Peter Wood and HBOS launch ‘Sheilas’ Wheels’ brand to shake-up car insurance for women

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A new car insurance brand for women named Sheilas’ Wheels, a division of esure.com, will be launched to the public on 8th October by Peter Wood and HBOS.

Based on an independent survey of potential savings, over half of women who save with Sheilas’ Wheels will save an average of £203¹. In addition, customers will be offered breakdown cover at the cheapest price in the direct insurance market – in many cases around half the price charged by major competitors.

The Sheilas' Wheels product will include a number of unique benefits designed for the female driver such as £300 handbag and contents cover² if your bag is stolen from your car, a 24 hour counselling line for drivers suffering trauma on the road and a network of repairers trained to follow a female-friendly code of practice.

By focusing on women, the brand will reflect the relative safety of female drivers (when compared with their male counterparts) through attractive premiums. It will also be provide much-needed competition to the rapidly growing market of women buying insurance.

Promotion of the brand will use Australian role-reversal themes where power – in the shape of lower premiums – shifts to the sassy ‘Sheilas’ sparking insurance-envy in a range of ‘Bruces’ who are left wishing, ruefully, that they were women.

A Sheilas’ Wheels singing trio – who front the adverts – will be the stars of a multi-million pound advertising campaign to launch nationwide on 8 October 2005.

Peter Wood, Chairman and Marketing Director of Sheilas’ Wheels said:
“This is a market that is growing rapidly and ripe for a major shake-up. Prices are not what they should be for women given their proven superiority in terms of safety and responsibility behind the wheel. Also, many female car insurance brands offer little extra beyond a name and image. Sheilas' Wheels will offer enhanced product benefits and excellent prices to match.”

1: Using research carried out by ISL, an Experian company, among more than 1,300 risks in August 2005
2: Terms & conditions apply

Sheilas’ Wheels Fast Facts:

Sheilas’ Wheels is a car insurance brand developed by women for women.

Sheilas’ Wheels rates reflect the fact that women drive both better and more safely. Based on an independent survey of potential savings, over half (55%) of women who save with Sheilas’ Wheels will save an average of £203¹.

Sheilas’ Wheels offers its customers breakdown cover rates starting at £21 per annum – the cheapest in the direct insurance market.

Sheilas’ Wheels provides product features specially designed for women - handbag and contents cover of £300², a 24 hour confidential counselling line for policyholders and a network of repairers trained to follow a female-friendly code of practice.

Sheilas’ Wheels also offers customers the opportunity to build up to 75% no claims discount.

The Sheilas’ Wheels product will be available to women drivers in mainland England, Scotland and Wales.

Sheilas’ Wheels is a division of esure.com, the UK’s fastest growing car insurer ever.

Peter Wood (esure’s Chairman) is also Chairman of Sheilas’ Wheels. However a female senior management team has been put together to launch the product led by Jacky Brown.

The name of the company is designed to invert the derogatory tone of the Australian expression. The ‘Sheilas’ that the product appeals to are smart, sassy and deserve a better deal being proven safer drivers.

45% of all UK drivers are women³, which represents around 14.4m drivers and the female insurance market is growing. In the last decade alone, the percentage of motor insurance policies bought by women has increased by a third⁴.

Women are a good insurance risk. Men are responsible for 97% of all dangerous driving convictions, 94% of all car accidents involving death or bodily harm, 89% of all drink and drug driving convictions, 85% of all careless driving convictions and 83% of all speeding convictions
. Consequently women’s claims are on average less costly than those for men.

The TV advertising campaign comprises three executions which feature a trio of singing ‘Sheilas’ (glamourous and empowered because they get a better deal on their car insurance for being women) and typical ‘Aussie blokes’ aspiring to be more like women to benefit from these better deals.

Chris Wilkins and Siân Vickers, the team behind esure’s Mister Mouse, created the ads which were made by The Pink Film Company and directed by Graham Rose, the creator of the Hamlet ‘photo booth’ ads.

1 Using research carried out by ISL, an Experian company, among more than 1,300 risks in August 2005

2 Terms and conditions apply

3 DTi figures (Daily Telegraph – 25.07.05)

4 NOP FRS Survey 2005

5 Home Office 2003 (latest figures available)

Sheilas’ Wheels Cover vs the Competitors

Sheilas’ Wheels Cover vs the Competitors	Sheilas’ Wheels	Direct Line	NU Direct	Churchill	More Th>n	Diamond	Tesco	AA
Handbag cover at £300 (additional to £200 personal belongings cover)	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Good practice guide for repairers designed to meet the needs of female drivers	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Free Counselling Service	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Basic breakdown cover for a three year old car	£21	£43	£43	£36	£28	£70	£39	£40
Top level of no claims discount	75%	70%	70%	65%	65%	~60%	70%	70%
Free Courtesy car if using an approved repairer	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
5 yr guarantee on repair & parts if using an approved repairer	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Excess charged for windscreen repair	Nil	Nil	Nil	£60	Nil	Nil	£75	Variable
Flexibility to extend personal belongings cover	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Flexibility to extend medical expenses cover limit	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Flexibility to extend personal accident cover limit	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Flexibility to extend audio equipment cover limit	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No

All quoted with lowest level of breakdown available

Prices correct as at 19.09.05

Sheilas’ Wheels – Price Comparisons

		Sheilas’ Wheels	Direct Line	AA	Diamond	More Th>n
25 year old female living in Wolverhampton driving a Vauxhall Zafira with five years no claims discount. Insured only driving with fully comprehensive cover and £150 excess	Premium	£463.42	£504.00	£601.28	£688.80	£1,052.80
	With Breakdown	£484.42	£544.95	£641.28	£763.80	£1,077.80
35 year old female living in Manchester driving a BMW Z3 convertible with two years no claim discount. Insured and spouse driving with fully comprehensive cover and £350 excess	Premium	£621.60	£1,073.10	£964.07	£750.75	£1,024.03
	With Breakdown	£642.60	£1,103.55	£1,004.07	£825.75	£1,049.14
45 year old female living in London driving a Renault Clio with six years no claims discount. Insured and male named driver with fully comprehensive cover and £100 excess	Premium	£232.96	£294.00	£342.61	£341.25	£575.25
	With Breakdown	£253.96	£330.75	£382.61	£416.25	£623.54
55 year old female living in Glasgow driving a VW Passat saloon with five years no claims discount. Insured only driving with fully comprehensive cover and £150 excess	Premium	£218.22	£299.25	£289.72	£296.10	£449.46
	With Breakdown	£239.22	£334.95	£329.72	£371.10	£476.03

All quoted with lowest level of breakdown available
Prices correct as at 19.09.05

Press contacts:
Asia Manzoor, Communications Officer: 01737 641305
Niki Bolton, Public Relations Manager: 01737 235070

Customer contact number: 0800 085 6919