Reader question:
My son is seventeen and has had his license for a year. During that time, he was driving my car or his mother’s, but now that he has proved to be a responsible driver, we have decided to get him his own car. We’ve already been paying so much for car insurance with his name on it, and I don’t want to pay too much more by adding another car with him as the primary driver. What should I keep in mind while getting my son a car that will allow me to have cheaper car insurance premiums?
Jacob
Great question.
It’s difficult as a parent when you come to this point in your child’s life that they are out on the road where they might not make the best decisions, and other drivers might not either. It brings all kinds of new worries, as well as expenses, and now that you are teaching your child more responsibility it may be a good idea to get them something as big as a car to be responsible for. It can be helpful to you, now that you don’t have to drive them around or let them borrow the car everytime they need to go to a school function or want to see their friends. It’s very convenient for your kid to have a car, but if you listen to the advice of the Insurance Information Institute, it needs to be safe.
- Fast and furious is a no-go. Even if you trust your teenager to drive safely, don’t give him the temptation of a car that encourages the kind of driving habits that might get him into trouble. This means sporty cars and cars that have features like turbocharging that give more emphasis to speed.
- Stability is good. Cars are more stable than trucks and SUVs because they have lower centers of gravity. Bigger vehicles are more difficult to maneuver and more of a disaster when you get into an accident. Getting a car that has good handling and turns and brakes easily is key.
- Crash protection. This is pretty much self explanatory, but considering the rate at which teenagers get into car accidents, it’s important to have this.
- Medium sized vehicles. We already went over the big vehicle rule, but smaller cars are out as well. They have less protection in car accidents, and you can find a larger car with better protection and similar fuel economy.
- Don’t go to old. You’ll probably be getting your teenager a used vehicle in order to stay within your budget or perhaps teach them about paying bills, but make sure that the car you get them is at least relatively new. Newer cars have more up to date safety features, which is very important for a teenager.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.