Nerdy takeaways
- The average cost of adding an 18-year-old college student to a car insurance policy with two adults is $189 per month.
- Adding a college student to an existing policy will likely be cheaper than getting a new standalone policy, but it will make the price of the existing policy go up.
- Student discounts can make paying for car insurance more affordable.
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Cheapest car insurance companies for college-age drivers
Your car insurance will get more expensive if you add a college-age driver to an existing policy. That said, rates for college students often decrease on average as the driver gets older and drives safely.
At the same time, insurers evaluate drivers differently. NerdWallet recommends comparing car insurance rates from a few companies before you add a driver to your insurance. This way, there’s less of a chance you overpay — possibly by hundreds or thousands of dollars a year.
On the following tables, we list the large insurers that have the cheapest rates for a policy that includes a college-age driver. We don’t list rates from USAA even though it often has the best rates. USAA is only an option for families that have someone who’s associated with the military.
Age of college-age driver | Cheapest large insurer | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
18 | Travelers | $387 |
19 | Progressive | $339 |
20 | Progressive | $329 |
21 | Travelers | $303 |
22 | Travelers | $292 |
These are annual rates for college students who join an existing policy. Our college-age driver shares a 2023 Toyota Camry LE with two parents who are 50 and 45 years old.
Cheapest for a college-age driver with two parents who drives their own vehicle
Age of college-age driver | Cheapest large insurer | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
18 | State Farm | $418 |
19 | Progressive | $390 |
20 | Progressive | $380 |
21 | Travelers | $337 |
22 | Travelers | $321 |
These are the cheapest rates for college students who join an existing policy with two parents, ages 50 and 45 years old. Our college-age driver uses their own 2013 Toyota Camry L and has no comprehensive or collision coverage on their insurance policy.
Cheapest for a college-age driver sharing a family vehicle with one parent
Age of college-age driver | Cheapest large insurer | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
18 | Travelers | $323 |
19 | Progressive | $262 |
20 | Progressive | $251 |
21 | Progressive | $252 |
22 | Progressive | $233 |
These are annual rates for college students who join an existing policy. Our college-age driver shares a 2023 Toyota Camry LE with one parent, age 50.
Cheapest for a college-age driver with one parent who drives their own vehicle
Age of college-age driver | Cheapest large insurer | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
18 | State Farm | $344 |
19 | Progressive | $278 |
20 | Progressive | $270 |
21 | Progressive | $247 |
22 | Progressive | $237 |
These are the cheapest rates for college students who join an existing policy with one parent, age 50. Our college-age driver uses a 2013 Toyota Camry L that has no comprehensive or collision coverage.
How much is car insurance for college students?
Our analysis found that adding a college student to a policy that already covers that student's two parents raises the cost of auto insurance by nearly two thirds. The average cost of adding an 18-year-old college student to a car insurance policy is $189 per month.
Car insurance costs for a college student in a two-adult household
Below are the average car insurance rates for policies with two older adults and a college student driver, ages 18 through 22.
Age | Average annual rate, college student drives an older car | Average annual rate, college student shares a family car |
|---|---|---|
18 | $498 | $482 |
19 | $466 | $450 |
20 | $452 | $433 |
21 | $424 | $398 |
22 | $415 | $385 |
For comparison, the average cost to insure two adults is $293 per month, according to our analysis of full coverage rates for a 50-year-old male driver and 45-year-old female driver sharing one policy. | ||
Car insurance costs for a college student in a one-adult household
Below are the average car insurance rates for policies with one older adult and a college student driver ages 18 through 22.
Age | Average annual rate, college student drives an older car | Average annual rate, college student shares a family car |
|---|---|---|
18 | $390 | $395 |
19 | $357 | $363 |
20 | $343 | $344 |
21 | $314 | $305 |
22 | $305 | $293 |
For comparison, the average cost to insure one adult is $173 per month, according to our July 2026 analysis of full coverage rates for a 50-year-old male driver. | ||
» MORE: Compare car insurance rates
Should you stay on a parent or guardian’s policy?
It depends on your family’s situation and what you can afford. An existing policy will get more expensive if a college-age driver (or any other driver) joins. But the cost of a family policy will likely be less than the amount a college driver pays for their own standalone coverage.
Another thing to consider is where the college-age driver attends school and whether they live there part of the year or fulltime. If the student lives on campus all year long, they may need their own car insurance policy — though they’d still be allowed to occasionally use the family car.
Does a student need auto insurance if they don’t own a car?
I think it’s a good idea to keep up a car insurance policy even if you or your college-age driver is not driving. Insurers don’t like to see lapses — a time when someone has no insurance coverage after having had it, like if their policy expires and they don't get another one right away. Lapses mean higher rates when you get coverage again.
Instead of dropping coverage, consider staying on the family policy if that’s an option, or get a separate non-owner policy. Non-owner insurance provides basic protection and, most importantly, keeps you from having a lapse in your insurance history while you don’t own or regularly drive a car.
Cost of car insurance for college students, by gender
Female college students can pay a lot for car insurance, but male college students will usually pay the most. One reason is because male drivers are involved in more crashes than female drivers of a similar age.
A note about the term "gender."
In this article, NerdWallet uses the term “gender.” We recognize that this is different from sex. Gender is how you identify within society, while sex refers to certain biological attributes.
Some insurers don’t recognize this distinction and use the terms interchangeably. This means that when you apply for car insurance, they may ask for your gender when they really mean sex.
They may also ask for identification that doesn’t reflect your gender accurately. For instance, a company may want the gender you list on your insurance application to match the sex listed on your driver’s license.
