CoverGirl Car Insurance Services customers feel inequality

Double standards in UK garages

Although women may get a better deal when it comes to cheap car insurance, new studies by What Car? magazine have shown that women tend to get a rough deal when they go to buy their new car alone.

Mystery shoppers were used to uncover the different attitudes towards men and women when they are making this important purchase. The study showed that women were asked to pay an average of £500 more than men, leading to the opinion that sexism is still rife in some male dominated parts of society. The study was carried out in 45 dealerships around the UK so the findings we based on a wide cross-section of car showrooms.

Women make 80% of the decisions when it comes to buying a car so dealerships can’t afford to treat them any differently from men.  All customers should receive respect and fair prices no matter what their gender.

A customer survey carried out by CoverGirl Car Insurance Services shows that many women feel under pressure when they enter the male dominated motoring world. This can include going to the garage for an MOT or buying a car from a second hand car dealership.

70% of the women who took part in the survey also stated that they felt they were not taken seriously and that they didn't always trust the advice they were given or prices quoted. It seems that women’s intuition is more reliable than imagined!

So, how can you avoid being taken for a ride? Corrine Aldous from CoverGirl, the women's car insurance specialists, offers these tips to female motorists:

• Research: find out how much a car costs and also find out about any deals available. If you’re one step ahead of the salesman you can call his bluff.

• Limit yourself: set a limit of how much you’re prepared to spend, like you might on any other shopping trip.

• Moral support: take along a male friend or your partner. The study showed that taking a bloke improves the customer service you receive, sad as it may seem.

• Shop around: go to a number of dealers and check out prices on the internet.

• Sales target awareness: car dealerships have targets to be met at the end of each month; you may be able to get the car at an extremely low price.