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 $5,908 per year and a 17-year-old female averages $5,250 per year.
  • Insurance rates on popular vehicles average from $4,518 to $6,532 for male drivers and $4,014 to $5,840 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.

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$3,830$1,686
2018 Subaru Crosstrek$16,600$3,960$1,678
2015 Subaru Legacy$12,700$3,980$1,698
2017 Chevrolet Equinox$13,700$4,060$2,048
2018 Hyundai Kona$15,400$4,070$2,040
2016 Subaru Outback$16,700$4,092$1,692
2019 Toyota Corolla$16,300$4,130$2,032
2019 Mazda CX-3$15,800$4,156$2,032
2016 Mazda CX-5$14,900$4,184$2,056
2015 Mazda 3$9,400$4,218$2,430
2020 Ford Edge$19,200$4,430$1,306
2019 Honda Insight$14,800$4,466$2,032
2017 Nissan Murano$16,800$4,574$2,048
2016 Toyota Avalon$17,300$4,726$1,966
2017 GMC Terrain$14,200$4,768$2,410
2015 Mazda 6$14,200$4,874$2,794
2017 Volkswagen Passat$14,900$5,122$2,410
2016 Toyota Highlander$23,100$5,200$2,480
2018 Volvo S60$16,500$5,222$2,402
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe$19,200$5,750$2,760

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 $5,908 per year or $492 per month. Car insurance rates range from $3,556 to $8,076 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 $6,370 per year, the Chevy Camaro at $7,752, the Nissan 370Z at $6,210, and the Subaru WRX at $6,592 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. StatePer YearPer Month
Alabama$5,316$443
Alaska$4,474$373
Arizona$5,414$451
Arkansas$6,182$515
California$7,144$595
Colorado$6,338$528
Connecticut$6,582$549
Delaware$6,722$560
Florida$7,356$613
Georgia$6,036$503
Hawaii$4,030$336
Idaho$4,214$351
Illinois$5,180$432
Indiana$4,412$368
Iowa$3,952$329
Kansas$5,818$485
Kentucky$6,326$527
Louisiana$7,032$586
Maine$3,556$296
Maryland$5,488$457
Massachusetts$6,438$537
Michigan$8,076$673
Minnesota$5,068$422
Mississippi$5,762$480
Missouri$6,666$556
Montana$5,422$452
Nebraska$4,936$411
Nevada$7,068$589
New Hampshire$3,956$330
New Jersey$7,158$597
New Mexico$4,858$405
New York$6,846$571
North Carolina$3,690$308
North Dakota$4,896$408
Ohio$4,120$343
Oklahoma$6,520$543
Oregon$5,518$460
Pennsylvania$5,676$473
Rhode Island$7,324$610
South Carolina$4,952$413
South Dakota$6,072$506
Tennessee$5,622$469
Texas$5,484$457
Utah$5,176$431
Vermont$4,298$358
Virginia$3,926$327
Washington$5,334$445
West Virginia$5,268$439
Wisconsin$4,222$352
Wyoming$5,248$437

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 $5,250 per year or $438 per month. Depending on the state you live in, you could pay anywhere from $3,162 to $7,180 per year, which is $264 to $598 per month.

Average car insurance rates for 17-year-old females for some popular models include the Kia Rio at $5,140 per year, the Toyota Corolla at $4,930, the Nissan Versa at $5,902, and the Honda Civic at $5,144 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. StatePer YearPer Month
Alabama$4,724$394
Alaska$3,976$331
Arizona$4,814$401
Arkansas$5,498$458
California$6,352$529
Colorado$5,632$469
Connecticut$5,848$487
Delaware$5,976$498
Florida$6,538$545
Georgia$5,364$447
Hawaii$3,584$299
Idaho$3,742$312
Illinois$4,604$384
Indiana$3,920$327
Iowa$3,510$293
Kansas$5,172$431
Kentucky$5,626$469
Louisiana$6,250$521
Maine$3,162$264
Maryland$4,878$407
Massachusetts$5,722$477
Michigan$7,180$598
Minnesota$4,506$376
Mississippi$5,124$427
Missouri$5,926$494
Montana$4,820$402
Nebraska$4,386$366
Nevada$6,282$524
New Hampshire$3,514$293
New Jersey$6,362$530
New Mexico$4,316$360
New York$6,082$507
North Carolina$3,282$274
North Dakota$4,352$363
Ohio$3,662$305
Oklahoma$5,792$483
Oregon$4,904$409
Pennsylvania$5,042$420
Rhode Island$6,512$543
South Carolina$4,400$367
South Dakota$5,396$450
Tennessee$4,994$416
Texas$4,874$406
Utah$4,598$383
Vermont$3,818$318
Virginia$3,490$291
Washington$4,738$395
West Virginia$4,680$390
Wisconsin$3,752$313
Wyoming$4,666$389

