Having a child go off to college can be quite the adjustment for both of you. A big change like this might have you wondering if it’s time to take them off your car insurance policy while they’re away at college. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but we’ve put together a few factors to consider to help you find the right car insurance for your family.
Reasons to Consider Keeping Your College Student on Your Car Insurance
Keeping your child on your family’s car insurance policy will likely be less expensive than them trying to insure a vehicle themselves. If your child has a vehicle at college and uses it regularly, you might want to keep them on your existing auto insurance policy. By keeping them on your car insurance coverage, they’ll be covered anytime they get behind the wheel. Additionally, keeping them on your policy will avoid lapses in their personal auto insurance history.
Reasons to Consider Removing Your College Student From Your Car Insurance
If your child is at school far away, doesn’t have a vehicle there, and only comes home for summers and holidays, it might make sense to remove them from your auto insurance policy. It might be worth seeing if your auto insurance carrier will allow you to remove a licensed driver and add them back at a later date. Whether you’re fronting the bill or your new college student is getting an auto insurance policy of their own, you might consider removing them from your car insurance policy if they find lower rates in their new city.
No matter where your child attends college or how often they come home, certain factors will always come into play when insurance carriers determine your auto insurance rates:
- Driving record. Insurance companies base part of their risk assessment on your driving record to gauge how safe of a driver you are. In general, the safer the driver, the lower the premium payments. Encourage your college driver to keep their driving record clean by avoiding speeding tickets and accidents.
- The make, model and year of the vehicle. Newer cars and cars with more features (like Bluetooth systems, leather interior and internet connectivity) typically cost more, which make them more expensive to insure than older models. And certain body styles of cars like sedans are less expensive to insure than sporty coupe model styles because insurance companies associate the latter with riskier driving habits.
- Credit rating. Your credit score is calculated based on several factors, including the amount of credit owed, payment history and length of credit history. A poor credit score can mean paying significantly more in auto insurance premiums.
Find the Right Car Insurance Coverage for Your College Student
There are a lot of factors to consider for auto insurance, especially if you have a young adult off at college. Trying to keep track of all the moving pieces of car insurance can be confusing but we’re here to help find the best car insurance for your college student. We can help ensure you understand all of your options, getting you exactly the coverage you need at the most affordable rate for you.
