A local insurance agent says that a recent study claiming women in Alaska pay more for car insurance than men doesn’t reflect his experience.<\/p>\n
According to a news release from Quote Wizard, a Seattle-based online insurance site, women in Alaska pay $378 more<\/a> for auto coverage each year than similarly situated men — representing the most significant gender disparity in the nation.<\/p>\n The finding is based on “thousands of quotes for full-coverage car insurance in random zip codes across the country for drivers 18 and 35 years old with excellent credit and no accidents. The vehicle used for data is a 2012 Honda Accord LX with 16,000 miles in annual mileage,” the release reads.<\/p>\n Not so fast<\/strong><\/p>\n Local State Farm agent Rueben Willis said that those numbers do not reflect his experience.<\/p>\n “None of the data I have would reflect that,” he said in a Tuesday phone interview. “That’s not my experience over 30 years of doing this.”<\/p>\n He explained that when new drivers hit the road, females pay less than males until males marry or turn 30. He said that difference is driven by claims data, with males in that age group generally having more claims.<\/p>\n But, he said after that, the company does not offer a gender-based rating scheme.<\/p>\n “We don’t have a sex-based rate. There’s no difference between males and females. We just use tickets and accident history,” he said.<\/p>\n