Men in Bolton are paying a quarter more for car insurance than the borough's women.

Research by MoneySuperMarket found that men are paying an average of £153.75 more than the women in the area.

Although insurance providers cannot by law discriminate against drivers based on their gender, other factors such as occupation can have a big impact on your premiums.

The data shows that men are 84 per cent more likely than women to work in a job that contributes to a premium of over £500.

Professional footballers have one of the highest premium averages at £2,166 a year, with a whopping 96 per cent of inquiries listing this occupation coming from men.

Guys are also more than five times more likely to own a car that costs over £1,000 to insure, and women are statistically more likely to own a model that's cheaper to insure.

Dave Merrick, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “No matter your personal circumstances, there are a number of things you can do that may help to reduce the cost of your insurance.

"For example, parking your car in a secure location, fitting an alarm and reducing your mileage are all ways to bring costs down.

“Shopping around for a better deal can also save you up to £270. It’s vital to ensure your policy doesn’t auto-renew as this can sometimes lead to an increase in your premium.

"More than 14 million motorists still allow their policy to auto-renew every year, meaning that in total £565 million more is being spent on car insurance than is needed.”

For more information on the data and which factors could influence your premiums, visit moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/why-do-women-pay-less/.