There are many legal and financial benefits to be married and it seems that car insurance is another example.

A new survey has found that when a man and wife are both sharing a car insurance policy it can have massive benefits for both of them.

So it seems that being footloose and fancy free might is all very well but it will cost you more on your car. Getting married on the other hand could lower your insurance premiums.

While single women between the ages of 21 to 25 saw premiums rise nearly 10% in the last quarter of 2012, with cover costing an average of £1,137, a quote for a married woman in the same age group fell 1.5%, to £1,009.

The ways that the car insurance companies calculate this are many fold but some believe it has to do with the fact that married couples might drive less (as they stay in more) and that they may be less likely to take risks than singles. Although it is hard to pinpoint why, statistics do show that married drivers have less accidents than those who are single. Of course it depends on the individual driving records. If you both have good records it may count doubly in your favour, but if one of you has points or a penalty, this could affect the insurance score of the other.

Recently new laws from the European Court of Justice have come into effect in the UK. The court ruled that it was no longer permissible to charge women less for their car insurance than men. Even though statistics had shown that women have fewer accidents than men, the court decreed that this was discriminatory. From December 21, 2012, companies could no longer offer women drivers a better deal and so premiums for female drivers have gone up as a result.

The biggest bracket to suffer was young women. Premiums for women aged 17 to 20 went up 17% to an average of £1,986, while men of the same age – seen as the highest risk group – saw costs fall 11%, though they still pay more than women with an average annual insurance of £2,960.

A spokesperson for Go Skippy Car Insurance said: “The EU gender directive has had significant changes on the car insurance industry but everyone has been prepared for this and acted accordingly.

“So it is no surprise that women will see a major change in their car insurance premiums. But they can minimise the effect of the changes by shopping around for the best possible car insurance quote. If you are married and both of you have a good driving record, consider sharing a vehicle with your partner to benefit from cheaper car insurance premiums.”

Further information (external website)