Women typically pay less for auto insurance than men and there’s a good reason for it. Auto insurance companies aren’t sexists they just play the numbers, and on average – according to the numbers, claims it’s cheaper to insure a female driver.

Auto insurance companies look at a variety of factors to determine if one person pays more than the other. Sex certainly isn’t the only factor taken into consideration.

Insurance companies also look at:

• Car model, make, and year
• Driving records
• Age
• Credit history

The combination of all these factors and gender go into how much one pays for car insurance. However, gender is definitely a major factor. This is especially true for younger people.

Why is There a Gap?

It can be hard to understand why men pay more for car insurance than women. Once you dive into the statistics, you’ll see things make a little more sense. The pricing gap is usually influenced by things like:

• Number of accidents men have compared to women
• Types of cars men prefer to drive compared to women
• Men tend to engage in riskier driving behavior
• Men drive more miles on average than women

Sexes and Statistics: Should Women Pay Less?

As the insurance companies begin to calculate your risk as a driver, they come up with your premium. These companies use historical data to help them make an educated guess as to the likelihood you’ll be in an accident.

These statistics show that women are significantly less likely to get into car accidents. Women are also less likely to get speeding tickets or drive drunk. Women don’t drive as many miles as male drivers, either. Finally, women tend to buy cheaper, slower cars.

Once insurance companies combine all these factors, they come to the conclusion that women are less expensive to insure. As such, men always pay more.

The Actual Numbers

Don’t just take our word for it. Let’s look at a few actual numbers to see how men compare to women. We took these stats from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

• 71% of all car accident deaths were caused by male drivers.
• Women wear their seat belts 88% of the time. Men only wear their belt 84% of the time.
• 38% of men involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. Women only drank 20% of the time in similar scenarios.

What’s a Man to Do?

As a man, you’ll always pay more than a female counterpart. However, a man with a clean driving record can still avoid higher rates. Driving a safe car with a clean driving record can ensure your premiums don’t get out of control.

Should Auto Insurance Be Cheaper For Female Drivers?

If you’re a lady, rejoice. Car insurance should be cheaper for you, and guess what – it is. As long as you keep a clean driving record, you should be able to keep insurance premiums low.