Finding the cheapest car insurance for college students could be a bit easier than finding the cheap insurance rates for high school students. College students are over 18, which means they can sign their insurance contracts. Depending on when they started driving, some college students have three years of driving experience by the time they are 19 or 20.

However, many college students are also under 25, which puts them in the high-risk category for car insurance. With many people choosing to further their education, many college students are also well over 25 and can qualify for lower premiums.

Auto insurance underwriters rate a college student’s policy based on criteria such as where he lives, his driving record and length of time driving, the year, make and model of his vehicle, his age and gender, the purpose of his vehicle and how often he will be using it. Underwriters will also look at his credit history. College students under 25 but over 21 may have enough years of driving experience to qualify for a lower premium, but that’s contingent upon their driving record.

A good driving record will go a long way toward keeping premiums low. The occasional parking tickets won’t have any impact, but a few traffic tickets and a DUI can help you paying three to five times more for car insurance. And you’ll be paying those high premiums until the convictions fall off your driving record, which can be for years.

Driving safe also qualifies a college student for a good driver discount that a lot of insurance companies offer. Taking a defensive driving course will get you another discount. Forget about getting a sports car and drive a vehicle that is considered safe to drive, such as an SUV or 4-door sedan. College students with good grades can get a good student discount, as well as a resident student discount for staying on campus and leaving the car at home. There’s even discounts for having safety features on your car. College students driving an older car can elect to purchase only liability coverage, which is all you really need. Students driving new or leased vehicles are usually required to have full coverage, but you can cut down your cost by paying a higher deductible.

Finding the cheapest car insurance college students over 25 is more feasible, because drivers in that age group have been driving longer and are considered lower risk. If they have a good driving record and relatively good credit, they should be able to find some really good insurance rates.