Put Teen Drivers on Your Policy

Usually you'll pay a lot more if you buy your children their own auto insurance.

Should I put my teenagers on my car insurance or get them their own policies?

Put them on your own car insurance. The base rate usually starts out lower, and your multi-policy and multi-car discount can cut rates by another 15%.

Meanwhile, boost the liability limits on your auto policy and consider an umbrella policy that can raise your entire family's auto and homeowners insurance limits by $1 million. An umbrella policy tends to cost just about $200 per year, says Jamahl Johnson, of Johnson Family Insurance in Washington, D.C., which is about the same as the savings you'll get from the multi-policy and safety-course discounts.

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You also can earn discounts if your child has good grades or takes a driver's safety course.

For more information about buying car insurance, see our Smart Shopper's Guide to Auto Insurance and The New Math of Auto Coverage.

Kimberly Lankford
Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

As the "Ask Kim" columnist for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Lankford receives hundreds of personal finance questions from readers every month. She is the author of Rescue Your Financial Life (McGraw-Hill, 2003), The Insurance Maze: How You Can Save Money on Insurance -- and Still Get the Coverage You Need (Kaplan, 2006), Kiplinger's Ask Kim for Money Smart Solutions (Kaplan, 2007) and The Kiplinger/BBB Personal Finance Guide for Military Families. She is frequently featured as a financial expert on television and radio, including NBC's Today Show, CNN, CNBC and National Public Radio.