The WRC found that an underwriting company’s higher car insurance quote for an EU driving licence was not well founded as a race discrimination complaint. In a decision dated 13 July 2016, it accepted the company’s justification for the price difference.
The complainant said she received a quote of €601 with an EU licence, compared with €510.08 when she entered an Irish and UK licence. She said the other details in her application were unchanged and argued that the difference indirectly discriminated on the ground of race.
The company said its pricing reflected the risk associated with EU licence holders, citing higher claim frequency and costs. The WRC found that the difference was based on the licence risk profile rather than nationality, and that actuarial and statistical evidence objectively justified the prices. It rejected the complaint.