Car Insurance and the Battle of the Sexes
A guest post for my United Kingdom readers…
The age old argument of who are the better drivers: men or women, will never go away, but if car insurance costs and government statistics are anything to go by; then there’s only one winner.
Statistically; male drivers are responsible for the vast majority of driving offence convictions in the United Kingdom – in fact they are accountable for 92% of them, while 98% of all dangerous driving convictions can also be attributed to male drivers, so why should women bare the brunt of higher insurance costs as a result?
On average, men pay 71% more than women for their insurance policies; but there are reasons behind this, such as:
• According to the department of transport, men travel on average 4000 miles per year more than women
• 20% of the UK’s young male drivers are uninsured
• Men are more likely to be involved in expensive write offs rather than minor bumps and scrapes
• Male drivers are more likely to make fraudulent claims such as “crash for cash” scams
• Men under 21 are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash than those over 35
• Men under 21 are five times more likely to have an accident than women of the same age group
• Drivers under 25 are responsible for 20% of deaths from car accidents.
In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of specialist car insurance groups who offer cover specifically to women, however just because they offer cover to females this doesn’t mean they are always the best and cheapest options so follow these tips to save on your womens car insurance.
Find the right car for you
Generally, women don’t drive fast, petrol guzzling cars; they tend to opt for the sensible, fuel economical, small cars instead. Pick a car with a low insurance group, sites such as Parkers provide all kinds of information such as insurance groups, fuel consumption and tax bands so you can get a rough idea of what you’ll be looking to pay each year.
Use the competition to your advantage – shop around
As mentioned earlier; female specific insurance companies don’t always offer the best deals, so use comparison sites such as moneysupermarket to find the cheapest & most suitable option.
Comprehensive v TPFT cover
Third party, fire and theft used to be a lot cheaper than comprehensive cover, however now the tables have turned and you can usually get fully comprehensive insurance for a similar price or sometimes even cheaper than TPFT insurance. There are also shorter term policies available (usually 9 or 10 months) offering comprehensive cover in which you can build up your no claims bonus quicker.
Take a look at what extras are included in your policy; sometimes options such as car hire and breakdown cover are thrown in, so removing these can reduce the cost of your cover. Double check everything before you sign up to any insurance policy.
Parking & Security
If you park your car in the street at night, don’t tell your insurance company that you leave it in a locked garage, as should you have to make a claim your policy may be invalid and you may not be able to receive a payout. Always be honest about where you leave your car in the daytime and at night to ensure you are not liable for the full cost of repairs to a car that is stolen or damaged.
Don’t tempt thieves by leaving any valuables on display such as coats, phones, sat navs or laptops – and remember don’t leave them under your seat as this is the first place most thieves will look. If you have used a sat nav, remember to clear any smear marks off your windscreen – an opportunist may break in to your car just to check the glove box if there are marks on your window that indicate you use a sat nav.
Agree on mileage
Women make shorter journeys than men, so are deemed less of a risk to insurers as a result. Work out how many miles you do each year and let your insurer know; but try and keep the figure down. If you go do more miles than expected; call your insurance company and tell them to change your policy so it does not become invalid.
Drive safely!
If you commit a motoring offence that gives you points on your licence, you won’t just pay the fixed penalty – you’ll see your insurance costs rise year on year for the duration that the points are on your licence, so think twice before answering your mobile, speeding or skipping red lights that have just changed; it really isn’t worth the risk.
Insurance companies can charge more for those with points on their licence as they have shown that they are not sensible drivers; so stick to what you were taught when you were a learner driver and watch the cost of your insurance drop.