Womens Car Insurance - Does it Cost Less?

Most ladies have heard more than a few “women driver” jokes in their time and probably been more than a little annoyed by them. Fortunately the insurance industry does not buy into the stereotype and women’s car insurance is no higher than a man’s and in fact they often end up getting a better deal.

Why would that be? Simply because the car insurance industry bases the premiums they charge each individual around perceived risk. A recent study conducted by Carnegie- Mellon actually seemed to show that it is the guys we should all worry about on the road, not the girls at all. That study concluded that male drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal auto accident as the driver than female drivers are. The study also concluded that only 64% of men have no record of a traffic offense, which was lower than the 68% of women.

There is also a general perception that men are more aggressive drivers than women are, especially the younger gentlemen who certain statistics suggest are more li typically more prone to ‘road rage’ than women, and seem to take on the ‘me first’ attitude when driving, meaning they want to lead the pack in a line of traffic and will take chances at passing vehicles on the road in order to get in front. This may have a lot to do with the fact that young male drivers typically pay higher insurance premiums than any other sector of the population. 

All this might seem a little unfair to some. Say for instance you are a nineteen year old male who drives very carefully, obeys every rule of the road and has never gone over the speed limit in your driving career. On the other hand the lady across the street drives like she’s practicing for the next Indy 500 but never seems to get stopped and has been known to run a red or two to get to work on time. And still the young male driver is probably paying more for his car insurance.

Unfair it maybe but insurance companies really do not have the ability to access each driver individually and the average statistics are their best guidelines. The only advice you could give the careful teenage driver is keep it up, all that great driving will get your premium lowered in a few years and the speed demon across the street will eventually get a ticket (everyone’s luck runs out at some time) and her insurance will go up as a result.

All of that said the rates for car insurance for women are, just as they are for their male counterparts based on a lot more than just what gender they are. The type and condition of the vehicle you drive has a lot to do with the eventual price anyone will pay, as does of course their personal driving history. What many people do not realize is that one’s credit score can also impact the final insurance bill (just another reason to keep an eye on your credit rating at all times)