The current situation regarding car insurance in the UK is a strange one. Back before changes to the law in 2011, statistics pointed to women being safer drivers. This gave rise to companies such as Sheila's Wheels, which took advantage of the ability to offer lower prices for women. However, this was seen as discrimination and an act was brought in to make both men and women lawfully protected as equal when buying insurance from reputable companies such as Staveley Head.

However, a recent report from Confused.com claimed that gender discrimination is still firmly in place for drivers under 20, following research into four million individual insurance quotes run through the website. While the legislation to ban sex-specific levies does not come into force until December, it certainly seems like more unscrupulous insurance companies are not letting up on the gender imbalance.

They may have a point, though, despite equality laws. Researchers with Confused.com went on to highlight how young men are still considered as a major insurance risk and that the fix to legislation will just raise women's premiums instead of meeting half way.

The statistics certainly seem to back this up, too. The average car claim by an 18-year-old male is £4,400, according to statistics from the British Insurance Brokers' Association. Meanwhile, a woman of the same age averages just £2,700. Add to this the fact that women claim half as much as men and you realise that this issue really could be something that transcends simple discrimination - it may just be simple fact.

Mike Hoban, who represented the comparison website following the response to the initial ruling by Europe, said: "The outcome of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling is effectively a gender tax on women. It is not only extremely unfair but also illiberal that women will be penalised for the fact they cause less serious accidents and make less expensive claims than their male counterparts.

"It is a fact that motor insurance claims made by young male drivers cost more as they are more likely to be involved in serious accidents causing death and bodily injury. Gender is an important factor in determining the risk of a driver making a claim, and by not taking it into account women are being unjustly taxed."

Nonetheless, submissions still add up on the government's e-petitions website to address on-going problems with perceived ageism, following the ECJ ruling. It may therefore be the case that insurance continues to get more expensive in the UK for businesses and individuals alike, should it follow in a similar way to adjustments following gender laws.

17 Feb 2012