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Reader Question: Is It Cheaper to Take My Car to College or Leave It Home?
A sophomore weighs the cost of bringing a car to an urban campus against leaving it home with the distant student discount.
By Andre Washington · Staff Writer
Published
Answer in brief
For her, leaving the car home saved roughly $1,400 a year: the distant student discount removed most of her share of the family premium, and she avoided a campus territory increase plus a parking permit.
"I'm a sophomore at a city campus 300 miles from home. My parents say the car costs too much to bring. How much are we talking?" — reader in Idaho
We asked her family to run both scenarios with their insurer. Car at home with the distant student discount: her share of the family premium fell from about $1,600 to $400. Car at the campus address: her share rose to about $1,900 because of the urban territory, plus a $600 parking permit.
The arithmetic
Roughly $1,400 a year difference before fuel and maintenance. For a student who can use transit and borrow a car occasionally, leaving it home is clearly cheaper. See the distant student discount and car at college guides.
Guides referenced in this post
Guide
The Distant Student Discount
How the distant student (student away at school) discount works: the 100-mile rule, no-car requirement, typical savings, and how to claim it.
Guide
Taking a Car to College: Insurance Changes
What changes when a student takes a car to school—garaging address, territory, campus parking risk, comprehensive coverage, and who else may drive it.