What Are The Best Women Car Insurances?
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Women often find cars fail them - designed for taller, bigger, blokes, with not enough storage, and nowhere to put your handbag,
And then you've got car insurance to organise. Perhaps you'd prefer a less blokey experience there too?
That's where women's insurers come in. They've thought about common female experiences - like being marooned in a dim car park after the film when your car breaks down, or having to replace the child seats after an accident - and they've tried to build policies that will work for you.
Is car insurance cheaper for women than men?
While insurers aren't allowed to quote lower prices based on gender, there are a number of factors that mean on average, women get cheaper car insurance than men.
On average, women pay about £100 less than men - but because they drive better, or less, or have a cheaper car, not because they're female.
Back in 2012, the European Court of Justice decided that insurers couldn't charge different prices for men and women. So car insurance shouldn't be cheaper for a woman who has the same driving record and the same car as a man of the same age, living in the same postcode. All other things being equal, car insurance quotes for women should come in exactly the same as for men.
However, on average, women have fewer accidents and make fewer, and lower, claims than men do. Let's take a look at some of the stats.
A Freedom of Information Act request in October 2014 elicited the fact that 1,6 million men had points on their licence from speeding offences, but only just over 721,000 women. That's 6.6% of male drivers - and only 3.3% of women drivers.
In fact men outnumber women in all categories of road traffic offence - drink-driving, careless driving, and driving without insurance, as well.
Women also make fewer claims. Men account for nearly 70% of claims and the average payout for male drivers is 5% more.
| Statistics | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding points on licence | 6.6% of male drivers | 3.3% of female drivers |
| Percentage of drivers | 53% of all drivers | 47% of all drivers |
| Percentage of claims | 67% | 33% |
| Average payout on insurance claim | £3,271 | £3,121 |
| Average mileage | 4209 | 2291 |
Men have nearly twice the mileage - on average - that women do, and they're more likely to drive for their work, which can mean they're paying a higher premium.
Some insurers want to encourage women customers. Companies offering special women's car insurance, like Diamond, do so because they want to attract low risk drivers. (No doubt, there are women whose pride and joy is a fast sports car and who drive 10,000 miles a year - and fast! But they're not the average female driver.)
For all these reasons, women car insurance can be cheaper.
Who are the best insurers for ladies car insurance?
There's quite a specialist sector for female car insurance. These insurers offer specially designed insurance for women drivers.
Note that by law, insurers can't offer women only car insurance - men can apply. Whether many men really want special handbag cover is doubtful, though.
We show some of the insurers who offer the best car insurance for women in the table below.
| Insurance company | Annual premium £* | Main features |
|---|---|---|
 | £974 |
|
 | £978 |
|
 | £1460 |
|
 | £2266 |
|
 | £3232 |
|
 | n/a |
|
 | n/a |
|
 | n/a |
|
Prices based on the following criteria: Vauxhall Corsa, fully comp insurance for driver aged 21-30 in South East England, no NCB.
What car insurance do women need?
If you drive a car in the UK, the legal minimum that you need is third party insurance. But most women choose a fully comprehensive policy.
There are three types of cover available:
- third party insurance, which covers any damage you cause to other people's cars, but doesn't cover your own car;
- third party, fire and theft, which adds cover if your car is stolen or set on fire, but not the cost of repairs if you have an accident; and
- fully comprehensive insurance, which covers the cost of any repairs to your car and can also offer such features as a courtesy car, breakdown cover, or legal expenses cover.
You might want to think about the features that mean most to you. For instance if you're a young mother then a policy that will pay out for new child seats if you have an accident, even if they're not obviously unusable, could give you peace of mind. Equally, emergency assistance that's family-friendly and can get you quickly out of a dodgy area could be valuable. Car insurance for lady drivers can include these kinds of cover as standard; other policies might not.
We've already said that car insurance for lady drivers can be cheaper because women are generally safer drivers. If you're a good driver, you can build up a No Claims Bonus that will get you a discount off your insurance. But if you don't have one already you might want to think about a Bonus Accelerator, that will give you a quicker route to your first year's No Claims Bonus.
What extras may be worth considering for my women’s car insurance policy?
Some of the best lady car insurance has been designed with features that will appeal to many women.
Women's cheap car insurance can for example offer extra such as:
- child seat: some insurers offer a fixed amount, others full replacement cover, so check the details;
- hand bag cover, often at £300 for your bag and contents;
- courtesy car, keeping you mobile while your car is repaired;
- breakdown cover with specific assistance for kids and friendly repairers.
You can also have standard policies extras such as:
- windscreen cover - windscreens are often excluded from basic policies;
- legal cover, to protect you if you're taken to court by another driver;
- misfuelling cover - pays out if you put the wrong fuel in your car and it has to be fixed;
- personal injury cover;
- breakdown cover;
- key replacement;
- No Claims Bonus protection - helps you keep your No Claims Discount even if you make a claim.
You should always do a proper ladies' car insurance comparison and compare with other policies available. Don't just look at the price, but look carefully at the cover. Sometimes, a slightly more expensive quote turns out to be best in the end, as the apparently cheapest quote doesn't include such good cover.
