Someone somewhere at some point started a rumor that having a red car means you’ll get more speeding tickets and have higher insurance rates. The reason I’ve heard more often is because red stands out more from other cars and therefore the police officer’s eye sees the red car and pulls it over even though others say the cars Black people driving near the red car are also speeding. This reasoning seems somewhat logical, but what about auto insurance rates? Does having a certain color of car affect your prices?
Perhaps the main reason for the continued presence of this supposed myth is the psychology behind how a certain person chooses the color of their car. Studies on this topic have determined the theory that people who buy a red vehicle either like to drive fast or feel they need to speed up in everything in life. That statistic provides a direct correlation between the “more speeding tickets” part of the myth, so maybe there really is something to this.
Not to spoil the article, but the short answer to ‘Does the color of your car affect your auto insurance rates?’ is no, it doesn’t. The only time this may be possible is if the insurance agent who sees your car when pulling into your parking lot or taking pictures of your vehicle for their records doesn’t like the color of your car and personally removes it from your policy. . If you feel this is being done, it’s probably best to leave that company anyway, but that’s another story.
It has sometimes been suggested that the Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, has a certain code to notify the color of the car, but this is not the case. The VIN does not store details about the color of the car in its code.
However, auto insurance companies look at several other factors such as the year, make and model, your engine size, and also your previous driving history and where you live. Where you live is generally determined by the zip code. So if your favorite color is candy apple red, go ahead and buy that car or paint your current car without worrying about getting pulled over or stolen with high insurance rates.
