Does My Teen Need Insurance for Driving School? What Parents Should Know

Driving school insurance requirements may vary by location, but in general, your teen will need to be covered by an auto insurance policy during their on-the-road practice for driving school. Coverage may be available under your insurance policy or the driving school’s commercial insurance, depending on factors like what car your teenager drives for their training.

Read on to learn more about insurance requirements for driving school, when you may need to discuss coverage options with your insurer and how adding a teen to your policy can impact your car insurance rates.

On This Page

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  Do Teens Need Their Own Insurance for Driving School?

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  Do Driving Schools Provide Insurance for Students?

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  How Learner’s Permits and Parent Policies Work

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  What To Consider When Taking My Teen to Driving School

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  Driving School Insurance Requirements FAQs

Do Teens Need Their Own Insurance for Driving School?

In nearly every state, it is required by law for all drivers to be covered by car insurance — including teenagers who are driving as part of their driver’s education requirements. New Hampshire is the only state where auto insurance is optional.^[1] However, learner drivers can often qualify for coverage under someone else’s policy, so they may not need to buy insurance for themselves.

Does My Standard Car Insurance Policy Cover My Teen Driver?

Unless your child is the sole owner listed on the title of the car they drive, they should be eligible for coverage under your car insurance policy.^[2] Car insurance companies generally cover permissive use, meaning all of the coverage types included in your policy should automatically extend to a driver who borrows a vehicle you own with your permission — as long as they aren’t expressly listed as an excluded driver.

As a result, your auto insurance provider will likely cover your teenage child if they get into a car accident while practicing for driving school, even if they are not named in the policy as a covered driver. That said, you should formally add your child to your policy once they get their driver’s license — or potentially sooner, depending on your insurance company’s requirements.^[2]

Do Driving Schools Provide Insurance for Students?

Many driving schools maintain commercial auto liability insurance policies that cover accidents involving student drivers — especially if the driving instructor’s negligence contributed to the crash.^[3] For example, suppose your driver’s ed program provides a vehicle with brakes on the passenger side for your training. In that case, the program may be held liable if you get into an accident because your instructor was not paying attention and failed to press the brakes.

Regulations and coverage specifics can vary, so it’s best to ask your child’s driving instructor up front whether their insurance will provide coverage during your child’s driving lessons.

Keep in mind that car insurance generally follows the car rather than the driver, so the insurance policy that applies may depend on whose vehicle your child uses for their behind-the-wheel training.^[4] For example, your child may be covered by the driving school’s insurance when they practice driving in a car owned by the driving instructor or their employer. Conversely, your auto insurance coverage will likely apply if your child uses your insured vehicle for driver’s ed.

How Learner’s Permits and Parent Policies Work

The steps you need to take to add a new driver to your insurance policy may vary depending on your state and insurance company. For example, if you live in California, your child will automatically be added to your policy when they obtain their learner’s permit, which means you shouldn’t need to take action yourself until they get their license.^[5]

Be sure to reach out to your insurance company for clarification if you are unsure about its requirements for formally adding a teenage driver to your car insurance policy. It’s important to be upfront and honest about who lives in your household and is likely to drive your cars, even if it leads to a spike in your car insurance premiums.

If you mislead your insurer about your children or other drivers who regularly use your car, your insurance claims could be denied or your policy could be canceled altogether.^[6]

Keep in mind that adding a teenager to your auto insurance policy will likely cause your rates to increase by upwards of $1,000 per year.^[7] Teens are considered high-risk drivers because they have a higher fatal crash rate than any other age group, and they are expensive to insure as a result.^[8] Fortunately, your teen may qualify for car insurance discounts by maintaining good grades in school or completing an approved driver safety training course.^[9]

What To Consider When Taking My Teen to Driving School

If your teenager’s high school offers on-campus driver’s education, that may be the most straightforward way to enroll them in important driver training. However, if you are interested in sending your child to an independent driving school business, you should take steps like these to evaluate whether a given program would be a good fit for your child:^[10]

1. Visit the driving school facility and inquire about the program’s accreditation, the instructor’s credentials, how your child will learn to drive and how much insurance the school carries.
2. Determine whether the driving school owner will allow you to be involved in teaching your child how to drive.
3. Ask whether your child will be able to get extra practice behind the wheel if necessary.
4. Make sure the school’s behind-the-wheel training is not too short and involves taking your teen down appropriate routes that will help them grow as a driver.
5. Refrain from choosing programs that focus on skid control or other emergency driving maneuvers, which may lead to more collisions among teen drivers.
6. Check the driving school’s ratings on the Better Business Bureau website.
7. Communicate with your insurance agent to determine whether your child could qualify for an insurance discount through the driving school.