If you are a student studying at a University, there are huge chances that you’re on a strict budget. There are so many things you need to pay for such as tuition fees, accommodation, textbooks, and a lot more. If you are someone who has got his car to the University and you’re driving, there is a need to have car insurance. For University students, auto insurance is usually in the back of their minds.
No student plans or thinks about shopping for car insurance. In fact, University students simply go for the same insurance their parents are using, even if it’s not one of the cheap car insurance for students.
What you need to understand is auto insurance for college students can make up a huge part of the limited budget and the rates for the same change all the time. There are chances that if you have got a good deal as a college freshman, that might be a bad deal today.
Also, the average rate of car insurance for a 20-year-old student is $3,816 per year or $318 per month which is not at all less money.
Hence, it is very essential that before you purchase student car insurance you look around for the best auto insurance rates and make a wise decision. Below is a list we’ve compiled of cheap car insurance for students:
State Farm
State Farm offers a good-student discount that provides up to 25% in annual auto insurance savings to damaged cars. The eligibility requirements differ by state, but usually, to get the discount you must be a full-time student and have a good grade point of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Fortunately, the discount lasts until the student turns 25 years old, there are no complications even if you graduate from college before that.
There’s another student car insurance discount offered by State Farm that is called “a student away at school” discount which is the best for University students who live on campus but don’t have their car with them and where a car isn’t necessary. The discount offers savings to drivers who live more than 100 miles away from home and keep their car at home. Such students can take this cheap car insurance for students.
You can be eligible for the discount and get cheap car insurance for students if you don’t have your car at the Uni and you may only drive the car while you’re home on vacation or during a holiday.
Steer Clear program by State Farm offers all students under the age of 25 the chance to save money on their auto insurance. This program enables drivers to analyze and develop their driving skills with the help of instructional materials and by self-logging vital events that occur during their trips. If there are no violations or accidents occurred during the trips, the students then become eligible for a car insurance student discount.
Allstate
Allstate is an insurer with robust mobile apps to make students’ life easy. Allstate Mobile enables users to obtain their plan information, administer claims, and immediately connect to an insurance agent. If you want to file a claim, you can do that right from the app, which is considered the best part for consumers.
Allstate has another app that is called QuickTrip which is also a trip optimizer, which saves time and mileage. When you are driving, you can enter as many locations as you wish to visit, and the Quicktrip app will help you by finding the optimal multi stop route for the day. This is really helpful for Uni students and is a great extra perk particularly for those with fixed schedules.
As Allstate offers excellent mobile apps, it also has an extended chain of agents, who are always ready to give solutions to your problems in person. This can be a huge advantage for Uni students who may be unknown with the differences of their auto insurance policies.
Allstate has about 12,000 independent agencies spread across for cheap car insurance for students, meaning there’s likely one located near you. Conclusively, Allstate grants a great mobile experience and also doesn’t skimp on in-person assistance.
Metromile
Metromile’s rating system enables drivers to check their current auto insurance premiums and it lets them examine and see if changing companies is beneficial for them. Your monthly premium with Metromile will consist of a standard cost plus a per-mile fee, which indicates less driving means lower insurance costs. Metromile claims that if a student drives less than 12,000 miles per year, which is considered as the national average, then you will definitely save money with its insurance.
Metromile doesn’t take charges from policyholders for driving more than 250 miles per day, which also depends on the state. New drivers of Uni students can consider this as a cap on the amount they can be charged, should they go on a road trip or just drive back home. Metromile doesn’t charge drivers for more than 150 miles per day in New Jersey.
The only drawback of this company is its restricted availability. It’s not operating in every state and currently provides cheap car insurance for students in eight states that are Arizona, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. If you want to go for Metromile and it isn’t available in your state, enquire with your insurance company for a low-mileage discount, which is provided by most car insurance companies.
GEICO
GEICO provides various kinds of car insurance student discount and has low rates for car insurance that makes it what we consider the best cheap car insurance for students. Though their quotes differ depending on where you are residing, it is known that GEICO consistently gives college-aged drivers low auto insurance rates.
GEICO also grants student car insurance discount to affiliates of college-centered groups such as alumni associations, organizations, and clubs. So, if you’re a Uni student who is quite active on campus, there are chances that you can obtain great, discounted auto insurance rates.
What do you need to look for while buying Car Insurance?
As a student studying at a University there are ways how you can save up to 50% on car insurance. While you are looking for cheap car insurance for students, always keep an eye out for these student-friendly discounts and plans:
Pay-per-mile
Some carriers provide small low-mileage discounts, but if you think you’ll drive your car less than 3000 miles per year, there is a chance for you to save a lot of money by buying a pay-per-mile plan. Also, you’ll know that you’ll need to pay a little extra for every trip which may prevent you from unimportant driving, moreover saving you money in other ownership costs.
Good student discount
Many carriers grant a student car insurance discount for candidates who maintain a certain GPA during their University course.
Distant student discount
There are discount offers from carriers for college students who visit their University over 100 miles from home.
Student organization discount
Several carriers also offer discounts and provide cheap car insurance for students who are associated with different clubs and organizations in their college. GEICO is one such company that offers such discounts.
Volunteer discount
If you are a student at a University and if you volunteer more than 40 hours per year, you need to check out for this discount as well before buying your car insurance.
What does Car Insurance usually cover?
The four types of auto insurance coverages are as follows:
Bodily injury liability
This coverage is applicable if you’re at accountability in an accident, Bodily injury liability covers the other persons’ medical bills and seldom involves legal fees as the result of a lawsuit.
Collision
This covers damage for your car in there’s case of an accident, even if you’re found at-fault.
Comprehensive
Comprehensive is also known as OTC “other than collision,” which covers damage caused to your car outside of an accident, such as destruction, theft, weather, fire, and consequences because of wildlife.
What Car Insurance does not cover?
These are some of the things which your car insurance does not cover
Towing and labor
If your car breaks down because of some reason or if it requires a new battery, or undergoes a flat, there is no chance that insurance may help you out in such cases.
Repairs and rentals
If at any point in time your car becomes undrivable because of age, any damage, or because of an at-fault accident, a warranty of your car may cover the but not your insurance in this situation.
Personal property theft
If there is something valuable in your car or phone or laptop and if it gets stolen, your auto insurance usually won’t cover it.
