Hi, I am an exchange student and I have been in Amherst for ten months now. My dad wants me to have my own car but he worries about me not getting a student auto insurance in New York for some reason. As a foreign national, can I get student auto insurance in New York?

Jose

Amherst, New York

If you are carrying an International Driver’s permit, you can drive a car in the US for one year. Using the same permit that you have, you can purchase a student auto insurance in New York. There are a few things that you have to do to make sure that you are doing the right thing though.

Check with your university. If you came with a visa given to exchange students and an International driver’s permit, then your university can give you a comprehensive insurance policy so that you can register and drive a car.

If you want to save money and you think you don’t really need to drive a car every day, then think of renting a car instead. You can always use your International driver’s license. If you still want a student auto insurance in New York even for just renting a car, then there are a lot of insurance brokers who can give you a non-owner’s policy. Try asking the car rental if they can give you student auto insurance in New York too.

One easy thing to do and which will save you money as well is to get a guardian through your universities “adopt a student” program. Once you get a guardian, then you can add your name to your guardians insurance policy.

I am French college student and I will be visiting my friends in New York for a 6- month holiday. I will have permission to drive my friend’s vehicle but want to know what I should do about the auto insurance?

Allen

Babylon, New York (NY)

In New York State, auto insurance is mandatory and you may find it to be expensive if you do not have a U.S. license. Some insurance providers add a surcharge if you do not have a U.S. driver’s license.

I would first recommend seeing if your friend’s insurance carrier will allow you to be put on his/her policy while you are in visiting. If not, shop around, many car insurance providers will allow you to begin your insurance with an international license but would require you to get a State driver’s license within thirty days.

A: As a student, and as a heavy studier, you might have a chance at a decent ten to twenty percent discount on your SR22 insurance premium. Call up your car insurance company to verify that they have the good student discount. If they do, great. If they don’t, it might be a good idea to look elsewhere, because that’s too much savings to miss out on.

What is the good student discount? It’s an option offered by most car insurance companies to students of high school or college who pull an average of B grades or have a 3.5 GPA. Most companies do impose some requirements for you to get this discount on your SR22, so if you’re considering it, ask what those are. They typically are something along these lines, although all car insurance companies vary:

• Must be between 16 and 25 years of age.
• Must be a full time student.
• Must be unmarried.

A: If you’re smart and/or dedicated, you can do anything. Sometimes it seems like students have everything up against them when it comes to high SR22 rates, which have increased prices because of their age, but they also have a couple of options available to them which older people don’t.

First of all, where do your parents live? If the answer is “100+ miles away from where I go to school”, then you may be in luck. There is a discount offered by many car insurance companies for those in this very situation, but you have to meet some requirements.

First of all, if you have your own insurance policy, then you would need to drop that and get your name on your parents’ policy. Then–and here’s the hard part–you would have to leave your car with them when you go away for school every semester. You would still be able to drive your own car when you go home, and your parent’s insurance would kick in after the car’s insurance if you occasionally drove a friend’s car.

You should also look into some of these common discounts.

1. Good grades for students

2. Membership at a credit union or bank

3. Good driving history credit – no accidents or tickets (does not apply to you)

4. Military personnel discount

5. Raising your deductible amount to as high as you can