If you're looking for cheap car insurance for lady drivers you'll need to check the cover as well as the price.
Do I really need a special female driver’s policy?
You might not need a special female driver insurance - always consider what is the best and most cost-effective quote for your particular needs and circumstances.
For instance, if you're one of the increasing number of women with a much loved classic car or performance sports car, you might be better off looking for a policy that better reflects your particular concerns. Classic car policies will cover the cost of getting a much-loved 2CV or Triumph Spitfire back on the road, for instance, while an ordinary policy might send it to scrap.
If you live in a household with several cars, you might get a better deal by insuring all your cars under a multi-car policy.
But while some women's policies might just be a marketing device, the best girls' car insurance is designed with features that make a big difference to many women. For a woman, car insurance might need to incorporate features that recognise women's particular needs.
For instance, girls' car insurance companies appreciate a single woman driver who has broken down on a busy road at night really needs to feel safe - so emergency breakdown cover needs to be really effective. Sheila's Wheels uses family friendly repairers so if you have to take your kids along, they're not going to get covered in oil or be stuck in a grotty waiting room.
You might well consider that these features of car insurance for ladies make it more likely to suit your particular requirements than a regular insurance policy.
Women’s car insurance for young drivers
Young drivers always pay more for their car insurance.
Even if car insurance for girl drivers can be cheaper once you've got a couple of years' no claims bonus, a ladies' first car insurance is likely to be expensive. The first time you insure a car, the insurer has no way of knowing whether you're going to turn out to be a safe and steady driver or a disaster area. They'll usually make sure they're covered, by assuming the worst.
However, Diamond points out that whereas young men are often a poor risk, women aged 17-24 are less risky - they make 14% less claims than men. So it aims to provide cheap insurance for young female drivers and can come in with good quotes in many cases - definitely an insurer to check out if you've just got your licence.
You might also consider a black box policy, either with one of the big companies like Admiral, or with female-focused Drive Like A Girl. These policies work by putting a 'black box' telematics device in your car which tracks your car and lets the insurer reward you for safe driving. Car insurance quotes for young female drivers can be high, so if you can't find a good quote on an ordinary policy, take a look at telematics. Car insurance quotes for young female drivers are often much cheaper with a telematics policy.
Cheap car insurance for girls who have established a good driving record and built up a few years' No Claims Discount will be easier to find. Make sure that you do claim your No Claims Bonus when you're looking for a quote.
How can I get the cheapest women’s car insurance?
If you want to get cheap women's car insurance then you'll need to put a little work in comparing quotes. Fortunately you don't have to phone up loads of insurance companies; if you're reading this you are already half way there, because you're online - and that's where you can best compare ladies' car insurance quotes to make sure you get the best and cheapest.
Cheap car insurance for a woman driver might not always involve getting a special female-friendly policy. Remember that a regular policy might come in cheaper. Every insurer makes their own mind up about what kind of risk a given car and driver combination represents, and you might find a company like Admiral or Hastings has the right policy and price for you.
Cheap car insurance for ladies over 40, for instance, is going to be much easier to find than young female car insurance, because an established driving record plus no claims bonus makes them a lower risk. If you fit this age group you'll find a very wide range of insurers competing for your business. You'll even find good deals for cheap women's car insurance over 25 - it's those first five, six or seven years' driving that that make the best car insurance for young female drivers difficult to track down.
We have some other tips to make sure you can get the best deal.
- Make sure you claim any discount you're entitled to. For instance your employer might have arranged special deals for staff, or you might have a No Claims Bonus from your previous insurer. (Sometimes you can even transfer a No Claims Bonus from a company car, but not all insurers let you do this.)
- Consider taking Pass Plus or an advanced driving qualification. If you're looking for girl car insurance, cheaper rates might apply if you've done the extra training.
- Pay annually, not monthly, if you can. Insurers often charge extra to let you pay monthly, so if you can afford to pay off your policy in one go you could save money. (If you have a 0% credit card, pay the policy with your card, then pay the card off over the rest of the year.))
- Make sure you drive a car that's cheap to insure. If you want to get the cheapest car insurance for women then it helps if you drive a car in a low insurance group. Every car on the UK market is put into an insurance group which rates it on performance (faster ars are riskier), value, and how cheap and easy it is to repair. Even with a single model, the trim and engine size you choose could have a big impact on how much you pay.
Top 12 cars that women love to buy
The list of cars that women drive looks very similar to those driven by men. You won't be surprised to find that many women choose popular models like the Ford Focus, VW Golf, and Ford Fiesta, though overall, women tend to drive smaller cars.
Insurer Adrian Flux did some research analysing all the cars they insured and asked which were insured by more women than men. They came up with some surprising insights, one of which was that the Renault Adam is far more popular with women than it is with men.
Motor magazines also carry out research from time to time. A list of the top cars for women includes:
- Renault ADAM
- Ford Ka
- Peugeot 108
- Citroen C1
- Fiat 500
- Ford Focus
- Nissan Figaro
- Mini One
- Toyota Aygo
- Peugeot 107
- Ford Fiesta
- VW Golf
