Is Cheap Female Car Insurance Easier to Get Than Cheap Male Car Insurance?

If you’re like most drivers, you probably believe that men pay more for car insurance than women. In reality, that belief is only partially true. In very specific cases, men do pay more for auto insurance than women, making cheap female car insurance easier to find. However, the gender disparity in auto insurance premiums does not hold true with the majority of policyholders. Read on to find out whether the notion of cheap female auto insurance is fact or fiction.

When Men Pay More

Young men, or those between the ages of 16 and 25, represent an inordinately high claims risk to car insurers. They have more accidents, more traffic violations, and more vehicular fatalities than women in the same age group, which is why young men pay more for auto insurance. In fact, on average, male drivers age 16-25 pay 6.8 percent more for car insurance than their female counterparts. The elevated premiums offset the higher risk young male drivers pose to insurers. So for drivers between the ages of 16 and 25, it is true that finding cheap car insurance for women is much easier than finding an affordable policy for a man.

The Auto Insurance Gender Disparity Myth

Once men reach age 25, their car insurance premiums decline and become nearly even with those of women of the same age. In other words, cheap male car insurance should be just as accessible as cheap female car insurance once drivers reach the age of 25. Adult men still may pay slightly higher premiums in certain cases, but the gender disparity overall becomes much less significant the older men get.

Do Women Actually Pay More?

Many believe adult women are actually overcharged for their coverage and are entitled to cheap female auto insurance because of their driving patterns. The fact is, men drive significantly more than women, which means they tend to have more accidents simply because they are on the road more. Per million miles driven, however, men and women have the same number of accidents. Despite that fact, women pay roughly the same premiums that men do even though they drive less frequently. Consequently, on a per-mile basis, adult female drivers actually pay more for auto insurance than male drivers.

Pay-by-the-Mile Solution

Perhaps the answer to many of the gender inequities in car insurance premiums is a pay-by-the-mile system. Cheap car insurance quotes for women would be much more common if premiums were based on the number of miles driven since women drive less often. Auto insurers offer mileage-based car insurance premiums in several states currently, and the programs are expected to expand nationwide in coming years.