The change comes as the overall average cost of
comprehensive car insurance dropped to £736 - or £80 cheaper than this time
last year.The average price gap between men and women’s insurance
premiums is now just £2.The consumer price-index compiled by insurer Confused.com
and experts Towers Watson reveals that young female drivers are the hardest
hit by EU gender directive’ which was brought in to stop discrimination between
the sexes.According
to the confused.com report, this is the ‘biggest year on year jump from one
quarter to the next the industry has ever reported.
The report said: ‘Young female motorists have traditionally
enjoyed much lower car insurance premiums than their male counterparts, due to
the fact they are statistically less likely to make a claim.However under the EU Gender Directive, which took effect on
December 21st 2012, insurers are no longer able to use gender as a factor when
pricing insurance.Opponents of the gender rules had argued - unsuccessfully -
that women deserved to pay less because, statistically they were less of a risk
so deserved to pay lower premiums.
