National Average

• A plethora of factors come into play when establishing premium rates for auto insurance, such as the minimum amount of insurance required by the state and previous accidents. Even so, the Car Insurance website indicates that the national average for teenage drivers as of December 2010 --- the last month for which data is available --- was $2,486 per year. According to this figure, monthly premiums were about $207. Car Insurance also indicates that a 16-year-old driver can expect to pay about 2.5 times the base insurance rate for their coverage.
  
  

Gender

• Whether a teenager is a male or female driver makes a difference in what the teenager pays. Insurance companies have conducted research and determined, based on the results, that female drivers are statistically safer drivers. Subsequently, the average rate for female teenage drivers is lower than for teenage male drivers. According to the Auto Insurance website, insurance rates for female teen drivers increase by up to 50 percent, but rates for male teen drivers increase by 100 percent.
  
  

Trends

• Car Insurance reports that insurance rates for teenagers peaked in 2009 in August, when the average yearly premium was $2,800, which works out to about $233 a month. Rates fell overall until reaching their lowest rate, $2,030 per year, in September 2010. Rates then went back up through December 2010, when premiums averaged $2,486 per year. This data shows that rates were roughly between $2,000 and $2,800 for 2009 and 2010.
  
  

Ways to Lower the Average

• Even though teenagers can expect to pay higher average premiums than older drivers, there are ways teens can lower their auto insurance bills. Companies often reduce rates by up to 25 percent for teens who maintain a "B" or better average in school, rationalizing that responsibility in school carries over to responsibility on the road, says the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association and ChristiaNet websites. Teens also can lower rates by getting older vehicles that are rated high in terms of safety. Getting on a parent's insurance policy also generally is cheaper than getting an independent policy, and taking defensive and other driving courses may provide discounts in certain cases.