Gender-specific car insurance does not give added benefits according to non-specialist insurers. They maintain that companies like Sheilas Wheels are simply innovative advertising campaigns targeted at female drivers. Craig Martin from Norwich Union says that although women drivers are a lower risk, a standard policy offers many practical benefits, which outweigh the additional gimmicks offered by specialist insurers.

Moreover, there comes a point when insurance for women becomes just as expensive as that for men. The AA quotes the case of a Ford Focus being driven in Cambridgeshire, for which the insurance for a woman, aged 55, was 257.65 pounds and for a man 252.52 pounds.

Young men have a far higher risk of having an accident than women, however this risk difference decreases with age. Take a male motorist aged 17; in our survey their premium was 2,906.25 pounds, whereas a similar policy for a woman was 1,938.13 pounds. When both motorists reach the age of 40 there is practically no difference in the premium. For people in their mid-50s, insurance for a man is marginally cheaper than that for a woman.

There are a number of other factors influencing insurance costs apart from age and gender. A high crime postcode area, like Liverpool, has premiums which are more than double the national average. This characteristic is weighted far more heavily than many others.

Confirming the trend mentioned above, young men have a six times greater risk of dying in an accident than a young women. However, by their mid-30s, both sexes have an equal chance of having a fatal accident. The fatality risk for older men is lower than that for women.

The insurer, Churchill, has found that over a lifetime, men have less accidents compared to women, 8.2 accidents to 9.5. Incidents involving women, which predominantly occur at lower speeds, cost the insurer less than for men

The headline figure you are quoted is not necessary the final figure. Although the level of excess may reduce the premium, the contribution of the driver towards the bill for repairs may far outweigh the apparent cheapness of the initial quote. For example, Norwich Union may give you a low quote, but their excess charges are extremely high. If you are quoted a cheap headline figure, look for extra charges for services such as European cover or a courtesy car.

Providers, who are members of the same group, will search for potential customers having the same profile and establish their price range accordingly. Although Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege and Natwest are all members of the RBS Group, they will all quote you different prices. Looking at the supermarkets, Norwich Union underwrites the motor insurance offered by Asda, the RBS Group provides the insurance for Tesco and esure for Sainsbury.

There are a number of reasons why car insurance for women is lower than that for men up to the age of 45 - government figures show that over 92 per cent of convictions for driving offences in the UK are for men. Men are responsible for 98 per cent of all convictions for dangerous driving. Women drivers tend to drive more slowly, carefully and for shorter distances than men. Although women have as many accidents as men, they are less likely to be serious.