What’s the Best Car Insurance to Cover My Teen Driver?

How can I keep them safe behind the wheel without braking the bank?

Team LemonadeTeam Lemonade

They did it! After putting in the miles—and maybe some sweat and tears—your not-so-young youngster finally graduated from their learner’s permit to a full-fledged driver’s license. 

This is an exciting milestone. Now they can drive independently to work, school, or sports practice—or head to the mall with their friends to record that next viral TikTok

As they say, though: With great power comes great responsibility. Your teenager is considered a new driver in the eyes of your insurance company. And when you’re adding a new driver to your car insurance policy, your premium may go up until they get more years of experience behind the wheel.

At Lemonade Car, we price our policies based on the way you actually drive. Mileage and driving behavior for each driver on your policy are some of the major factors we use to calculate your car insurance premium. Because of that, our car insurance coverage can be a great fit if the new driver on your policy takes safety seriously. 

In this article we’ll cover:

Who’s considered a new driver?

A new driver refers to someone getting their driver’s license for the first time. They have limited driving experience, or perhaps none at all. Because new drivers are just getting their driver’s license, they typically don’t have an official driving record or history. 

A new driver may fall into one of the following groups:

  • Teenagers getting a driver’s license after reaching legal driving age 
  • Adults who learn or start driving later in life— like city residents who relocate to the suburbs
  • International drivers who might not be new to driving in general, but are new to being US drivers

Even if your teenager just has a learner’s permit, if they’re a new driver learning to drive using your car, and live under the same roof, you should include them on your car insurance policy.

Why can car insurance for new drivers be so expensive? 

Adding a new driver to your existing policy can hike up your car insurance rates, as insurers may deem them a greater risk than more seasoned drivers. But this can feel unfair when your teenager may be a good driver (or even the best driver in your family). What gives?

Unfortunately, as a new driver, your teen doesn’t have a long enough driving history yet to prove to auto insurance companies what an awesomely considerate and cautious driver they are. An insurer generally sees new drivers as being riskier, until they prove otherwise over time.

Luckily, by driving with Lemonade Car’s app, young drivers immediately begin building an internal record of their driving habits, which could positively impact the price you pay for insurance in the future (if they’re a safe driver). 

Let’s say your son or daughter just celebrated their sweet 16 and got a driver’s license for the first time. As a teen driver, they don’t have enough years behind the wheel to have established a clean driving record yet.  

But once they get more experience under their (seat)belt as an insured driver using the Lemonade app, they could become eligible for car insurance discounts based on their driving record and driving history. Once this takes effect, it can lower your premium.

How can I add a teen driver to my car insurance policy?

At Lemonade Car, you can cover up to seven drivers on a single policy. It’s a simple process to build a multi-driver policy from the outset, and to add more drivers as needed, all on the Lemonade app.

To add drivers to your car insurance, just select the relevant policy from the Car tab on the app and scroll down to the ‘Drivers’ section. Choose the ‘+ Add Driver’ option, then AI Maya will help you navigate through the rest of the process.

It’s this easy to add your teenager as a new driver on your Lemonade car insurance policy.

Keep in mind: Every additional driver on your policy needs to download the Lemonade app.

So, what’s the best car insurance company to cover my teenager on my policy?  

We might be biased, but when your family drives with Lemonade Car, there are lots of ways that everyone on your policy—including your safety-minded teenager—can score lower rates and feel safe behind the wheel. 

The new driver on your policy could start working to lower their portion of your overall premium almost immediately. Wondering how? When our drivers use the Lemonade app, it helps provide a clear picture of how they actually drive (not just how people like them tend to drive, based on statistics). 

This helps us calculate your Lemonade Safety Score—a rating from 0 to 10 that we calculate based on your driving habits over six-month periods, via the Lemonade app. Habits like harsh braking and phone usage while driving will, unsurprisingly, ding your score. Responsible road behavior will get you closer to that perfect 10. 

It’s true: Your teenager’s age and years of driving experience will still impact your premium. But with Lemonade car insurance, they’ll have the chance, every six months, to prove their safe driving habits (and get you better rates when they do).

Here are a few other reasons why a Lemonade auto insurance policy could be the right fit for your family.

Low-mileage savings

If your teen driver takes the car out mainly just to get to school and basketball practice, they probably aren’t driving very far, or very often.

Your premium is based on a lot of factors—including how much and how well everybody on your policy drives. So having low-mileage drivers on your policy (especially new ones) may help you lower your auto insurance rates. 

