a teen driver, ValuePenguin editors collected quotes for 24 of the most popular vehicles for teens, focusing on those with a starting MSRP of around $30,000 or less and NHTSA overall safety rating of 4 or 5 stars.
For each vehicle, editors collected a quote with one 18-year-old and a 45-year-old parent, each with their own car. Then they subtracted the rate the parent would pay for a solo-driver policy to find the net price to add the teen.
Sharing a policy with a relative is the single best way a teen can keep their insurance rates low; a teen driver who has their own car insurance will pay substantially more.
All quotes are statewide average prices for a full-coverage policy in Illinois, with comprehensive and collision coverage, along with higher liability limits than required.
- $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person, and $100,000 per accident
- $25,000 of property damage liability
- $50,000 of bodily injury uninsured motorist coverage per person, and $100,000 per accident
- $50,000 of personal injury protection
- Collision and comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.
