Does the Color of My Car Change My Insurance?

WV & OH ONLY

"I want a red car, but my uncle says red cars cost more to insure. Does the color of my car change my insurance in West Virginia or Ohio?"

I love this question. It's been going around for as long as I can remember.

No, I've found no evidence that factory paint color is used to price car insurance, and I've never asked anyone what color their car is in order to quote it. Red doesn't cost more. Custom paint is a different story, because a paint job worth real money is a question of value and what the policy will pay for.

Most of what sets your price isn't this easy to explain, and I'd change that if I could. Every client deserves the best rate we can find.

The color won't change your price, but the version of the car will, and that's what's worth comparing. Tell us which one you're looking at and we'll check it with 13 companies.

Here's my angle: I'd like your business. Buy the red one if you like red. Then call me about the things that really do move the price.

WV & OH ONLY

I don't know, and I haven't found anyone who can document it. It's the kind of thing that gets passed around because it feels true. A red sports car and a speeding ticket make a good story. But if a red sports car costs a lot to insure, the words doing the damage are "sports car."

I can't read every company's rate plan, so I won't tell you nobody on earth has ever used it. Here's what I can point you to:

The VIN doesn't carry color. Federal law spells out what a VIN has to describe. Make, line, series, body type, engine, restraints, model year and plant are in there. Paint isn't mentioned anywhere in the rule.

The national claims data isn't sorted by it. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute publish insurance losses by make and model. Results are adjusted for things like driver age, state, deductible and vehicle density. Color isn't on that list.

One state wrote its list down. California limits by regulation what companies can use to price auto insurance. Its list of rating factors includes vehicle characteristics, which it describes as engine size, safety and protective devices, damageability, repairability and theft deterrent devices. Color isn't among them. That's California's rule and doesn't apply here, but it shows what regulators and companies consider relevant to a car's risk.

Because there's usually no box for it. Think about what it takes to quote a car: the VIN, who drives it, where it sleeps. In the list of things West Virginia's Insurance Commissioner tells shoppers to give an agent, color isn't one of them.

That's where color can matter, and it has nothing to do with being red.

A factory color came with the car. A custom paint job, a wrap, pinstriping or a mural down the side of a show truck is something you added, and it can be worth thousands. West Virginia's commissioner lists "car modifications" among the things that affect premiums, in that same report.

If you've put real money into paint, tell your agent before you need to. If a claim comes up, you want the company to already know the paint is there and what it's worth. Keep receipts and photos.

Don't assume it is. Policies handle added equipment and custom work differently, and it depends on the company and the policy you have. Ask, and get the answer before the deer finds you.

Things that affect what it costs to fix, how often it gets hit, and how hard it is to replace:

• The model and trim
• The engine
• The safety equipment and the sensors that come with it
• How the car's drivers have done in claims, nationwide
• Who's driving it and where it's parked

Which brings me back to your uncle. He may be thinking of something real. He's just got the wrong part of the car.

Tell me which car you're thinking about, in whatever color you like, and I'll find out what it costs to insure.

WV & OH ONLY

Next in the series: Part 19, Why Does Car Insurance Need to Know Who Lives With Me?