Women’s Car Insurance

What is women’s car insurance?

Everybody who drives a car on the road needs to make sure they have insurance cover in place. Car insurance is required by law. If you drive without insurance in place you are committing an offence.

Insurers work out the cost of car insurance for both women and men based on a number of factors. These include things like the age and experience of the driver, the make of the car, and how powerful it is.

The one thing which insurers are NOT allowed to base their premium calculation is gender. After a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2012, insurers are not able to offer cheaper rates for women drivers.

Before this court ruling, women were often offered cheaper car insurance policies by certain insurers. This is because statistically, women drivers are at a lower risk of making a claim.

What does the ECJ ruling mean for women drivers?

The court ruling means that from December 2012, it became illegal for insurers to give preferential rates to drivers based on their gender. Many women found that the cost of their premiums went up.

Can women still save money on car insurance policies?

Even though insurers cannot base premium costs on gender, there are still many companies that offer specialist women’s car insurance policies.

What factors are involved in calculating premiums?

The cost of your premium is based on a number of factors. Whilst insurers cannot take into account gender, other factors which can affect your insurance costs are:

• The age and model of your car
• Your age
• How much driving experience do you have
• Any no-claims bonus you have built up
• Where your vehicle is kept overnight.

Premium costs are calculated around the risk that you might make a claim.

Older, more experienced drivers are statistically less likely to be involved in an accident. Keeping your car secure overnight in a garage also reduces the chances of it being stolen.

What should women’s car insurance cover?

There are three main types of car insurance cover:

Third-party only – This policy covers only costs for injury or damage to third parties. This is the minimum level of cover required by law.

Third-party fire and theft – This type of policy includes the cover above, but also covers your costs in the event your vehicle is damaged by fire or stolen.

Comprehensive – This is the highest level of coverage available. It includes all of the covers above, plus your costs if you are injured, and any damage to your own car.

Many specialist women’s car insurance policies can also include useful extras such as:

• Child seat cover
• Handbag cover
• Courtesy car, if your vehicle is off the road for repair

How to save money on women’s car insurance policies?

While you cannot automatically get lower car insurance rates based on your gender, there are ways you can save money on your policy.

• Compare quotes

Always shop around, and compare quotes from a range of insurers.

• Increase your excess

The excess is the amount you pay in the event of a claim. By raising the amount, you could cut the overall monthly cost of your cover.

• Pay upfront

If you are able to, many insurers will offer a discount if you are able to pay the whole annual premium cost, rather than spreading it into monthly payments.

• Pay upfront

Many people choose to spread the cost of car insurance into monthly payments. However, you could save money by paying a lump sum at the start of your policy

• Use a ‘black box’ policy

A black box or ‘telematics’ insurance policy involves fitting a device to your car which monitors your driving. As statistically, ladies are considered safer drivers, this can demonstrate a reduced level of risk of a claim, which may bring down your policy costs too.