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Written by:
Shivani Gite
Contributing Writer
Shivani Gite is a personal finance and insurance writer with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She is passionate about making insurance topics easy to understand for people and helping them make better financial decisions. When not writing, you can find her reading a book or watching anime.
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Reviewed by:
Laura Longero
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Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

When a child obtains a learner’s permit to start driving, you should inform your car insurance provider of their licensing status.

Many insurance companies don’t require that parents add a 15-year-old to the car insurance policy. That means you won’t have to pay a higher premium for listing your teen on your coverage yet. However, once they start to drive on their own, you’ll need to add them to the policy. 

A driver with a learner’s permit should be supervised at all times when driving, so the insurer doesn’t usually doesn’t require them to get added to insurance. 

However, remember that some companies will want to add a driver who has a learner’s permit driver to the policy, so check with your insurer about their requirements.

Once the teen advances to the next step of a state’s graduated driver’s licensing (GDL) program and starts driving on her own, you will have to add her to your policy. At that time, your premium will likely increase. 

Since insurance premiums will increase when you put your teenager on your auto policy, you will want to seek ways to save money. Shopping around for the best auto insurance rates is important, but you can also look for discounts.

Adults can receive discounts for being married, maintaining good driving records, owning multiple cars and carrying homeowners insurance with the same company. For your child, your rates can be discounted if your teen gets good grades or establishes a good driving record — but that takes time. Most companies offer discounts to students with good grades, generally a B average or higher.

Get car insurance quotes on CarInsurance.com to see how much it would be to have your teen on a policy. And also check out our page on car insurance for young drivers.

Find out more about car insurance for learner’s permit drivers, the best ways to insure a teen driver and the best car insurance for new drivers.

Does a 15-year-old with a permit need insurance?

You usually don’t need to add your 15-year-old to your car insurance. As we mentioned, most insurers don’t require that. 

A 15-year-old with a permit can only drive with a licensed driver who’s 21 or older. However, some companies want to know about a learner’s permit driver operating a vehicle, so check with your insurance company. 

How much is car insurance for a 15-year-old? 

If you must add your teen to your car insurance, you can expect a hefty premium increase. 

You can expect to pay at least $1,000 more annually for having a teen on your policy. When adding a teen, make sure to shop around for car insurance. You may find a company that offers better rates for teen drivers. 

Find out more about auto insurance for teens at various ages:

Laura Longero

Ask the Insurance Expert

Laura Longero

Executive Editor

Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

John McCormick

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John McCormick

Editorial Director

John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.

Leslie Kasperowicz

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Leslie Kasperowicz

Managing Editor

Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.

Nupur Gambhir

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Nupur Gambhir

Managing Editor

Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.

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Contributing Writer

Shivani Gite is a personal finance and insurance writer with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She is passionate about making insurance topics easy to understand for people and helping them make better financial decisions. When not writing, you can find her reading a book or watching anime.