It’s no secret that women are seen as safer drivers than men, something that was reflected by the amount both genders were charged until recently for insurance. As we were less likely to be in accidents, we were more likely to be given cheaper premiums.

Although there’s not a massive difference between the way in which men and women as a whole drive on our roads, the stats suggest that women of all ages drive more sensibly than, say, younger men, and as a result we were asked by insurers to pay a little less. Although it seemed unfair on guys who drive sensibly, we became used to paying less.

Unfortunately, that’s changed because of a new rule brought in from Europe about gender equality. Back in December last year, the European Union drew up the ‘Gender Directive’ which meant one thing: men and women had to pay the same for car insurance.

The main thing to come out of the new ruling is that women will end up paying a lot more than they did a while ago for car insurance, which is the last thing we need after paying through the nose for fuel! What we would like to see is men charged less, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

A lot of male drivers are celebrating, as they’re not going to end up being charged more, but ladies might have to shop around even more than before for a better deal. Cheap premiums could soon be a thing of a past, no matter how careful we are on the road.

There was a time when women didn’t have to pay too much for car insurance. With the new rule, it might seem that we’re having to pay a little more than we’re used to, but are there still opportunities to bag a bargain? It might seem impossible, but it could just be a case of looking harder.

A survey conducted by an Irish insurer found that late last year, both male and female customers could find discounts if they wanted them for their car insurance premiums. It found that one company saved drivers as much as €118 a year.

The survey, which took stats from most of the major providers of car insurance in Ireland, also found that:

• The average premium for Irish drivers stood at just over €550 a year in the middle of 2012.
• The bigger names tend to charge more for their premiums.

We know that women are statistically more careful on the road than men, even though the gap is narrower for older drivers, now we just have to be more careful about looking for cheaper cover too…