Do red cars have higher insurance rates?

To the amusement of insurance agents and traffic officers all over the country, many people are under the belief that driving a particular color of car makes them pay higher insurance rates or more likely to be stopped for minor infringements. They say that red cars are the most likely to be involved in accidents or get speeding tickets, and that insurance companies automatically increase the premiums for those cars.

In truth, the color of your car has nothing to do with how often you will be stopped by a police officer, and the insurance company isn't going to increase your rates if your car is red or black. The officer will stop you for speeding just as quickly in a yellow car as she will in a red one, with the fact that you were traveling over the speed limit being the important point, not the color of the vehicle. Blue and white vehicles are involved in accidents the same as red and black ones, and the safety factors of the car are built into the vehicle, not contained in the color of the paint.

On the other hand, if that red car is a sports car the rates may be higher. This has nothing to do with the color of the car, but is based on factors attributed to the make and model of the car itself. In general, a sports car is any car with only two doors, including two door luxury cars. Sedans are cars that have 4 passenger doors, even when the car is manufactured by a company such as BMW with a reputation for building high-performance sports cars.

Furthermore, many people who own red cars drive over the speed limit. If that person has a number of speeding tickets, their driving record and not the color of the car will cause the premiums to increase. The same is true for people who drive orange cars, purple cars and two-tone vehicles. If you do not obey the rules of the road, your insurance will cost more no matter what color vehicle you drive.