Vehicle Myths That Refuse to Die

Some beliefs about cars and insurance have been repeated so long they feel like facts. Here is what actually holds up, and what the real version of each one is.

"Red cars cost more to insure"

Color is not one of the vehicle characteristics insurers rate on. What people are really noticing is that certain body styles and performance models are ordered in bright colors more often, and those vehicles do rate differently — for reasons of repair cost, performance and claim history rather than paint. The correlation is real; the cause is not the color.

Paint does affect one thing: what a repair costs. Multi-stage, pearl and matte finishes are more work to blend correctly, and that shows up on an estimate rather than on your application.

"Two doors cost more than four"

Not because of the door count. Coupes and sedans of the same model often differ in engine, weight and who buys them, and those differences show up in loss experience. The doors are a marker, not a mechanism.

"A sunroof raises my rate"

It is glass, and glass is a comprehensive exposure, so it is not nothing. But it is a small factor sitting inside a much larger picture of repair cost and vehicle claim history.

"Manual transmissions are cheaper because fewer people can steal them"

An entertaining idea with very little to do with how vehicles are actually rated. Transmission type is not the driver of the price; the vehicle's overall loss experience is.

"Small car equals cheap insurance"

Partly true and often misleading. A smaller, less valuable car generally costs less to repair or replace, which helps on the comprehensive and collision side. It does not automatically reduce liability, which is priced on the harm you might cause to others rather than on your own car's value. And a small car with scarce parts or a strong theft market can be awkward in ways its price tag does not suggest.

"Older cars are always cheaper to insure"

Frequently true on physical damage, because the car is worth less. Not always true overall: older vehicles can lack modern safety systems, and some are easier to steal. Age helps, it does not decide.

What actually moves the vehicle side

Repair cost, replacement cost, how the vehicle protects people in a crash, theft exposure and the claim history attached to that exact trim. Everything on the myth list is either downstream of those or unrelated.

Quote the actual car. It settles all of this in about two minutes.