No, insurance rates do not necessarily go up once you reach age 65. It will depend upon state laws and insurance company guidelines if auto insurance rates will be raised after a driver turns a certain age.

Some companies offer lower rates to those between 50 and 65 years of age, since this group has lower accident rates. After age 65 rates do typically begin to rise again though and individuals over age 70 may have difficulty finding an insurer to accept them as a new customer since accidents for this age group tend to go up.

There are auto insurance providers though that give mature driver discounts for drivers of a certain age with clean records or discounts to seniors who attend an approved driving course.

To see what type of senior driver courses might be available to you, check with your insurance company and/or with the state DMV for a list of approved schools. Either your agent or the DMV should be able to tell you if any of the courses are available for you to take through the computer or if they must be attended in person.

The two main insurance carriers we work with offer different discounts for seniors that take safety or accident prevention courses.

For example Direct General in Florida has a discount for taking a Senior Operator Accident Prevention Course (APC). The applicants for this must submit a certificate showing they successfully completed a Motor Vehicle APC that has been approved by the state of Florida.

There are also a few more requirements for a senior to receive this Direct General insurance discount, such as a clean driving record for a certain amount of time and be of a certain age.

A second example is Esurance who has a Mature Driver Discount available for those 50 or older applying for insurance in California. One of the requirements for this discount is a certificate showing that the senior citizen completed a Mature Driver Improvement Course approved by the California DMV.

For information on what state laws allow for in regards to rates for drivers over the age of 65 check with your state's insurance regulator.

To get online car insurance quotes for you as a driver, whatever your age, click here.