In New York State, insurance companies consider a driver "inexperienced" if they have had less than 3 years of driving. Are they looking for 3 years of insured driving, or 3 years of licensed driving in order to become experienced? In other words, if you were under your own or someone else's policy versus just having a license for 3 years?

The insurance company will look at the number of years you have held your driver's license for the "inexperienced period." The insurance company insuring you may also be interested however in how long you have been insured, not for the "inexperience surcharge" but as another rating factor. If you have a car in your household you should have been on an insurance policy, either your own if you owned a car or your parents if they had a car that they allowed you to drive.

The New York Insurance Department notes that one of the most relevant classifications in auto insurance ratemaking is age because of its obvious relation to losses. Consistently, young drivers are disproportionately represented in auto accidents in relation to their percentage of the total driver population.

The NYS DOI notes that in New York State if licensed less than three years at the start of the policy period, the principal operator of a vehicle, regardless of age, will receive an inexperienced operator surcharge. So this surcharge is based on the actual time in which you have been licensed.

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We can add that it is typically the amount of time licensed that is looked at for driving history. Your prior insurance coverage history only looks at the previous 6-12 months typically.

For a New York State young drivers car insurance needs click here.