Who are the safer drivers? Men or Women?

The battle of the sexes rumbles on this autumn and the issue never gets far before the subject of driving comes up! Vocal men have long claimed they have better skills behind the wheel but car insurers say the opposite. Or do they?

Could that theory be disproved, heating up the arguments once again? We ponder it, as well as offering some tips for all drivers on getting car insurance after a claim.

The Contest

Men 1-0
Donning hard hats and separating male and female colleagues in roped-off areas, our initial analysis showed that men really are the safer drivers! Yes it appeared from records* over the last two years that, on claims where the driver was at fault, men were less likely to make a car insurance claim than women. It was close mind, with males sporting a 6.2% claim rate and females clocking in at 6.6%.

We were shocked, naturally. As general car insurance wisdom has it, men are supposed to be more aggressive on the roads, driving faster and therefore more likely to be involved in accidents. On this basis, you’d only expect women to be able to benefit from better deals from companies specialising in women’s car insurance.

Women 1-1
But before we upset 51% of the population and conclude that men are less of a risk another stat emerges! Males actually had a higher average claim value than women, according to our data**. Meaning women statistically may make more claims but the male claims are for more money. So whilst women may be involved in slightly more lower-level accidents, prangs perhaps or minor claims; when their menfolk claim — they tend to claim big! It is still holds true that some car insurers reward the more careful driving of women by offering better deals.