This is a very general question but can anyone give me a rough estimate on what it will cost to insure a suv and a sedan for 2 newbie drivers with no status whatsoever in the US?

We pay $600 per 6 months for both using AIG, or Travelguad as it's now called.

Thanks Weeze, are your circumstances similar to mine?

What do you mean by no status?

What kind of SUV and sedan, age of motors etc...And what location? Guessing Houston from your user name?

I got my initial insurance while on a visa waiver visit (just before I got my visa). 3rd party insurance on a small car was about $3000 for 6 months.

Edited to add this was almost 10 years ago.

Excuse me, but how are we to know what your circumstances are? Where about in Houston are you moving? City or suburbs? How old are the drivers? What is the make and model of the autos and SUVs that you are thinking of insuring? What is your foreign driver's record like? How much do you want to be insured for in liability and what deductible on collison and/or comprehensive coverage? Will the cars be purchased with a car loan?

Far to many variables to even assume that you will get coverage for the same amount as someone else?

We bought a new Ford Edge & VW Bug when we first moved. Both late 30's no driving or credit history in US - we started out at $1,250 for 6 months with State Farm and (almost) minimum coverage. Three years in we are now $834 for 6 months with Progressive but great coverage.

Still an awful lot more than we paid in UK!

We have a 4 year old Ford Expedition EL and a 3 year old whatever the sporty Sedan my husband has is! We are both early 30s and have no US driving history. We arranged to get a letter from our insurance company in the UK to be taken into account here, but as there had been a gap in coverage going from UK to here, the US companies wouldn't take it into account. The coverage started in City and then moved to suburbia. We didn't have our SSN when we got the coverage. There is a state minimum coverage for htting property, people or death which we got. Pretty good deductable etc. As it's with AIG though we did have to pay the membership fee to get it, but we used it for lots of things so it has been worth it.
You might already know, but to buy a car here, you have to have it insured before you are allowed to drive it away. We thought there might be dealers coverage for the first day like you can get in the UK. We started out by looking in Carmax but then ended up going to Texas Auto exchange for mine. We got the other at a regular garage.
Hope this helps.

Depends hugely. Figure $2500 a year and consider it a bonus if it's less.

I went with AIG - $400 to sign up and then $250 for 6 mths (for very good coverage) on a new leased CRV EXL. The same coverage was about $1250 for 6 mths with the "usual" US companies such as Progressive etc.

So for us the $400 joining fee for AIG/TravelGuard was a bargain.

Same story for me. Joined AIG and paid the $400 fee. 6 months full cover on a BMW 335i for a 37yr old newly licensed driver in CT was $420 through one of their schemes. I considered that very "inexpensive" as they say over here (god I hate that word..)

What is 'full cover?' There is pretty much a limitless combination of things you can have on a policy. Do you mean you got the highest dollar level of cover, added on collision, have the lowest deductible and all the other extras like road side assistance, towing and rental car coverage (at the highest level) or just that you got state minimum coverage with collision and an average deductible?

I got:

Bodily Injury $200/500,000 person/accident

Property Damage $200,000 each accident

Personal Injury Protection Med Exp. W/250 ded

Uninsured Motorist $200/500,000 person/accident

Other Than Collision 250 Deductible

Collision 250 Deductible

Towing & Labor Covered by Honda


I think this is pretty good coverage/deductible - but perhaps its not..........I told them I or wife haven't had an accident in 20 years and I think they listened.

Yes I realise that.

I would have to check my documents for exact levels of cover as I don't remember them from the top of my head, however for collision, medical, rental etc, but they are high and far far far higher than state minimum. OK if I crash into a Bugatti Veyron driven by LeBron James, writing his car off and causing him long term disability I may be in trouble, however I would hope I am not going to be that unfortunate.

I think if that happened everyone in Cleveland would gladly help you out with money and legal council.

The only reason I asked was if it really is good coverage then it would be worth my while checking it out to see if I can save some cash.