Car insurance quotes have fallen to their cheapest levels in more than a year - but the drop masks some hikes for women following new European "gender neutral" rules, an insurer said today.

The typical annual comprehensive car insurance policy for a driver who shops around fell to £789 in January, marking a 2.9% decrease on October and the lowest average since October 2011, AA Insurance's latest index found.

However, the typical quote for a woman aged between 17 and 22 increased by 4.7% to £1,464 while the quote for a young man in the same age group dropped by 1.9%, to £1,858.

Young women drivers have been among the worst affected by a directive which came into force from December 21 last year which bans insurers from taking someone's gender into account when calculating how much money they should pay and what benefits they should receive.

The rules apply not only to car insurance but also other products such as life insurance and retirement products such as annuities.

Young women have traditionally been offered cheaper car insurance than men of a similar age as their accident rates tend to be much lower.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said that he expects insurers to make further adjustments over the coming weeks as they balance out their businesses to take account of the new rules.

He said: "The gender directive doesn't mean that young male drivers are any less likely to suffer collisions.

"Young men represent just 8% of all drivers, yet still account for 23% of all those killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads.

"Pitching premiums too low could attract too many young male drivers. Those with premiums that are too high won't be doing any business."

Insurers can still take into account factors such as someone's employment or their type of car, but each insurer will make their own interpretation of this, which could result in surprises for some people, the study said.

The "shop around" index takes an average of the five cheapest premiums on the market.

It also found that Scotland continues to be the cheapest region to insure a car, with an average premium of £580, while the North West is the most costly region at £1,165.