UK comprehensive car insurance policy prices fell 12.5% to average £644 ($1216) last year, but the pace of decline slowed in the fourth quarter, according to a pricing index.

New policy premiums paid by men aged 17-20 fell 24%, making them the biggest winners from a European ruling requiring gender-neutral pricing.

Women benefitted from a generally weaker market, with comprehensive cover dropping 14% for those aged 21-25 and 12% for those aged 17-20, according to the Confused.com car insurance pricing index, produced with Towers Watson.

Across the UK, the average cost of new comprehensive policies fell 1.1% between October and December.

Premiums for men increased an average of 0.9% in the final three months – the first quarterly increase for two years.

The cost of third-party, fire and theft cover fell 7.5% last year, the pricing index shows.

A premium tracker launched by the Association of British Insurers last month shows the average cost of motor cover has declined in the past eight quarters.

The average premium during each quarter last year was about 9% cheaper than the corresponding period in 2012, the tracker shows. The figure dropped from £415 ($783) in the first quarter of 2012 to £370 ($698) in the three months to last December.