Do Girls and Women Pay Less for Car Insurance? The Numbers by Age and State

Insurance is a pricing system built on past losses, so the gender gap comes from claims and crash data. Here is what the data says, how big the gap is at each age, and why it fades.

Why insurers price by gender at all

Insurers don't price you as an individual. They price you as a member of a group with similar traits, based on how often groups like yours have crashed and filed claims in the past. Gender is one of those traits in most states, because the crash numbers differ.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) publishes the main figures:

• Deaths per mile. In 2022, male drivers were involved in 2.8 fatal crashes per 100 million miles driven, compared with 1.9 for female drivers. That is a male rate about 48% higher.
• Share of deaths. Men and boys made up about 72% of motor vehicle deaths in 2024, and male crash deaths have been more than double female deaths in nearly every year since 1975.
• Drinking. Among passenger vehicle drivers killed in 2024, 34% of men had a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher, compared with 24% of women.
• Speeding. In 2024, speeding was a factor for 20% of male drivers in fatal crashes, compared with 12% of female drivers.

Insurers also have a business reason to be precise. If one company charges a group less than the group's risk justifies, that group moves there, and the company loses money on them. Competition pushes every insurer to price risk as accurately as it can, and companies that do it better can offer lower rates to the drivers they most want. I couldn't find a published ranking of which insurers use data best, so treat that as how the market works in theory, not a measured fact.

Group statistics don't describe you. A safe teenage boy still pays the group price, and so does a reckless teenage girl.

How much less do girls pay, by age?

Insurance.com's 2026 rate analysis (done with Quadrant Information Services, covering every state and D.C.) priced a full coverage policy on a Honda Accord with a clean record and good credit. These are annual premiums for a driver insured on their own policy:

• Age 16: $9,846 for women vs $10,928 for men, so men pay about 11% more.
• Age 18: $7,047 vs $7,946, about 13% more.
• Age 20: $4,893 vs $5,454, about 11% more.
• Age 22: $3,723 vs $4,011, about 8% more.
• Age 25: $2,997 vs $3,091, about 3% more.
• Age 30: $2,729 vs $2,734, about even.
• Age 40: $2,585 vs $2,570, women pay about 1% more.
• Age 50: $2,418 vs $2,424, about even.
• Age 60: $2,297 vs $2,327, men pay about 1% more.
• Age 70: $2,467 vs $2,528, men pay about 2% more.
• Age 75: $2,681 vs $2,803, men pay about 5% more.

The percentages are calculated from those premiums. A second data set, from Quadrant figures reported by Forbes Advisor, found a similar pattern: at 16, men paid about 13% more, at 20 about 15% more, and at 25 about 3% more. By the mid 30s to 40s, women paid about the same or a dollar or two more per month.

The takeaway is that the gap is real and biggest when drivers are young, and then it fades. A teen girl can pay over $1,000 a year less than a teen boy, but a 30 year old woman usually pays the same as a 30 year old man.

These teen premiums are high because they are for teens on their own policy. Most teens on a parent's policy add far less to the bill, and the discounts below cut it further.

When women pay more

Women pay slightly more than men in some age groups and states:

• By age. Experian's data found men pay more before 20 and after 60, while between 20 and 60, women's premiums are about the same or higher.
• By state. The Zebra analyzed 32 million rates for a 30 year old driver. Men paid more in 38 states, by an average of about 2.3%. Women paid more in four states and D.C. (Florida, New York, Oklahoma and Oregon), by less than about 2.3%.
• Nationally, it depends on the data. Experian's blended January 2025 averages were $2,292 a year for men and $2,317 for women. The Zebra's national average showed women paying about $33 less. The sources use different drivers, cars and coverage levels, which is why they disagree. For adults, the gender gap is small enough that the method changes who pays more.

Six states ban gender rating

In California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, insurers can't use gender to set auto rates. A boy and a girl with the same record, car and ZIP code get the same quote. Our post on California's gender rating ban explains how that plays out for families there.

Montana is no longer on this list. It banned gender pricing in 1985, but HB 379 ended that in April 2021. Several rate sites still list Montana as a ban state, so an older article may be wrong. After the repeal, the Consumer Federation of America tested four insurers in 2022 and found mixed results. Two charged women 8% to 17% more, one charged men 22% more, and one charged them the same. That suggests insurers disagree about how much gender matters, which is the CFA's argument for a ban.

Where gender is banned, someone pays the difference. California's Department of Insurance estimated that removing gender would give the riskiest group, young men with under three years of experience, about a 5% break, while less risky young women could pay more.

What matters more than gender

For adults, the gender gap is a few percent. These factors move the price far more:

• Age and experience. A 16 year old pays about four times what a 40 year old pays.
• Driving record. Tickets, accidents and DUIs.
• Credit, in most states. The Zebra says poor credit versus excellent credit can change a rate by as much as 114%. A few states limit or ban credit scoring.
• Where you live and park. ZIP code and garaging address.
• The car and the coverage you choose.

How girls can pay less

• Keep a B average or better. Many insurers offer a [good student discount](/blog/getting-your-own-policy-at-17-whats-actually-possible), and it applies to boys and girls.
• Take driver training if your insurer discounts it.
• Stay on a parent's policy when it's allowed. A separate teen policy costs far more.
• Ask about usage based programs. They price your own driving instead of your group's, and some programs track hard braking, speeding and distracted driving.
• Compare quotes. Insurers weigh gender differently, so the cheapest company for you may not be the cheapest for your brother.
• Choose the car carefully. A safe, modest car costs less than a sporty one.

The bottom line

Girls and young women do pay less in most states, roughly 8% to 13% less between 16 and 22, because crash and claims data are worse for young men. The gap closes by the late 20s, and for adults it's small enough that your record, age, credit and ZIP code matter more. If you live in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina or Pennsylvania, gender isn't part of your quote at all.