Buying car insurance is hard when you first get your license. It’s expensive, and some insurers may even turn you away. That’s why it’s so important for drivers with less experience to shop around. We ranked the major insurance companies by what they offer beginning motorists. American Family tops our list of the best car insurance companies for new drivers.

Young drivers (under 25) are often novices behind the wheel, but this isn’t always the case. You’re a new driver if you fit into any of the following groups:

• Teens
• Immigrants
• Adults who’ve never driven
• Drivers who haven’t driven in a long time

This page examines the best car insurance companies for new drivers. We rank them based on what discounts they offer novice or teen drivers. Another important factor is how easy it is to add first-time drivers to your policy. Each company’s overall quality factors in as well. For a breakdown on which insurers are the best overall, be sure to visit our article on the best companies in the country.

Best Car Insurance Company for New Drivers: American Family

American Family (AmFam) is our winner for the best car insurance companies for new drivers. This is mainly because of the huge number of discounts tailored directly to them. There are also many other rewards that can add up to massive savings. Here’s why AmFam is our number one choice for beginning motorists:

Discounts for Young Drivers

It’s no question that most new drivers are teens. But car insurance for teens is very expensive. This makes it tricky for parents looking to add their kids to their policy. Luckily, AmFam has a whole category of discounts meant to lower young drivers’ rates. These are American Family’s young driver discounts:

• Good student. Achieving good grades in school will get young drivers a discount.
• TeenSafeDriver. You can get a discount for enrolling in this program and driving safely.
• Away at school. Students under the age of 25 and living on campus without their car at least 100 miles away from home can get a discount.
• Young volunteer. Drivers under the age of 25 who complete 40 hours of volunteer work each year may get a discount.
• Generational. You can get a discount if your parents are AmFam policyholders.

More Savings for People New to Driving

AmFam doesn’t reward younger customers. There are many other savings that anyone beginning their driving career can take advantage of. For instance, these auto insurance discounts also apply to new drivers:

• Multi-vehicle. If you insure more than one car in your household, you can get a discount.
• Low mileage. Driving less than 7,500 miles each year can get you a discount.
• Defensive driver. If you’re a first-time driver who’s over the age of 55, you can get a discount for enrolling in and completing a defensive driving course. Note that this discount isn’t available in all states.

AmFam Ranks Well Overall

Not only does AmFam provide lots of ways for new and young drivers to save money, but the company, overall, is also good. In J.D. Power’s 2022 mid-size insurer rankings, AmFam had higher than average customer satisfaction ratings. The company also has an A (stable) rating for financial strength from A.M. Best.

Second-Best Insurer for New Drivers: Progressive

Progressive is the second-best auto insurer for new drivers. Like AmFam, Progressive has discounts meant for rookie and teen drivers to lower their rates. Progressive is also available in every state and is the third-largest insurer in the country. Below is a breakdown of what Progressive offers:

Discounts for Beginner Motorists

Progressive offers customers many ways to save. But there are special discounts that drivers with their first driver’s license can qualify for:

• Teen driver. Adding a driver who’s 18 or under to your policy can get you a discount.
• Good student. Maintaining a “B” average or better can get you or your kid a discount.
• Distant student. Students who are 22 or younger can get a discount if they live on campus more than 100 miles away without their car.
• Online quote. If you’re looking for your first policy, getting a quote online can snag you a discount.
• Multi-car. Insuring more than one car in your household can get you a discount. This is perfect for families with teen drivers!
• Multi-policy. Bundling your home and auto insurance policies can get you a discount. Progressive customers can save up to 20% by bundling their policies.

Other Benefits

Besides discounts, Progressive offers other benefits to new drivers. The insurer provides small accident forgiveness (claims less than $500) for all policyholders. Large accident forgiveness isn’t available until you’ve been accident-free with Progressive for five years, however.

You can also take advantage of the Progressive’s Snapshot device to lower your rates. Snapshot is a telematics device that records your driving habits to fairly set your rates. It can help encourage safe driving for you or your teen.

