Women drivers in Kilkenny are 'paying €500 a year more'

A new study claims that tens of thousands of young Irish women are losing out on the chance to knock €500 off their motor insurance because they are not as likely to sit and pass their driving test as their male counterparts – despite women having a safer track record on Irish roads then men.

The most recent driving test statistics show that 26pc more men than women sit their driving test, and 40pc more men passed their test.

MissQuote.ie, an online broker which specializes in motor insurance for young women, said that drivers could save €500 on their car insurance if they pass their test and move from a provisional licence to a full licence.

The RSA figures, for the year 2020, also show that men have a higher pass rate then women, with 57.4pc of men passing their driving test in 2020 compared to 52.1pc of women.

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Deirdre McCarthy, Manager at MissQuote.ie observed, “In Kilkenny alone, approximately 3,500 more men than women hold a full licence, even though there are more women than men living in Ireland. The disparity is even greater for younger drivers.

“Almost 60pc more men than women aged between 17 and 20 had their full licence in 2020. As this age group often pay through the nose for car insurance, it’s likely that tens of thousands of young Irish women are paying at least €500 more for their car insurance than they would if they sat and passed their driving test.

“There is clear evidence that women have a safer track record on Irish roads, particularly if you look at the number of men with penalty points on their licences – so more needs to be done to encourage young female drivers to come forward for their driving test.”

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The Stats

• More than twice as many male drivers as female drivers died on Irish roads in 2021 with 50 men drivers dying at the wheel that year compared to 20 female drivers, according to the most recent road casualty and collision figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
• The number of male drivers who were injured – but not killed – on Irish roads in 2021 came to 1583, compared to 1,176 female drivers, according to the RSA.
• The latest driving test statistics from the CSO – which are for the year 2020 - show that 48,887 men and 38,693 women sat their driving test in 2020 while 28,061 men and 20,141 women passed their driving test.
• In 2020, 22,412 men aged 17-20 held a full driving licence compared to 14,195 women aged 17-20, according to the CSO.
• Overall, 1,509,482 men held a full driving licence in 2020, compared to 1,324,588 women.