The words “low-cost” and “insurance” really shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, specifically when you are shopping around for the cheapest auto insurance for high school students. Because of the high cost, let’s introduce you to some of the things that can significantly affect auto insurance rates, and come up with some ways to reduce the cost of your next policy.
The vehicle model you are trying to insure is one of the largest factors that determines if you can find affordable car insurance for high school students. Vehicles with lots of horsepower, a lack of safety features, or a track record of large liability claims will cost more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The next list showcases insurance rates for the most affordable automobiles to insure.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $4,194 |
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $4,235 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $4,242 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,542 |
| Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-Dr | $4,712 |
| Ford F-150 STX Regular Cab 4WD | $4,722 |
| Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $4,937 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $4,944 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $4,978 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $4,987 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $4,978 |
| Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $4,983 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $5,019 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 4WD | $5,026 |
| Honda Civic LX-S 4-Dr Sedan | $5,200 |
| Ford Edge Sport AWD | $5,241 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L | $5,246 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $5,241 |
| Toyota Corolla S | $5,246 |
| Toyota Camry XLE | $5,241 |
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Table data represents single female driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in specific zip code location which can influence coverage prices significantly.
Based upon the table data, you can see that models like the Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, and Jeep Wrangler will be the less-costly vehicles to insure for teenagers. Car insurance rates will tend to be higher because of the fact that there is more claim risk for high school students, but overall those vehicles will most likely have the lowest prices available.
For teenagers, one of the more important factors that are looked at to determine the cost of insurance is where you keep your vehicle in Pittsburgh. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims have the luxury of cheap car insurance rates.
The next table shows the highest-priced areas in Pennsylvania for high school students to buy auto insurance in. Pittsburgh is ranked #14 costing $1,053 for the average insured, which is approximately $88 each month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | $2,057 |
| 2 | Drexel Hill | $1,489 |
| 3 | Chester | $1,435 |
| 4 | Levittown | $1,365 |
| 5 | Norristown | $1,320 |
| 6 | Allentown | $1,141 |
| 7 | Erie | $1,104 |
| 8 | Easton | $1,102 |
| 9 | Bethlehem | $1,087 |
| 10 | Municipality of Monr | $1,081 |
| 11 | Scranton | $1,071 |
| 12 | Reading | $1,066 |
| 13 | Wilkes-Barre | $1,057 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh | $1,053 |
| 15 | Plum | $1,047 |
| 16 | Hazleton | $1,046 |
| 17 | Altoona | $1,042 |
| 18 | New Castle | $1,026 |
| 19 | Williamsport | $996 |
| 20 | Harrisburg | $985 |
| 21 | Bethel Park | $979 |
| 22 | Lancaster | $965 |
| 23 | York | $954 |
| 24 | Lebanon | $950 |
| 25 | State College | $905 |
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Table data uses approximated as the specific zip code location can affect premiums considerably.
Figuring out which insurers offer the cheapest auto insurance rates for high school students may require a bit more work than just comparing a company or two. Each auto insurer has a proprietary method for filing rates in each state, so to begin we’ll rank the most affordable auto insurance companies in Pittsburgh.
Find Cheaper Auto Insurance for Students
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Casualty | $726 |
| 2 | Travelers | $779 |
| 3 | Erie | $816 |
| 4 | Penn National | $816 |
| 5 | USAA | $817 |
| 6 | Auto-Owners | $963 |
| 7 | Amica | $1,012 |
| 8 | Atlantic States | $1,016 |
| 9 | Donegal Mutual | $1,091 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,111 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,144 |
| 12 | State Farm | $1,174 |
| 13 | California Casualty | $1,186 |
| 14 | State Auto | $1,229 |
| 15 | Encompass | $1,357 |
| 16 | Mutual Benefit Group | $1,397 |
| 17 | Harleysville | $1,452 |
| 18 | Progressive | $1,457 |
| 19 | Nationwide | $1,477 |
| 20 | Chubb | $1,598 |
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General Casualty normally has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at around $726 per year. This is $931 less than the average premium paid by Pennsylvania drivers of $1,657. Travelers, Erie, Penn National, and USAA also qualify as some of the lowest-priced Pittsburgh, PA insurance companies.
In the above example, if you are currently insured with USAA and switched to Travelers, you could earn a yearly savings of about $38. Pennsylvania drivers with Auto-Owners may save as much as $184 a year, and Amica policyholders might reduce prices by as much as $233 a year.
If you want to see how much you could save, click here to begin a quote or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
Be aware that those policy prices are averages across all drivers and vehicles in Pennsylvania and and are not calculated with a specific vehicle garaging location for high school students. So the company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be in the list above. That’s why you need to get rate quotes using your own individual information.
Liability rates compared to full coverage
Buying cheaper auto insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one easy way to buy cheaper insurance for high school students is to only pay for liability coverage. The illustration below compares annual premium costs with and without physical damage coverage. The prices are based on no violations or accidents, $250 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Averaged out for all age groups, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs an extra $2,351 per year more than just insuring for liability. That raises the question if full coverage is worth the money. There is no definitive guideline of when to drop comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some cases where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should keep full coverage on your policy.
The illustration below shows how choosing a deductible can influence insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for high school students. The price estimates are based on a single male driver, full coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.
The data above shows that a 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $368 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $552 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, like the 20-year-old, could shave $1,222 every year by using higher deductibles when buying full coverage.
If you do raise deductibles, it will now be necessary to have spare funds to satisfy the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.
Ideas for finding more affordable auto insurance for high school students
The list below summarizes some of the better money-saving ideas that can help Pittsburgh drivers buy low-cost coverage.
- Buy vehicles with five-star safety ratings
- Try paying for small claims out-of-pocket
- Pay cheaper rates with good credit scores
- Raise deductibles to save money
- Do not waste money insuring older vehicles for full coverage
- Bundle car and home insurance and save money
- Compare rates often to find the best deal
The last suggestion is particularly valuable, as was stressed in this write-up. Car insurance prices in Pittsburgh can change in a short period of time, so don’t hesitate to switch to a new company if a better rate can be found.
Many drivers tend to have loyalty to a certain company, but it’s not a good idea if that loyalty results in overpaying big bucks every year. It only takes a couple minutes to shop around to find cheaper car insurance for high school students.