New research has found women in their fifties who incur penalty points on their licences face higher car insurance premiums than men in the same situation.

According to Confused.com, a 55-year-old woman from Bristol driving a 3.0 BMW X5 would see the cost of her cover rise by 81 per cent while a man with the same credentials would see the cost of cover rise by 49 per cent.

In addition, the study found young people face significant increases in car insurance cover costs should they be convicted of a driving offence.

A 21-year-old woman driving a 1.3 Ford Fiesta given six penalty points would face a price rise of £895 while a nine-point punishment would mean an increase of 210 per cent, or £2,048.

Carlton Hood, chief executive officer of the website, claims motorists should drive carefully to avoid being penalised by authorities.

"Saving two minutes on your journey time by skipping a red light or driving over the speed limit not only endangers yourself and others around you, but you are risking a large fine, a tarnished licence and potentially higher insurance premiums," he said.

Harriet Harman recently introduced measures to stop insurance companies discriminating against people because of their age.

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