Third-Best Car Insurance for New Drivers: Farmers

Farmers takes third place in our list of best car insurance companies for brand new drivers. Much like the top two companies, Farmers’ discount selection helps set it apart from the competition. This includes a discount just for being below the age of 25. Here’s why we rank Farmers Insurance so high:

New Driver Discounts

The major reason why Farmers is in our top three is because of its discounts for new drivers. This includes a discount you can get just for being below the age of 25. The following Farmers auto insurance discounts can be of help to people new to driving:

• Youthful discount. Adding a driver under the age of 25 can lower your rates.
• Distant student. If your child attends school 100 miles or more away from home without their car, you’ll receive a discount.
• Good student. Farmers will give you a discount if your teen driver maintains a 3.0 or better GPA, is on the honor roll/dean’s list, or is in the top 20% of standardized testing (SAT, ACT, etc.).
• Shared family car. If there are multiple drivers in the household and at least one is age 20 or under, Farmers will apply a discount to the policy.
• Multi-car. You’ll get a discount if you insure more than one car per household with Farmers.
• Defensive driver. If you’re 55 and over, you can get better rates for completing a defensive driving course.
• Signal app. Using the telematics device, Signal, can help lower your rates if you maintain safe driving habits.

Honorable Mentions for Best New Driver Auto Insurance

AmFam, Progressive, and Farmers top our list for being the best auto insurance option for newer drivers. But there are plenty of other carriers that could be a better fit for your lifestyle. Below are four honorable mentions for best providers for inexperienced motorists:

State Farm

State Farm has many benefits for new drivers. They’re also widely known to offer some of the cheapest car insurance rates, on average. State Farm also has discounts that can further lower premiums, such as:

• Good student discount
• Student away discount
• Defensive driving discount
• Multi-car discount

Another benefit of State Farm is the Steer Clear program. Steer Clear is a six-month safe driving program for teens and young adults. Completing the program will get you or your teen a discount on car insurance.

Travelers

Travelers is another great insurer for new drivers. They offer many auto discounts to entice your business, including:

• Multi-car
• New car
• Driver training
• Good student
• Student away

You can also enroll in the IntelliDrive program for even more savings. This program analyzes your driving habits and rewards you for being safe. Keep in mind that unsafe driving habits can raise your rates as well.

Nationwide

If you’re a new driver, Nationwide is a solid choice. The company offers benefits, such as accident forgiveness and SmartMiles, which can be helpful when you’re just starting to drive. You can also lower your rates with discounts, such as the good student multi-car.

Liberty Mutual

Completing our list of best car insurance companies for new drivers is Liberty Mutual. Liberty Mutual is one of the largest insurers in the US. The company is a good choice for novice motorists because of its discounts:

• Online purchase
• Good student
• Student away
• Multi-car

Liberty Mutual also has the RightTrack program, which uses a telematics device to track your driving behavior and reward you for being safe. It’s a good way to pay less for insurance and encourage defensive driving.

Car Insurance for New Drivers by Company

Below is a comparison table to help newer drivers find the best car insurance:

Our Rank	Provider	Discounts for New Drivers
1	American Family	Good student discount TeenSafeDriver discount Away at school discount Young volunteer discount Generational discount Multi-vehicle discount Low-mileage discount Defensive driver discount
2	Progressive	Teen driver discount Good student discount Distant student discount Online quote discount Multi-car discount Multi-policy discount
3	Farmers	Youthful discount Distant student discount Good student discount Shared family car discount Defensive driver discount Signal app
4	State Farm	Good student discount Student away discount Defensive driving discount Multi-car discount
5	Travelers	Multi-car discount New car discount Driver training discount Good student discount Student away discount
6	Nationwide	Good student discount Multi-car discount
7	Liberty Mutual	Online purchase discount Good student discount Student away discount Multi-car discount

How We Picked Our Winners

We picked our winners for the best auto insurance companies for new drivers based on a few different factors. First, we looked at what discounts a provider offers that would specifically benefit them. Then, we looked at additional benefits, such as accident forgiveness, telematics programs, and how easy it is to add a novice driver to a policy. Finally, we considered an insurer’s overall quality and availability.