Do you think that getting cheap car insurance depends upon choosing a car of the right color?  Many people believe that the amount of their car insurance quote is largely affected by the color of their car.  But, the reality is that your car color is not considered when determining your rates.  Rather, the make of your vehicle, the age of your vehicle, your insurance record, your driving record and your geographic location are all taken into consideration when determining rates.

Where Does the Myth Come From?

Despite the fact that getting a certain car color will not help you get cheap car insurance or cause you to have to pay expensive car insurance, the myth that car color determines rates continues to persist.  Some people believe, however, that red cars tend to get more speeding tickets because they are more noticeable than cars of other colors and because the color is associated with going fast.  In fact, according to CAA Magazine, which is a publication from the Canadian Automobile Association, having a red car indicates that the driver has a “need for speed.”  Nonetheless, insurance companies and police offers both deny a link between car color and insurance rates or between car color and tickets.

Dispelling the Myth

The reality is that, unless you tell your insurance company the color of your car, the company actually does not know its color.  Many people mistakenly believe that the car insurance company can sneakily determine a car color with the numbers within a car’s VIN, but this information actually is not included in the VIN.  So, even if car insurance companies did use car color to help determine their rates, they wouldn’t be able to do it unless you provide them with the information. 

If you want to avoid getting a ticket and seeing your car insurance rates go up, all you really need to do is obey traffic laws.  Whether you are in a red car, a green car or a bright orange car, you are not any more likely to get pulled over than the next guy - assuming you are watching your speed limit and not blowing past any stop lights or signs.  So, if you are looking for cheap car insurance rates, be a responsible driver and put more thought into the make and model of the car you purchase rather than worrying about its color.