Ask an Agent: How Can College-Age Drivers Save on Auto Insurance?

Auto insurance discounts are often available for teen and college-age drivers.

Kimberly Olson
March 29, 2022

In our Ask an Agent series, we answer popular questions about car insurance with expert advice from AAA Insurance agents. In this installment, agent Jack Jacobs shares ways that younger drivers can lower their auto insurance rates.

I’m a teen driver, and my auto insurance rates are higher than I’d like. What can I do to lower my costs?

Jacobs: If you’re 18 or younger, you can take teenSMART, an eight-hour, home-study course. You complete it mostly online, then take an online test. You have to get 80 percent correct to get a certificate, which can get you an insurance discount (24 percent, on average) on your auto-insurance rate. You become ineligible for teenSMART at 19 years old. But if you’re under 19, you can take the course and the discount will continue until you’re 25, so that’s a good one to take care of when you’re 16, 17, or 18!

I’m a good student. Does AAA reward my book smarts when calculating my rates?

Jacobs: Yes, there’s the Good Student discount if you have a 3.0 GPA or higher. In Nevada, that discount averages about 14.5 percent. [Good Student insurance discounts are available in other states too. Contact a local agent to learn more.]

Our daughter is going away to college, so she’ll only be driving her car when she visits us on breaks and over the summer. Can we get a discount for her on our auto coverage?

Jacobs: Yes, AAA offers what’s called the Distant Student discount. If parents have a college-age driver who goes to school over 100 miles away from home, we can rate [the coverage] as distant student. The student is still on the policy as a driver, but we give them a 30 percent discount because they’re away from home.

About the Agent

Jack Jacobs joined AAA in San Francisco in 1997. He has more than 18 years of experience as an insurance agent, and also worked in the claims department for six years.

  • Favorite road trip: San Diego. I’ve been going there every summer with my family for over 10 years.
  • Hobbies: Basketball, weight lifting, mountain biking, and running.
  • First car: 1979 Toyota pickup.
  • Current obsession: Stock market investing and UFOs. I am obsessed with the TV series Unidentified, which investigates UFO phenomenon.
  • Most admired person: My late mother, who was the hardest working and most unselfish person I’ve ever known.

How to contact AAA Insurance agent Jack Jacobs:

AAA Southwest Las Vegas Branch

7445 S. Durango Dr., Ste. 103

Las Vegas, Nevada

(702) 577-9123

[email protected]

Provides assistance in English.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AAA. Products and their features may not be available in all states. Multipolicy and other discounts vary based upon eligibility. Discounts not cumulative; certain restrictions apply. Term Policy Form Series: ICC11-1201/TL-1201. Insurance products in California offered through AAA Northern California Insurance Agency, License #0175868, in Nevada by AAA Nevada, in Utah by AAA Utah, in Arizona through AAA Arizona, Inc., License #8301727, and in Wyoming through AAA Mountain West Inc., License No. 172603. The provider of AAA Auto and Home Insurance is CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer. All policies are subject to policy terms, underwriting, guidelines, and applicable laws.