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

Small SUVs like the Honda Passport, Mazda CX-5, and Nissan Kicks tend to have the cheapest car insurance rates for 17-year-old drivers. Rates for full-coverage start at around $4,408 for males and $3,894 per year for females.

Other vehicles that rank well for cheap auto insurance for teens are the Subaru Crosstrek at $4,518 per year, the Buick Envision at $4,520, and the Chevrolet Trailblazer at $4,528.

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
1Honda Passport$4,408$3,894
2Mazda CX-5$4,456$3,934
3Nissan Kicks$4,500$4,012
4Subaru Crosstrek$4,518$4,014
5Buick Envision$4,520$4,012
6Chevrolet Trailblazer$4,528$4,036
7Nissan Rogue Sport$4,654$4,148
8Subaru Ascent$4,688$4,138
9Buick Encore$4,720$4,204
10Kia Seltos$4,820$4,290
11Ford Explorer$4,838$4,274
12Chevrolet Colorado$4,840$4,310
13Acura RDX$4,850$4,300
14Hyundai Venue$4,890$4,372
15Ford Edge$4,906$4,350
16Subaru Impreza$4,912$4,366
17Hyundai Kona$4,922$4,378
18Ford Maverick$4,942$4,414
19Volkswagen Atlas$4,956$4,392
20Subaru Forester$4,966$4,382
21Honda HR-V$4,980$4,468
22Nissan Murano$5,004$4,448
23Mazda CX-30$5,022$4,470
24Lexus RX 350$5,054$4,452
25Honda CR-V$5,076$4,516

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.

Get Rates in Your AreaWhy is this important?

Chart Data Details: Average no car insurance cost is based on 2023 model year vehicles with safe driver and claim-free discounts applied. Physical damage deductibles are $500 and rates are averaged for all Zip Codes.Data last updated on February 28, 2023
Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-year-old Males
Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-year-old Males
Make/Model Annual Rate Monthly Rate
Subaru Crosstrek$4,518$377
Ford Explorer$4,838$403
Subaru Impreza$4,912$409
Honda CR-V$5,076$423
Toyota RAV4$5,452$454
Nissan Rogue$5,484$457
Nissan Sentra$5,484$457
Toyota Prius$5,516$460
Toyota Corolla$5,534$461
Toyota Camry$5,586$466
Mazda 3$5,700$475
Honda Civic$5,776$481
Kia Forte$5,828$486
Ford F150$5,942$495
Honda Accord$5,996$500
Ford Mustang$6,370$531
Ram Truck$6,482$540
Hyundai Elantra$6,532$544
Hyundai Sonata$6,618$552
Chevrolet Silverado$6,626$552

Get Rates in Your AreaWhy is this important?

Chart Data Details: Average no car insurance cost is based on 2023 model year vehicles with safe driver and claim-free discounts applied. Physical damage deductibles are $500 and rates are averaged for all Zip Codes.Data last updated on February 28, 2023
Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-year-old Females
Average Car Insurance Cost for 17-year-old Females
Make/Model Annual Rate Monthly Rate
Subaru Crosstrek$4,014$335
Ford Explorer$4,274$356
Subaru Impreza$4,366$364
Honda CR-V$4,516$376
Toyota RAV4$4,840$403
Nissan Rogue$4,888$407
Toyota Prius$4,894$408
Nissan Sentra$4,904$409
Toyota Corolla$4,930$411
Toyota Camry$4,960$413
Mazda 3$5,094$425
Honda Civic$5,144$429
Kia Forte$5,204$434
Ford F150$5,282$440
Honda Accord$5,324$444
Ford Mustang$5,666$472
Ram Truck$5,770$481
Hyundai Elantra$5,840$487
Hyundai Sonata$5,896$491
Chevrolet Silverado$5,910$493