Cheapest Car Insurance for 17-Year-Olds

GEICO is the cheapest carrier for minimum coverage at $201 per month on a family policy. State Farm follows at $222 per month, with the added benefit of local agent support if your teen needs help filing a claim.

Before defaulting to minimum coverage, keep one thing in mind: teen drivers file claims at a much higher rate than adult drivers. Minimum coverage meets your state’s legal requirements but leaves your family paying out of pocket for damage to your teen’s vehicle and any costs that exceed your liability limits. Full coverage is worth a serious look before deciding.

Nationwide is the cheapest carrier for full coverage at $224 per month on a family policy. GEICO follows at $239 per month. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive national carrier for full coverage is wider than for minimum coverage — Progressive costs $298 per month for the same driver profile, an $888 annual difference. That spread is why comparison shopping matters.

For families with a newer or financed vehicle, full coverage is required by your lender. For older vehicles, the right call depends on the car’s value and how much financial exposure your family can absorb if your teen has an at-fault accident.

Two carriers stand out in our research for 17-year-old drivers: one for minimum coverage and one for full coverage. Both are the right starting point for comparing quotes to get the best rate.

State is one of the biggest factors in what your teen pays. In our analysis minimum coverage ranges from $57 per month in Hawaii to $324 per month in Louisiana — a more than 5x difference driven by state minimum requirements, local traffic density and accident rates. Always compare quotes from multiple carriers in your state to find your actual floor.

Rates below reflect minimum coverage family policies. This dataset covers national carriers only — regional insurers may offer lower rates in some states.

Most states require parental consent for insurance contracts until age 18, which limits a 17-year-old's ability to shop independently. Alabama and Nebraska offer limited exceptions and California permits independent coverage but parents remain financially responsible regardless.

A violation on a teen driver's record hits harder than most parents expect. And at 17, where rates are already high, even a minor infraction adds meaningful cost. State Farm is the most forgiving carrier across most violation types for minimum coverage, leading on at-fault accidents, DUIs, speeding and texting violations. GEICO holds its near-clean rate of $211 per month for not-at-fault accidents, which reflects how differently carriers treat accidents where your teen wasn't responsible.

The DUI figure is worth flagging. At $296 per month, State Farm is still the cheapest national carrier after a DUI, but that's 47% above its clean-record minimum coverage rate of $201. The gap between carriers widens after serious violations, so comparison shopping becomes more important, not less, once a mark appears on your teen's record.

Full coverage violation surcharges follow a similar pattern, with State Farm leading on most violation types and Nationwide again holding steady on not-at-fault accidents at $224 per month. State Farm's at-fault accident rate rises to $296 per month for full coverage versus $260 for minimum, and its DUI rate reaches $334 per month, 40% above its clean full coverage rate of $239. For families already paying more for full coverage, a serious violation meaningfully raises the cost floor.

The average cost of car insurance for a 17-year-old is $234 per month for minimum coverage and $262 per month for full coverage on a family policy. Those averages shift by gender. Male 17-year-olds average $245 per month for minimum coverage and $273 for full coverage. Female 17-year-olds average $224 for minimum coverage and $250 for full coverage — about 9% less across both coverage levels, reflecting the lower statistical risk insurers assign to female teen drivers.

Families most surprised by their quote are those who assumed the rate would be close to the national average without accounting for their state or their teen’s gender. Use the tables below, filtered by coverage level and gender, to find the range most relevant to your teen’s profile.

At 17 rates are starting to come down from their 16-year-old peak, but car insurance remains one of the biggest expenses families with teen drivers face. GEICO leads on minimum coverage at $201 per month and Nationwide on full coverage at $224 per month on a family policy. Which makes sense depends on your vehicle and how much financial exposure you can absorb if your teen has an accident.

The carrier gap at 17 is wider than at almost any other age. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive national carrier exceeds $888 per year for full coverage in our data, making comparison shopping more valuable here than at any other point in your teen’s driving life.

Start with GEICO for minimum coverage and Nationwide for full coverage, then compare from there.

We've answered frequently asked questions about finding the most affordable car insurance for 17-year-olds to assist you:

MoneyGeek analyzed 54,284 quotes from 70 major insurance companies across 1,238 ZIP codes nationwide to determine the most affordable and highest quality car insurance options for 17-year-old drivers.

Our Baseline Profile

Our baseline driver represents a typical 17-year-old with one year of driving experience: a 17-year-old operating a 2012 Toyota Camry LE with a clean record, 12,000 miles driven annually and no established credit score. We chose no credit score because most 17-year-olds have not yet built one, making it the most realistic profile for this audience.

From that baseline we adjusted across six variables including speeding tickets, at-fault accidents and DUIs to show parents what premiums look like both now and if their teen makes a mistake behind the wheel.

Coverage Levels

We analyzed two coverage levels to reflect the different decisions families face.

Minimum coverage uses state required liability limits only. It is the cheapest legal option but leaves families paying out of pocket for damage to their teen's own vehicle.

Full coverage includes comprehensive and collision protection with a $1,000 deductible and 100/300/100 liability limits, meaning $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $100,000 property damage. These limits provide meaningful protection if your teen causes a serious accident.

Quality Scoring

Price is only part of the picture for teen drivers. We scored each insurer on customer satisfaction, claims handling, financial strength and digital experience to produce a MoneyGeek Score out of 100. At 17 the likelihood of filing a claim remains significantly higher than for adult drivers, making service quality an important factor alongside rate.

Data Sources

Rate data comes from Quadrant Information Services and state insurance departments, refreshed monthly. Statistical claims throughout this page draw from the CDC for teen fatality data, IIHS for crash rates and vehicle safety ratings and NHTSA for accident causes and prevention research.

Learn more about MoneyGeek's full methodology.