Gender-less insurance: women will pay up to 25% more
Gender-less insurance: women will pay up to 25% more
Motor insurance companies have long taken a driver's age, gender, location and driving habits into consideration when offering insurance. But with a ruling by the European Court of Justice declaring a ban on taking gender into consideration in insurance policies from December 2012, younger female drivers can expect a rise of up to 25%. Personal finance website, SimplyFinance.co.uk, has produced a guide to help people make the right decision when it comes to selectingmotor insurance, with a list of things to take into consideration to make sure coverage is adequate.
Maggie Craig, Association of British Insurers (ABI) Acting Director General, said: "This gender ban is disappointing news for UK consumers and something the UK insurance industry has fought against for the last decade. The judgment ignores the fact that taking a person's gender into account, where relevant to the risk, enables men and women alike to get a more accurate price for their insurance.
ABI commissioned research by Oxera in late 2010, and found that the possible impact of removing gender from assessing risk included women under the age of 25 seeing an average increase of 25% to their premium, as well as considerable increase to the cost of life insurance cover.
"Insurers will now study this judgment carefully to manage negative effects for customers. Insurers will work hard to ensure that the UK insurance market remains one of the most competitive in the world offering a strong choice of products and prices for customers," said Ms Craig.
"It will be crucial to ensure this news does not put people off having vital insurance that protects them against accident or illness, or provides an income in retirement. Insurance remains good value for people and not all customers will be equally affected as the use of gender can vary significantly between products and different companies. Each company will have to respond to the ban in the way they feel is in their customers' interests.
"Adaptation during this transition period until December 2012 will be challenging, but all insurers will be doing everything they can to ensure as smooth a change as possible for customers. Insurers will comply with the law and work proactively with the Financial Services Authority to ensure stability for the UK insurance market, its customers and investors."
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