While some men may brag about being better drivers, women are officially superior behind the wheel, a new study has found.

Confused.com research analysing everything from insurance claims to court proceedings for speeding suggests that female drivers are less likely to make a claim and also less likely to commit an offence.

And on average, men have paid £3,327 more for their car insurance over the past decade, the report says.

While the gap has narrowed following an EU gender directive banning insurers from rating on a driver's sex in 2012, there is still a difference - with the current average premium for women standing at £701 a year, with men paying around £793.

Official figures show that 585,000 drivers in England were taken to court last year for motoring offences - with just under 80% of those being men.


Image: Male drivers are more likely to have an accident

Male drivers also seem to have more accidents than women - costing insurers more money when it comes to claims pay-outs - the research found.

Last year, two out of three insurance claims were made by men, of which 17% were fault claims.

The report also found that men's claims are generally more expensive than women's, which could be down to the fact that they often own more expensive cars - with an average of £8,654 for men compared to £7,090 for women.

The study suggests that men are more likely to have bad driving habits - with 23% of male motorists admitting to not indicating when switching lanes compared to 17% of women.

"As a female racing driver, I know women can hold their own when it comes to driving, and data suggests that they are in fact safer on the roads," said Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com.

"This is reflected in the fact that they are paying almost £100 less for their premiums.

"It could also be down to the fact that more men committed more motoring offences in comparison to women."

However, while the research shows women may be better drivers, this could be down to the fact that they had more practice, as it took them longer to receive their licence.

More women took their driving test than men last year, but fewer passed.