Top Dropping Women Triple in a Decade

CARDIFF, Wales - June 27, 2007: With the UK's lack of year round warmth you'd think that convertibles wouldn't be the most practical choice of car, however that isn't the case. In the past 10 years, the number on our roads has exploded, and it's women leading the charge.

Women's car insurance specialist Diamond looked at the cars driven by over a million motorists and discovered that the number of convertible cars driven by women across Britain over the past decade has trebled. This huge jump in the popularity of convertibles now sees the South East having the highest concentration and Scotland the lowest.

Looking back over the years, the Mazda MX-5 led the way as the most popular choice from 1999 but had its convertible crown taken away in 2005 by the Peugeot 206cc which has ruled the roost ever since.

Diamond managing director, Sian Lewis, commented, "The 206cc was the car that started the craze for affordable folding hard top roofs, and its popularity has no doubt had an effect on the increase we've seen. Many manufacturers have followed with their versions which has also buoyed the market."

She continued, "Now the battle seems to be which car has the fastest automatic folding roof and on that measure, the new MX-5 Roadster's 12 seconds wipes the floor with the 206cc's 20 seconds. In fact, the 206's replacement, the 207cc manages only a leisurely 25 seconds."

It seems though that having the wind in your hair might not be such a great thing for your driving however, as convertible drivers are more likely to have both a claim and a conviction than non-convertible drivers.

The cost of insuring the most popular vehicles is:

    
                               Diamond               Sheilas' Wheels

    Peugeot 206cc              GBP195.30             GBP276.32
    Mazda MX5                  GBP198.45             GBP288.39

Prices quoted correct at 20 June 2007 and are for a 28 year old optician living in Oxford.

Roof timing figures obtained from manufacturer specifications.

Diamond launched in 1997, when it was clear that there was a place for a woman only car insurance specialist, and has led the way for similar companies to follow. Diamond has been able to offer women cheaper car insurance for 10 years because on the whole women's car insurance claims, cost less than men's. We understand what women motorists want from their insurance, and meet their needs by offering great service and a great price. We do not refuse to give insurance quotes to men and are more than happy to provide a quote if requested.

Diamond spearheaded the campaign against gender equalisation. The EU wanted to remove the use of gender when calculating car insurance costs, and Diamond campaigned solidly for months, providing a House of Lords enquiry evidence to support our claims that, women were safer drivers and should pay less.

(6) Diamond's sales line is 0800-36-24-36. Its website address is diamond.co.uk.