Men Versus Women Drivers

If all other factors remain the same, such as type of vehicle, location and past claims history, it's a well-known fact that women's car insurance premiums can be significantly less than men's.

But why is this?

Statistics show that whilst the number of accidents between men and women can be quite similar there is one important factor that is different in their claims - accident severity! In general, men usually have crashes or accidents that cause more damage than women and therefore claims against their respective car insurance policies are greater. Clearly this is seen as very significant by the insurance company as, on average, the more male motorists they have on their books the greater the claims made against them. They will therefore reflect this in premiums charged to the customer: as men are statistically more likely to make a larger claim, they are charged more for the coverage service to balance out the risk.

So why do women have less severe accidents than men?

Well, that is another issue in itself that can cause much heated debate. Studies show that, on average, women drive shorter distances than men, together with a slower style of driving, though there will always be exceptions to the rule. Obviously with a smaller distance to travel there is less chance if being in an accident. And, if travelling slower, there is less impact between two vehicles or a car and a static object. Less impact could mean the difference between the car being a write-off and having a small dent.