Why Do Men Pay More for Car Insurance?

Men pay more for auto insurance in 44 states due to higher risk factors like traffic fatalities and DUIs, despite equal driving license distribution.

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A seasoned journalist and content strategist with over 10 years of editorial experience in digital media, Aliza Vigderman has written and edited hundreds of articles on the site, covering everything from plan coverages to discounts to state laws. Previously, she was a senior editor and industry analyst at the home and digital security website Security.org, previously called Security Baron. She has also contributed to The Huffington Post, SquareFoot, and Degreed. Aliza studied journalism at Brandeis University.

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Last updated: June 16, 2026

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In most states, insurance companies can use gender as a rating factor when calculating car insurance premiums. Because of this, men usually pay more for coverage than women with similar driving profiles.

This difference is based on historical claims and driving data, which show that male drivers are more likely to be involved in serious crashes, receive traffic violations, and be convicted of DUIs. The difference is greatest for young male drivers, and levels off as drivers enter their twenties.

In this guide, we’ll explain how gender affects car insurance rates and how premiums compare between men and women.

Why Do Men Pay More for Car Insurance?

Why do men pay more for car insurance?

In short, men pay more for insurance than women because, statistically, they pose a higher risk to insurance providers. Among age groups, this difference is steepest for young drivers and teens. For example, a policy with a 16-year-old male costs about 12 percent more than one with a 16-year-old teen female — $5,115/year versus $4,560/year.

Higher Fatality Rates

Despite being only half of all licensed drivers,¹ men made up 72 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2023, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That means they’re more than twice as likely as women to die in traffic accidents.²

Gender	Number of people killed in the U.S. in traffic accidents in 2023	Percentage of total traffic fatalities	Percentage of total licensed drivers
Male	29,584	72%	50%
Female	11,229	27%	50%

FYI:

It’s legal to determine car insurance rates on the basis of sex in every state except for California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.³

Higher DUI Rates

Men are more likely than women to be arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) at every age, according to the FBI’s most recent crime data. The gap was most prevalent for those ages 65 and older, where men are 341 percent more likely to be arrested for DUIs than women in the same age group.

Age group	Increased likelihood of men to be arrested for DUI (2019)
15-24	173%
25-29	169%
30-34	165%
35-39	179%
40-44	189%
45-49	180%
50-54	191%
55-59	218%
60-64	256%
65 and over	341%
Average	206%

DID YOU KNOW?

The group of people most likely to be arrested for DUIs, aside from men, is those ages 15 to 24, where nearly 3 percent of the population has been arrested for DUIs. Second is the age group 25 to 29, where nearly 1 percent were arrested for DUIs.⁴

If you get a DUI, you may need proof of liability insurance as an SR-22 or an FR-44, depending on your state. People with DUIs on their driving records usually pay more for car insurance than those with clean records.

More Likely to Be Stopped by Police

While men and women were equally likely to have contact with police due to traffic accidents, men were 11 percent more likely than women to be stopped by the police in 2022.

Police contact	Male	Female	Total	Difference between male and female contact rates
Police-initiated contact	10,947,600	9,349,600	20,297,300	N/A
Percentage of total U.S. population, ages 16 or older, who had police-initiated contact in 2022	8%	7%	8%	22%
Resident-initiated contact	13,823,900	15,894,300	29,718,300	-9%
Percentage of total U.S. population, ages 16 or older, who had resident-initiated contact in 2022	11%	12%	11%	-9%
Traffic-accident contact	3,395,500	3,323,800	6,719,300	8%
Percentage of total U.S. population, ages 16 or older, who had traffic-accident contact in 2022	3%	2%	2%	8%

In 2022, men were 22 percent more likely than women to have police-initiated contact.⁵ That’s yet another reason women pay less for car insurance premiums.

Unfortunately for men, insurance companies set policy rates based on population statistics, not individuals. That means even if all other factors match those of their female counterparts, men are still likely to pay more than women for auto insurance.

TIP:

If you’re a safe driver, you can save by enrolling in a telematics program.

How Men Can Save on Car Insurance Rates

How men can save on car insurance rates

Gender-based pricing isn’t something you can change, but there are concrete steps you can take to save money on car insurance:

Get discounts. Take advantage of your car insurance company’s discounts. Providers offer discounts for everything from paperless billing and paying in full to completing a defensive driving course.
Drop coverages. If you have an older car, collision coverage and comprehensive coverage may not be worth keeping on an older car. If your vehicle’s value is low, dropping one or both could significantly reduce your premium.
Bundle insurance. If you already have renters or homeowners insurance, bundling it with your auto policy under the same provider is one of the easiest ways to lower your rate. Most major insurers offer a multi-policy discount.

Recap

Men pay more for car insurance because auto insurers use risk to determine premiums. The data shows that male drivers are involved in more serious accidents, DUIs, and traffic stops than their female counterparts. However, gender is just one factor affecting car insurance costs. Your driving history, age, location, and coverage choices all affect your final rate.

No matter where you live, you can take steps to offset the difference. Start by comparing quotes and check out our full guide on the cost of car insurance for everything you need to know.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do men pay more for car insurance than women?

In states where insurers can consider gender, men often pay higher rates because they are statistically more likely to be involved in serious crashes, receive traffic citations, and drive under the influence. Men account for approximately 72% of all traffic fatalities despite making up about half of all licensed drivers.

How much more do men pay for car insurance than women on average?

Young male drivers pay substantially more than female drivers of the same age. The gap is most pronounced for teenage drivers aged 16 to 19 and narrows through the mid-20s, reflecting the higher accident and violation rates among young men.

At what age do men and women pay similar car insurance rates?

The gender gap in insurance rates shrinks around age 25 and often evens out by middle age. As drivers age, the statistical risk difference between male and female drivers becomes less pronounced.

Do all states allow insurance companies to use gender in pricing?

No. While providers can use gender-based pricing in most U.S. states, six states prohibit this: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. In these states, insurers must rely on other factors, including driving history, age, location, and vehicle type.

Does gender still affect car insurance rates for older drivers?

Usually not by much. By middle age, factors such as claims history, credit (where allowed), annual mileage, and coverage choices have a greater impact on premiums than gender. This is because the gender driving risk gap becomes much less significant over time.