Women's car insurance

Women are less of a risk for insurers than men

Insurers use complex statistical algorithms to calculate premium prices. This means they look at real-world risk levels and the evidence shows women are safer drivers than men. That's not to say that every female driver is safer than every male driver. But on average, more male drivers are involved in accidents each year.

Did you also know there are slightly more male drivers in the UK than women, at 53% of the total.? And here's a really surprising statistic – men are more than twice as likely to make a claim on their insurance, despite only driving 75 miles further a year on average. It's also a fact that men are also more likely to commit traffic offences as nearly 80% of motoring offences are recorded as being committed by men.

How your choices can affect what you pay

In determining car insurance premiums, insurers consider all sorts of factors. These include the power and cost of the car, the driver's job, where they live, their history of claims and convictions and their voluntary car excess. Although companies aren't allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender alone, some choices will be closely associated with men or women. Let's look at some of these choices.

• Car choice
  When it comes to buying a car, studies show that men and women look for different things. A recent survey found that women were 25% more likely than men to be influenced by a vehicle's fuel economy and 20% more likely to consider servicing costs.
  
  In contrast, men are 20% more likely to be swayed by a vehicle's colour and 40% more likely to consider a manufacturer's reputation. These factors often mean men choose more expensive, powerful cars while women opt for compact, practical vehicles.
  
  Insurers charge more to insure more powerful, expensive cars, which means the average man pays more for car insurance than the average woman.
• Career
  Insurers look at an individual's job when they're working out premiums. Jobs that put up premiums the most include male-dominated professions such as footballers, construction workers, a security guard and entertainers (like musicians).
  
  Lower premiums are charged for roles that are associated with office-based work and more steady daytime hours. These include clerical roles, local government staff and teaching. These jobs tend to be more female-led.
  
  There are plenty of roles that attract lower premiums but are male-dominated, for example farm work and policing. On the whole though, working in a female-dominated industry may result in lower premiums.
  
• Criminal record and claims history
  To work out car insurance premiums, a driver's record of convictions and claims is considered too. As we've seen, men are responsible for 80% of motoring offences. Research also shows that men are twice as likely as women to break the speed limit.
  
  Insurers look at criminal convictions, claims history and the number of points on the licence when working out premiums. Once again, this means lower premiums for the average woman.
• Age
  This is a really simple one – the younger you are, the more your insurance premiums will cost. Statistically, women are more likely to pass the theory part of the driving test than men (58% of women pass compared to 53% of men), but more women fail the practical element of the driving test than men (47% of women pass compared to 53% of men).
  
  As women tend to be slightly older when they start driving, they avoid some of the very highest premiums that apply to young drivers. However, first-time drivers can often lower their insurance costs by using telematics insurance.

How to cut the cost of car insurance for women

Whether you're a man or a woman, there are a few things you can do to bring down the cost of your car insurance:

• Consider where your car is kept overnight – a secure garage is best and may mean cheaper premiums.
• Choose a low-crime area – if you're thinking of moving, you'll pay more in neighbourhoods with high crime rates.
• Increase your excess – choosing a higher voluntary excess will help to reduce the overall cost.
• Build up your no-claims discount – the longer you go without making a claim, the cheaper your cover should be.
• Use a telematics device – sharing your driving data with an insurer could help to reduce costs as you can get a more personalised premium.
• Insure multiple vehicles – choosing a multi-car insurance policy can often be cheaper.
• Improve your car's security – using immobilisers or other security devices can help to achieve a discount with your premium.

For more ways to save money on your car insurance, pop over to our handy guides now.

All information is correct at the time of publication. Hastings Direct cannot be held responsible for any misinformation displayed.