Does Car Color Really Affect Insurance Rates?

As any former or current car owner would know, there's more to owning a car than buying it, getting the keys, and driving off. Not only are there copious routine maintenance and occasional major repair costs to account for, but there are preventative measures one has to take as well. After all, on the road, pretty much anything can happen, so it's important to have your vehicle insured should things go awry. Sadly, insurance typically isn't cheap and can become even more expensive based on factors the best and worst of the major insurance companies may consider important.

There are a few things that can influence insurance rates for a particular vehicle. Safety features included or excluded, the car's age, and the annual mileage driven can lead to higher rates. A common misconception among drivers is that the color of one's vehicle has a direct impact on insurance rates. In reality, there's no direct correlation between specific colors and higher or lower monthly premiums. Still, that's not to say that paint alone can't cause your rate to go up in a different way.

A stock car paint job doesn't factor into insurance rates. However, once we step into the world of custom paint jobs, we see a jump in insurance costs, and here's why.

The only way that a car's standard color could potentially impact insurance rates is due to car theft. It's more common for a car painted with a more popular, standard color to be stolen and resold, as those with more unique, flashy color schemes don't fetch as high a sum. In fact, paint is one of the reasons why some cars are more likely to be stolen. Thus, if an insurer takes this into account, you could end up with a higher or lower rate depending on the color of the vehicle under policy. More commonly, though, insurance is likely to increase thanks to a car's custom paint job.

While it's unlikely that a custom paint job will seem more desirable to thieves, the fact is that they do present unique scenarios for insurance companies to deal with. Aftermarket paintwork can get intricate and expensive, certainly more so than a stock paint job. As a result, some insurance providers offer special packages for customized vehicles. This work could add value to the car, which could cause insurance rates to climb. As cool as it might be to have a custom paint job, it doesn't come without risk and cost.

There are also a few physical factors that, unlike paint, do actively influence a car's insurance cost.

Paint may not influence insurance costs, but things like age and safety features certainly can. Driver information can also have a major impact on what that insurance costs ooks like every month. First and foremost are things like age and gender, as both can cause insurance companies to set higher or lower amounts. Younger and senior drivers tend to deal with higher bills, while those in middle age see a slightly decreased amount. Though women tend to get lower rates than men, states such as California, Michigan, and Hawaii don't allow insurance companies to make rate determinations using gender.

Insurance history is also a major factor. If you've filed numerous claims or allowed your insurance coverage to lapse for a time, you could be offered a higher rate. Whether you're married is something insurance providers consider, too, and if you and your partner are parents. It's not unheard of for folks in such positions to receive better rates than their single, childless counterparts. While not the be-all-end-all of insurance influencers, bad or good credit can also play a role in your rates, too.

Car insurance can get complicated and expensive, especially if you're looking to insure a classic car. At least in most cases, you don't need to stress about the myth that the color of your ride will drive up costs.