How much will it cost?
Adding a teen often raises a household premium by roughly 50% to 100%, depending on the teen's age, whether they have their own car, and your carrier. Boys typically cost a bit more than girls at the youngest ages. The good news: rates drop steadily as they gain experience and stay claim-free.
Minnesota's graduated driver licensing (GDL)
Minnesota uses a three-stage system designed to build experience safely:
- Instruction permit. After driver's ed enrollment and a knowledge test; requires supervised driving and a minimum number of logged practice hours.
- Provisional license. Available after holding the permit for the required period and passing the road test. It carries night-driving and passenger limits for new teen drivers.
- Full license. Granted after the provisional period with a clean record.
Always confirm current hour requirements and age rules with Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), since details can change.
Discounts that actually move the needle
- Good student discount. A B average (or equivalent) can earn a meaningful discount with most carriers.
- Driver's education / training. Completing an approved course can lower the teen's rate.
- Telematics / safe-driving programs. Apps that track braking, speed, and phone use can reward careful teen drivers — see our telematics guide.
- Distant-student discount. If your teen attends school far away without a car, some carriers reduce the rate.
- Bundling and multi-car. Keeping everything with one carrier usually beats a standalone teen policy.
One car or their own car?
Insurers usually assign the teen to the most expensive vehicle they could drive. Putting your teen on an older, lower-value car — and dropping collision/comprehensive on it if it makes sense — is often cheaper than insuring them on a new vehicle. Be honest about who drives what; misrepresenting it can cause claim problems.