Age of driver | Female driver | Male driver |
|---|---|---|
18 | $484 | $517 |
19 | $438 | $472 |
20 | $423 | $456 |
21 | $381 | $420 |
22 | $370 | $404 |
These are average annual rates for college students who join an existing policy. Our college-age driver shares a 2023 Toyota Camry LE with two parents.
Car insurance for a college student with two parents who drives their own vehicle
Age of driver | Female driver | Male driver |
|---|---|---|
18 | $486 | $510 |
19 | $454 | $477 |
20 | $442 | $462 |
21 | $416 | $432 |
22 | $408 | $422 |
These are average annual rates for college students who join an existing policy with two parents, ages 50 and 45. Our college-age driver uses a 2013 Toyota Camry L that has no comprehensive or collision coverage.
Car insurance for a college student sharing a family vehicle with one parent
Age of driver | Female driver | Male driver |
|---|---|---|
18 | $371 | $419 |
19 | $342 | $383 |
20 | $327 | $361 |
21 | $288 | $321 |
22 | $279 | $308 |
These are average annual rates for college students who join an existing policy. Our college-age driver shares a 2023 Toyota Camry LE with one parent, age 50.
Car insurance for a college student with one parent who drives their own vehicle
Age of driver | Female driver | Male driver |
|---|---|---|
18 | $376 | $405 |
19 | $345 | $369 |
20 | $333 | $353 |
21 | $305 | $322 |
22 | $298 | $312 |
These are average annual rates for college students who join an existing policy with one parent, age 50. Our college-age driver uses a 2013 Toyota Camry L that has no comprehensive or collision coverage.
How to save on car insurance as a college student
Reconsider collision and comprehensive coverage
If you’re planning on driving an old car to college, you may be able to drop or pass on getting collision and comprehensive coverage. These types of coverage pay out only up to the cash value of the car, minus your policy's deductible — the amount of money you commit to paying in a claim.
You might not need comprehensive and collision coverage if you drive an older vehicle because this coverage might cost nearly as much as it would to repair or replace the vehicle yourself. Dropping these types of coverage will lower your rates, but you’d receive no payout for your vehicle after a crash you cause.
Try usage-based car insurance
College campuses offer a lot of conveniences that may reduce your need to use a car to get around. This could make pay-per-mile-based insurance more attractive.
With pay-per-mile insurance, your insurance rates depend on the miles you drive. Some companies allow you to take an occasional road trip without substantially increasing your premiums, too.
Alternatively, most large insurance companies offer programs that price rates based on your driving habits, such as speeding and hard braking. These programs typically result in a discounted rate, but rates can increase for unsafe drivers.
Ask about car insurance discounts for students
Depending on your state and insurance company, you could be eligible for a variety of discounts while you’re off at school. Here are some common college student car insurance discounts.
Good student. If you’re a full-time student who gets good grades (typically a B average or higher), has high standardized test scores or is on your school’s dean’s list or honor roll, you'll find many insurers offering discounts.
Student away from home. If your college is more than 100 miles away, consider leaving the car at home. Some insurers offer discounts to college students who drive the family car only when they’re home for breaks or holidays. Plus, by leaving the car behind, you’ll reduce your risk of getting tickets or causing accidents that increase your premiums, which can keep your insurance costs down in the long run.
Fraternity, sorority and honor society. If you’re a member of a qualified fraternity, sorority or honor society, you may be eligible for a discount.
Military. If you’re part of an ROTC program, you could get a discount on car insurance.
Student and alumni organizations. Discounts may be available to members of college organizations (such as the American Medical Student Association) or alumni associations.
Safe driving. While this discount won’t take effect until you’ve proven yourself a safe driver for at least three to five years, avoiding traffic violations and car accidents could mean a discount.
Young driver training. If you complete an educational program to improve your driving skills and are within an allowed age range, some insurers will provide a discount.
Young volunteer. You could qualify for a discount if you complete a required number of volunteer hours and are within the age requirements.
Methodology
Methodology
NerdWallet analyzed rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for male and female high-school students for all ZIP codes in all of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our rates analysis due to a lack of publicly available information.
All rates we analyzed pertained to “good drivers,” meaning they had no moving violations on record. Our “good” and “poor” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.
In our analysis, college-age profiles include drivers ages 19 to 22 who are attending college. We worked under the assumption that the drivers for these profiles would have no credit history and wouldn’t qualify for any discounts for their grades, participating in a usage-based program or living away from home.
For a single-parent household, we used a 50-year-old male “good driver” with good credit driving a 2020 Toyota Camry LE with full coverage as the parent or guardian profile. When drivers share a vehicle, the young driver uses this car 20% of the time.
For a two-parent household, we used a 50-year-old male “good driver” with good credit driving a 2023 Toyota Camry LE with full coverage and a 45-year-old female “good driver” with good credit driving a 2020 Toyota RAV4 with full coverage as the parent or guardian profiles.
When a young driver drives their own car, we used rates for a 2013 Toyota Camry L with no comprehensive or collision coverage.
These are median rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.
Sample drivers with “full coverage” policies had the following coverage limits:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person.
- $300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per crash.
- $50,000 property damage liability coverage per crash.
- $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person.
- $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per crash.
- Collision coverage with $1,000 deductible.
- Comprehensive coverage with $1,000 deductible.
In states where required, minimum additional coverages were added.
For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect only the minimum coverage required by law in the state.
These are rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.IIHS. Teenagers. Accessed Jul 29, 2026.
