Do you need your insurance as a student, or can you stay on your parents’ policy? As a student, deciding whether or not you need your vehicle insurance policy is quite simple:
When you live far from your parents and drive a car full-time, you’ll need your policy. You risk having your coverage or claim refused if your insurance provider discovers you’re living outside of your parents’ home with a vehicle.
Furthermore, you will almost certainly require renters insurance if you live alone. Insurance prices can be reduced by combining your car and /home renters insurance with a brokerage. Speaking of brokerages, whether you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance for students or traditional car insurance quotes in Nova Scotia, don’t hesitate to reach out to an insurance advisor at Surex.
You don’t need your policy when you don’t live away from your parents’ house but wish to be covered when you return. You can benefit from your parent’s policy if you’re going to a college inside the same city or if you’re away at college but not driving.
Staying on your family’s policy, even if you don’t drive, will help you avoid a lapse in coverage, which could result in higher insurance premiums if you buy insurance later. If you have your coverage but return home for the holidays, your family’s auto insurance policy may still cover you if it has a permissive use clause. Permissive use insurance provides coverage to infrequent drivers who use their vehicle less than 12 times per year.
If you’re going to college more than 100 miles away and won’t be driving, your parents may be eligible for a “student away from home” discount if they keep you on their insurance. This discount, which differs by company, will require documentation that you are not residing there. A utility bill can serve as proof. Learn more about student car insurance savings.
When Can I Get Cheap Student Insurance?
Short-term or temporary vehicle insurance will protect you if you are driving for a short time. For example, you may not want to drive to the university, but you may wish to do so when you return home for the holidays. You can usually protect yourself for anything from one to 28 days with temporary automobile insurance. This, however, varies depending on the provider you choose.
The most common vehicle insurance that drivers choose is a policy that protects you and your car (to whatever level you choose from the options above) for a single price for the entire year. However, these premiums are unlikely to be the greatest option for young individuals, given that those under 25 tend to be higher.
Insurance options
Pay how you drive (PHYD) and Pay as you drive (PAYD) are the two main types of specialty policies to consider. Both function by having a small box placed in your car to measure how and when you drive and are often referred to as telematics or ‘black box insurance.’ Temporary auto insurance is also a good alternative for students who will only be driving for a limited time. This is how it works:
Pay as you go
This option is similar to a pay-as-you-go cellphone contract in that you only pay for coverage when you use your car, making it a good choice if you only drive your car occasionally.
Pay according to how you drive
This method also necessitates the installation of a GPS unit in your vehicle. PHYD is quite similar to PAYD, and there is a lot of overlap between the two; however, PHYD focuses more on how safely you drive rather than how many miles you drive.
These black boxes monitor various parameters such as acceleration, braking, cornering speed, and more to determine what type of driver you are and adjust your insurance price accordingly.
As previously said, this alternative entails having a gadget installed in your car that tracks how far and how often you drive and costs you accordingly (some insurers will charge for sending out an engineer to help you with fixing the box).
It’s not always the cheapest choice, but if you use it correctly, this little black box can drastically cut your student vehicle insurance rate, so it’s well worth investigating.
What Determines How Much You Pay for Insurance?
It can be surprisingly difficult to find the cheapest car insurance for college students and high school students. Numerous factors need to be considered when finding cheap car insurance, such as how old you are, the make and model of your vehicle, where in the country you live and drive, etc.
High School Students’ Car Insurance
When purchasing auto insurance as a teen student, consider several factors, including when a student should be added to the family policy and how much it would cost.
Car insurance companies utilize your driving record as a rating component when setting premiums. Adding a minor driver to a car insurance coverage will often boost the monthly price by more than $100. Teen drivers are considered particularly dangerous — and expensive — insurance consumers due to their lack of driving experience and propensity to take risks behind the wheel.
When Should a Teen Driver Be Added to Their Parent’s Insurance Policy?
Once a young driver has obtained their driver’s license and is operating a vehicle, they should be added to their parent’s insurance coverage. Teens must be added to their family’s vehicle insurance coverage as a secondary or occasional driver if they want to use the vehicle.
Options For Student Vehicle Insurance for High School Students
The expense of car insurance for high school students is the next — and most likely more pressing — problem. Teenagers are a more expensive age group to insure due to their lack of driving experience.
Good Student Discount
Some students may be eligible for this discount if they maintain a 3.0 (B average) or higher GPA. Insurance companies consider good-graded young drivers less prone to incur risks when driving and thus reward them with lower premiums. To become eligible for a good student discount, insurance companies typically require documentation — such as a transcript — every six months.
Discount For Defensive Drivers
This discount is only available if the driver completes a defensive driving course that the insurance carrier has approved. Before enrolling in service, check with your insurance company or broker to see if they offer this discount.
Graduate Student Car Insurance
There are distinctions between buying automobile insurance as a graduate student and getting car insurance as an undergraduate. As a graduate student with a bachelor’s degree, you can expect some insurance savings.
A motorist with greater education is thought to be more financially stable and more likely to drive safely, lowering the danger and potential cost the customer poses. As a result, graduate students’ vehicle insurance prices are lower.
Your age has a role in the next part of your savings. Graduate students are often older than undergraduate students, despite the fact that there is no set age for them. An older driver is a more experienced driver and a better client to an insurance provider.
