To help you trim costs, Penny Gusner, CarInsurance.com consumer analyst, advises the following:

Defensive driving classes go beyond the basics taught in driver’s education by having motorists learn how to drive in hazardous conditions, anticipate dangerous situations and avoid accidents. The best part? The cost is usually only $25 to $75 and you’ll typically snag a discount of five to 15 percent for three years.  Note, however, that insurer and state law requirements for these discounts vary a great deal. For example, 21st Century Insurance offers a discount to drivers under the age of 21 who take a state approved defensive driver course but with Esurance the discount is not age-based and is available to all drivers in New York, New Jersey, North Dakota, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Another option, though it also comes with exceptions, is to take a driver training course. Some car insurance companies will offer a discount between five and 15 percent, for driving training courses, while others do not since it is part of the licensing process.

If at all possible, stay as a named driver on your parent’s policy as long as you can. This is usually the cheapest way to get insurance if you are a young driver. You and your parents can net a multi-car discount of up to 25 percent.

If your household has several cars, it can save money to have you assigned to a specific one -- the one that's cheapest to insure. Check your policy and be sure to double-check this with your insurer, as some companies will automatically assign young drivers to the most expensive vehicle unless you tell them otherwise.

Car insurance for college students can be pricey for sure, but you can capitalize on certain discounts. One that can reap up to 20 percent off is the “Student Away” discount. Typically, you qualify if you are listed on your parent’s policy and drive one of their cars they keep at home but attend college 100 or miles away. Some insurers may also require that you are under age 26 and unmarried to receive the discount.

We fooled you, as chances are you thought we’d list the “good student discount,” which usually gives up to 15 percent off for those who maintain a “B” average, but most folks are aware of that. While it’s a bonus that’s good to get, and one we recommend you look into, you can likely save way more by simply doing a car insurance comparisonto see who offers the lowest rates. Here’s why: Rates for the exact same coverage vary by hundreds of dollars, depending on which insurer you choose. That’s because each insurance company assesses risk differently and uses its own formula when deciding how much you pay. If you don’t shop around, you won’t save. You can see how much you can save by using our average car insurance rates tool, which shows rates by ZIP code for six age groups and three coverage levels, as well as the highest and  lowest rates fielded from up to six major insurers.

To help you buy the most affordable coverage, in the chart below you’ll see average rates by company for each state for drivers age 20 for state minimum liability limits.