Car Insurance for a 17-Year-Old: Safe and Cheap Cars to Insure

How much is car insurance for a 17-year-old? If you're a parent, a safe vehicle should be the top priority, but at the same time, you also want to have affordable insurance rates.

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  • Car insurance for a 17-year-old male averages $8,082 per year and a 17-year-old female averages $7,742 per year.
  • Insurance rates on popular vehicles average from $5,791 to $8,805 for male drivers and $5,555 to $8,476 for females.
  • Our top three recommendations for safe vehicles with affordable car insurance for 17-year-old drivers are the 2017 Honda CR-V, 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, and 2015 Subaru Legacy.

If you’re the parent of a teenager, you know that their taste in a car is probably not the same as yours. They want the cool Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, or Dodge Challenger, while you want them in a safe minivan, four-door sedan, or full-size SUV.

The key to keeping a teenager happy is to find the balance between the car THEY want and the car YOU want as a parent. It’s often a combination of vehicle reliability, insurance cost, and purchase price.

We assembled the list of vehicles below using both IIHS and NHTSA safety ratings, Consumer Reports reliability ratings, and Kelley Blue Book used car values.

These are not necessarily the cheapest cars to insure for 17-year-old drivers, as we cover those later in the article, but rather the cars with the best balance of safety ratings, reliability scores, and affordable car insurance prices.

Visit our interactive car insurance calculator to see how different factors affect car insurance rates for 17-year-old drivers.

Insurance rates are per year, with full coverage (comprehensive and collision) having $500 deductibles. Liability split limits are $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $100,000 of property damage liability coverage.

The table is sorted from the cheapest full coverage insurance cost to the most expensive.

Safe and Cheap Cars to Insure for 17-Year-Old Drivers
Year and ModelBlue Book ValueFull Coverage InsuranceLiability Insurance
2017 Honda CR-V$19,100$4,860$1,968
2018 Subaru Crosstrek$16,600$5,029$1,985
2015 Subaru Legacy$12,700$4,938$1,931
2017 Chevrolet Equinox$13,700$5,098$2,390
2018 Hyundai Kona$15,400$5,116$2,411
2016 Subaru Outback$16,700$5,055$1,948
2019 Toyota Corolla$16,300$5,302$2,431
2019 Mazda CX-3$15,800$5,345$2,431
2016 Mazda CX-5$14,900$5,092$2,368
2015 Mazda 3$9,400$5,110$2,762
2020 Ford Edge$19,200$5,866$1,585
2019 Honda Insight$14,800$5,772$2,431
2017 Nissan Murano$16,800$5,798$2,390
2016 Toyota Avalon$17,300$5,840$2,265
2017 GMC Terrain$14,200$6,019$2,814
2015 Mazda 6$14,200$5,916$3,179
2017 Volkswagen Passat$14,900$6,471$2,814
2016 Toyota Highlander$23,100$6,382$2,857
2018 Volvo S60$16,500$6,592$2,838
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe$19,200$7,253$3,266

Some additional vehicles that are good choices for teen drivers, just not quite as good as the ones in the table above include:

  • Honda Civic – 2012-15 or 2019 and newer
  • Toyota Prius – 2011 and newer
  • Toyota Camry – 2012 and newer
  • Honda Accord – 2013 and newer
  • Nissan Altima – 2017, 2020
  • Nissan Rogue – 2014-2020

Now that we’ve covered our picks for the best cars to insure for 17-year-old drivers, next we will detail average insurance rates for 17-year-olds in every U.S. state.

If you’re just looking for the cheapest rates possible, we then break out the 25 cheapest cars to insure for 17-year-olds, regardless of safety or reliability.

And lastly, we show the average cost to insure popular models that don’t necessarily fit into other comparisons like the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, and Ford Mustang.

If you’re adding your teenager to your policy and they have great grades, be sure to check with your car insurance company to see if they offer a good student discount!

How much does car insurance cost for a 17-year-old male?

The average cost of car insurance for an 17-year-old male driver is $8,082 per year or $674 per month. Car insurance rates range from $6,149 to $9,860 depending on where you live in the U.S.

Car insurance rates for 17-year-old males for some popular models include the Ford Mustang at $8,832 per year, the Chevy Camaro at $10,535, the Nissan 370Z at $8,276, and the Subaru WRX at $9,077 per year.

The table below shows average rates for 17-year-old male drivers broken out by annual and monthly cost. The table is ordered alphabetically by state name.

Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-Year-Old Male Drivers
U.S. StateAnnual PremiumCost Per Month
Alabama$7,936$661
Alaska$7,081$590
Arizona$8,039$670
Arkansas$8,819$735
California$9,800$817
Colorado$8,978$748
Connecticut$9,228$769
Delaware$9,370$781
Florida$9,509$792
Georgia$8,673$723
Hawaii$6,629$552
Idaho$6,814$568
Illinois$7,801$650
Indiana$7,019$585
Iowa$6,548$546
Kansas$8,448$704
Kentucky$8,967$747
Louisiana$9,181$765
Maine$6,149$512
Maryland$8,112$676
Massachusetts$9,078$757
Michigan$9,860$822
Minnesota$7,688$641
Mississippi$8,395$700
Missouri$9,312$776
Montana$8,046$671
Nebraska$7,553$629
Nevada$9,719$810
New Hampshire$6,552$546
New Jersey$9,813$818
New Mexico$7,469$622
New York$9,494$791
North Carolina$6,286$524
North Dakota$7,508$626
Ohio$6,722$560
Oklahoma$9,164$764
Oregon$8,144$679
Pennsylvania$8,305$692
Rhode Island$9,980$832
South Carolina$7,566$631
South Dakota$8,706$726
Tennessee$8,247$687
Texas$8,110$676
Utah$7,793$649
Vermont$6,899$575
Virginia$6,524$544
Washington$7,956$663
West Virginia$7,889$657
Wisconsin$6,824$569
Wyoming$7,870$656

How much does car insurance cost for a 17-year-old female?

The average car insurance cost for a 17-year-old female driver is $7,742 per year or $645 per month. Depending on the state you live in, you could pay anywhere from $5,891 to $9,449 per year, which is $491 to $787 per month.

Average car insurance rates for 17-year-old females for some popular models include the Kia Rio at $7,270 per year, the Toyota Corolla at $7,585, the Nissan Versa at $7,726, and the Honda Civic at $6,711 per year.

The table below shows average yearly and monthly car insurance cost for 17-year-old female drivers. Rates are ordered alphabetically by state name.

Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-Year-Old Female Drivers
U.S. StateAnnual PremiumCost Per Month
Alabama$7,607$634
Alaska$6,784$565
Arizona$7,702$642
Arkansas$8,454$705
California$9,392$783
Colorado$8,603$717
Connecticut$8,843$737
Delaware$8,980$748
Florida$9,111$759
Georgia$8,311$693
Hawaii$6,351$529
Idaho$6,530$544
Illinois$7,475$623
Indiana$6,723$560
Iowa$6,274$523
Kansas$8,096$675
Kentucky$8,592$716
Louisiana$8,796$733
Maine$5,891$491
Maryland$7,774$648
Massachusetts$8,701$725
Michigan$9,449$787
Minnesota$7,366$614
Mississippi$8,042$670
Missouri$8,923$744
Montana$7,711$643
Nebraska$7,237$603
Nevada$9,315$776
New Hampshire$6,279$523
New Jersey$9,401$783
New Mexico$7,156$596
New York$9,099$758
North Carolina$6,025$502
North Dakota$7,196$600
Ohio$6,444$537
Oklahoma$8,778$732
Oregon$7,801$650
Pennsylvania$7,958$663
Rhode Island$9,564$797
South Carolina$7,251$604
South Dakota$8,345$695
Tennessee$7,903$659
Texas$7,770$648
Utah$7,470$623
Vermont$6,612$551
Virginia$6,252$521
Washington$7,625$635
West Virginia$7,555$630
Wisconsin$6,537$545
Wyoming$7,541$628

What are the cheapest cars to insure for 17-year-olds?

Small SUVs like the Subaru Crosstrek, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and Buick Envision tend to have the cheapest car insurance rates for 17-year-old drivers. Rates for full-coverage start at around $5,791 for males and $5,555 per year for females.

Other vehicles that rank well for cheap auto insurance for teens are the Kia Soul at $6,220 per year, the Nissan Kicks at $6,268, and the Honda Passport at $6,410.

Average rates on older vehicles or liability-only coverage will cost less than insuring a new vehicle with full coverage.

The list below shows the 25 vehicles with the cheapest car insurance rates for 17-year-old drivers. Rates are shown for both male and female drivers. Click on any model to view detailed car insurance rate information.

