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KEY POINTS
- The colour of your car can affect the cost of your car insurance premiums.
- White and lighter coloured cars are generally the cheapest to insure.
- Black and darker coloured vehicles can attract higher premiums, as they can be less visible to other drivers.
Many factors affect the cost of car insurance. When you apply for car insurance, a provider will ask you a range of questions to assess your risk of claiming on your policy. Your risk factor will then be used to calculate your premiums.
Your age, address and car usage are all details that will affect the cost of your insurance. However, the colour of your car can also be a factor. For as Canstar’s latest research reveals, certain car colours can cost around 7% more to insure than others.
Why does the colour of your car impact your car insurance?
Over the past 30 years, technological advancements have made cars much safer to drive. Features such as blind-spot detection, collision warning and lane assist can all help prevent road accidents.
However, one standard car feature has remained the same: the human behind the wheel. And out on the road, brighter cars are more visible to the human eye than darker vehicles, and therefore less likely to be involved in accidental collisions.
While there hasn’t been any recent scientific research into the risks associated with driving dark vehicles, a 2007 report from Monash University, based on 20 years of accident reports from Victoria and Western Australia, revealed an increased daytime crash risk of 10% for dark coloured cars over white ones.
It’s an increased crash risk that’s supported by Canstar’s latest research into the link between vehicle colour and the cost of car insurance premiums.
What is the most expensive car colour to insure?
For this story, Canstar’s expert research team obtained quotes from seven providers.
The figures below are based on a sample of comprehensive car insurance quotes across a range of customer profiles and addresses in NSW for a female driver of a 2019 Mazda 3 Neo Sport.
As you can see, the most expensive car colour to insure is black, with an average quote of $1366.
This compares to $1279, for a white model, which is the cheapest car colour to insure.
While there’s a 6.8% difference in premiums between white and black models, all darker shades are generally more expensive to insure than lighter models.
What other factors can impact the cost of car insurance?
While car colour can affect the cost of your car insurance, other factors can have a bigger influence. These include:
The age of listed drivers: older and younger drivers can cost more to insure.
Driving record and insurance history of driver: car insurance providers can penalise those with poor driving histories and drivers who have made recent car insurance claims.
Choice of insurance cover: comprehensive cover is more expensive than basic third-party insurance, and an agreed value policy is likely to cost more than one that only covers the market value of the vehicle.
Policy extras: optional policy extras, such as road-side breakdown cover and excess-free glass, will push up its price.
Where you live and park your car: more secure parking options and neighbourhoods with low crime rates can incur cheaper premiums.
Car insured: new, expensive fast cars will cost more to insure than older family runarounds, as will vehicles with flashy mods and customisations.
Payment options: it usually costs more to pay insurance premiums monthly, instead of annually.
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