Women pay less for car insurance than men – and it’s likely because they are statistically safer drivers, according to a new report by price comparison site Confused.com.
According to the website, men paid an average of £793 per year compared to £701 for women – a difference of about 13%.
An EU directive released in December 2012 bans insurers from taking gender into account when pricing their policies. While the recent data shows that women pay less than men, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s because of gender.
Citing the study, The Financial Times reported that 585,000 drivers were taken to court for road offences in England and Wales – and men greatly outnumbered women in that group by a ratio of 4:1. The report added that men outnumbered women in all of the major categories of offence — speeding, careless driving, drink driving, having no insurance and no tax.
Data also showed men accounted for nearly two-thirds of more than 700,000 car insurance claims lodged last year, and the average payout for men (£3,271) was 5% higher than that for women.
Elsewhere, a separate study from the comparison site looked at occupations – and highlighted that doormen pay the second-highest amount for car insurance on average, after professional football players.
Doormen paid out £3,215 on average, which is 14% of their yearly income (£23,078), said the site.
“[D]oormen often work night shifts, meaning their car will be parked up somewhere overnight when secured car parks are often closed, putting them at risk of vandalism or theft,” it explained.
By contrast, police sergeants were rated the safest drivers with the lowest car insurance costs (£419), which account for just 1% of their average salary.