Later down the road, your teenager could become eligible for discounts based on their driving behavior, like we mentioned before. But for now, you could save money simply since they’re driving less.

Multi-car discount

When you add your teenager as a new driver to your policy, they may also have their own car that you also need to add. Once you add a second car or more to your policy, you become eligible for a multi-car discount on your premium.

With a Lemonade Car policy, the discount will be automatically applied to each car, including the first one, once that second car is included on the policy. 

add a car
You can easily add a new vehicle to your policy when your teenager joins your fleet.

One thing to note: All the cars that you cover on your policy must be registered under your or your spouse’s name (not your child’s) and all vehicles need to be garaged in the state where you hold the policy.

Discounts for bundling policies 

When you bundle a Lemonade Car policy with one or more other Lemonade policies—like renters, homeowners, or pet—you could save on each of your premiums.

Looking to cover both your family’s Maine Coon kitty and your teenager’s “new” 2015 Mazda3? Bundle discounts at Lemonade could help take the edge off the higher rates that you may be facing with a new driver on your policy.

More ways to save

We get it—adding a 16-year-old, or even a college student, to your policy could make cheap car insurance seem like a distant dream. Luckily, there are even more ways to help lower the cost of car insurance.

For example, it’s easy to customize your coverages, limits, and deductibles on your Lemonade Car policy. 

You can see how different types and amounts of coverage impact the amount of money you’ll spend on premiums, so you can find the right balance between coverage that gives you confidence on the road while also being budget-friendly.

Just don’t forget that even though lowering your limits or raising your deductible might save you some money on your premiums, it could mean paying more if you’re in a car accident and need to file a claim.

Caring about the environment

One of the things we’re extra proud about is an environmental initiative that’s built into Lemonade Car. When you enable location services on the Lemonade app, we’re able to calculate how many trees to plant based on the miles everyone on your policy drives. It’s our small way of making the world a little bit greener, and helping us all breathe a little bit easier.

Also, if someone on your policy drives a hybrid or electric car, you’ll get a discount on your Lemonade Car policy. These types of vehicles reduce your CO2 emissions, which helps fight climate change. Not to mention the money you save on gas. 

When there’s the option to help make the planet a little better for your teen’s future just by which car insurance you choose, then why not

Roadside assistance, on us

When you drive with the Lemonade app and enable permissions and location services, you’ll be eligible for roadside assistance free of charge for each car on your policy.

Lemonade’s Roadside Assistance is available anywhere in the United States or Canada. 

This service can give you peace of mind for situations when your teenager might require… some assistance. We’ll send help when they need it—to jump start a dead battery in the winter when they’re running late for school, or to unlock the doors when they accidentally lock the keys inside. 

Keep in mind: You’re eligible for up to 3 services, without charge, for each car listed on your Lemonade Car policy during a 6-month term. After that, you can still request help, but it’ll be at your own expense. 

Ready to ride…

As your teenager starts their journey as a new driver, taking Lemonade Car along for the ride could lead you to discounts, a greener future for our planet—and great coverage, of course. 

You can also rest assured that your teenager won’t be considered a new driver forever. The older they get and the more experienced driver they become, the better it could be for your premium (if they maintain a clean driving history on their way to adulthood—so tell ’em to keep those hands at 10 and 2!).

Get your free quote started below and see how Lemonade Car may be the best car insurance for adding your teenager to your policy. 

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A few quick words, because we <3 our lawyers: This post is general in nature, and any statement in it doesn’t alter the terms, conditions, exclusions, or limitations of policies issued by Lemonade, which differ according to your state of residence. You’re encouraged to discuss your specific circumstances with your own professional advisors. The purpose of this post is merely to provide you with info and insights you can use to make such discussions more productive! Naturally, all comments by, or references to, third parties represent their own views, and Lemonade assumes no responsibility for them. Coverage and discounts may not be available in all states.

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Please note: Lemonade articles and other editorial content are meant for educational purposes only, and should not be relied upon instead of professional legal, insurance or financial advice. The content of these educational articles does not alter the terms, conditions, exclusions, or limitations of policies issued by Lemonade, which differ according to your state of residence. While we regularly review previously published content to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date, there may be instances in which legal conditions or policy details have changed since publication. Any hypothetical examples used in Lemonade editorial content are purely expositional. Hypothetical examples do not alter or bind Lemonade to any application of your insurance policy to the particular facts and circumstances of any actual claim.