"Savvy consumers don't settle for average," said Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst for InsuranceQuotes.com, which conducted the study of premium charged by 10 different insurance companies. "You're not going to move to a new state just because car insurance is cheaper somewhere else, but there are some easy things that you can do to save money regardless of where you live."
Insurance companies generally work in a variety of factors when determining premiums, including geography, local driving conditions, a motorist's driving record, historical data for a specific age group and gender, along with state insurance regulations. (Hawaii's unusually low premium for teens reflects state guidelines that ban an insurer from considering factors like length of experience behind the wheel, age and gender.)
(Read More: Most (and Least) Expensive States for Car Insurance)
It's that lack of experience—and perhaps hormones—that tend to translate into trouble for drivers between 16 and 19. They have a tendency to rack up more tickets, get involved in more collision, and experience a higher fatality rate than older motorists. Earlier this year, the Governors Highway Safety Association reported that deaths among 16- and 17-year-old drivers surged a combined 19 percent during the first half of 2012, significantly faster than for the general population of motorists.
As a result, teen drivers are socked with higher premiums than any other group, even when rolled into a family insurance policy. On average, the InsuranceQuotes survey of 10 insurers found that the average annual premium will rise 84 percent when a teen driver is added, roughly a $2,000 penalty. But the precise figure will vary depending upon age, gender and geography.
A 16-year-old will cause the typical premium to go up 99 percent, a figure that dips to 90 percent for a 17-year-old, 82 percent for a driver aged 18, and 65 percent for someone aged 19.
The average male teen driver will sock the family with a 96 percent increase in car insurance premiums while females cause premiums to rise a more modest 72 percent.