Sheilas' Wheels

Sheilas' Wheels is a car insurance brand based in the United Kingdom that was initially targeted exclusively towards women, after research showed that female drivers were generally more cautious, made fewer claims and had different requirements to men. This changed in March 2011 however, as a consequence of the EU Gender Directive, which stated that "insurers in Europe will have to charge the same prices to women and men for the same insurance products without distinction on the grounds of sex", giving insurance companies until 20 December 2012 to eliminate any gender bias in their pricing.[1] The brand, named after the Australian slang term "sheila" for "woman", was launched in October 2005 by Peter Wood, and is part of Esure, the insurance group he founded with HBOS in February 2000.

The brand has achieved fame through its advertising featuring three women clad in pink sequinned dresses who sing a variety of jingles promoting Sheilas' Wheels (e.g. "For bonzer car insurance deals, girls get onto Sheilas' Wheels"), often from the seats of a bubblegum pink convertible – sometimes referred to as "The Sheilamobile".

  1. ^ "EU rules on gender-neutral pricing in insurance industry enter into force". 20 December 2012.