Top 25 Cheapest Vehicles to Insure for 17-year-old Drivers
RankMake/ModelAge 16 MaleAge 16 Female
1Subaru Crosstrek$5,791$5,555
2Chevrolet Trailblazer$6,120$5,887
3Buick Envision$6,189$5,930
4Kia Soul$6,220$5,984
5Nissan Kicks$6,268$6,046
6Honda Passport$6,410$6,102
7Mazda CX-5$6,506$6,222
8Toyota Corolla Cross$6,510$6,255
9Volkswagen Tiguan$6,517$6,232
10Hyundai Venue$6,551$6,330
11Ford Bronco Sport$6,598$6,333
12Acura RDX$6,664$6,370
13Nissan Murano$6,680$6,414
14Toyota GR Corolla$6,754$6,459
15Buick Encore$6,829$6,552
16Nissan Leaf$6,846$6,602
17Subaru Outback$6,873$6,563
18Kia Niro$6,883$6,605
19Honda CR-V$6,898$6,611
20Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport$6,919$6,613
21Chevrolet Colorado$6,921$6,650
22Honda HR-V$6,931$6,676
23Volkswagen Taos$6,946$6,685
24Subaru Ascent$6,989$6,645
25Honda Civic$7,001$6,711

Not every popular vehicle falls into the cheapest insurance category. In fact, out of the 20 popular vehicles in the charts below, only the Subaru Crosstrek, Ford Explorer, Subaru Impreza, and Honda CR-V made it into the top 25 cheapest vehicles to insure list shown above.

The two charts below show 20 of the most popular vehicles driven by teens in America and the average cost of car insurance when rated for both 17-year-old male and female drivers.

Average cost to insure popular 2024 model year vehicles for 17-year-old male drivers.
Figure 1: Average cost to insure popular 2024 model year vehicles for 17-year-old male drivers. Rates updated on June 27, 2025.

Get Rates in Your AreaWhy is this important?

Data Methodology: Average car insurance cost is based on 2024 model year vehicles with safe driver and claim-free discounts applied. Comprehensive and collision deductibles are $500 and UM/UIM and medical payments coverages are included. Rates are averaged for all Zip Codes.

Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-year-old Males
Make/Model Annual Premium Cost Per Month
Subaru Crosstrek$5,791$483
Honda CR-V$6,898$575
Honda Civic$7,001$583
Nissan Rogue$7,227$602
Nissan Sentra$7,344$612
Ford Explorer$7,351$613
Toyota Prius$7,444$620
Toyota RAV4$7,485$624
Subaru Impreza$7,514$626
Kia Forte$7,756$646
Honda Accord$7,786$649
Toyota Corolla$7,882$657
Hyundai Sonata$8,089$674
Mazda 3$8,311$693
Toyota Camry$8,636$720
Hyundai Elantra$8,805$734
Ford Mustang$8,832$736
Ford F150$9,103$759
Chevrolet Silverado$9,121$760
Ram Truck$9,374$781

Data Methodology: Rated driver is a 17-year-old single male with no driving violations or at-fault accidents in the prior three years. Uninsured Motorist (UM), Underinsured Motorist (UIM) and medical payments coverages are included. Premium is averaged for all trim levels available for each vehicle for the 2024 model year. Updated June 27, 2025

Average cost to insure popular 2024 model year vehicles for 17-year-old female drivers.
Figure 2: Average cost to insure popular 2024 model year vehicles for 17-year-old female drivers. Rates updated on June 27, 2025.

Get Rates in Your AreaWhy is this important?

Data Methodology: Average car insurance cost is based on 2024 model year vehicles with safe driver and claim-free discounts applied. Comprehensive and collision deductibles are $500 and UM/UIM and medical payments coverages are included. Rates are averaged for all Zip Codes.

Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-year-old Females
Make/Model Annual Premium Cost Per Month
Subaru Crosstrek$5,555$463
Honda CR-V$6,611$551
Honda Civic$6,711$559
Nissan Rogue$6,952$579
Ford Explorer$7,039$587
Nissan Sentra$7,086$591
Toyota Prius$7,129$594
Toyota RAV4$7,188$599
Subaru Impreza$7,216$601
Honda Accord$7,450$621
Kia Forte$7,474$623
Toyota Corolla$7,585$632
Hyundai Sonata$7,752$646
Mazda 3$7,966$664
Toyota Camry$8,249$687
Hyundai Elantra$8,476$706
Ford Mustang$8,477$706
Ford F150$8,720$727
Chevrolet Silverado$8,762$730
Ram Truck$8,983$749

Data Methodology: Rated driver is a 17-year-old single female with no driving violations or at-fault accidents in the prior three years. Uninsured Motorist (UM), Underinsured Motorist (UIM) and medical payments coverages are included. Premium is averaged for all trim levels available for each vehicle for the 2024 model year. Updated June 27, 2025