Do certain colour combos attract a premium?

[Immortality]

It seems that Youi did cost premiums based upon colour - https://www.smh.com.au/business/ban...-billing-without-consent-20160818-gqvrmi.html

I don't think they would my first, 2nd or 3rd port of call when looking for insurance....

As per your linked article, they got done in court here for illegal practices.

 

[Forg]

It is actually true that red wave length travels the fastest in the light spectrum , so you will see a red car quicker than a blue one the slowest in the spectrum ,

Actually it depends on the direction the car is painted; if you apply the red the wrong way then the extra fastness can be pulling against the direction you want to accelerate in. Although such a car would brake really well.
And if you painted vertically the wrong way, that car would be prone to lifting off the road & hence flipping at speed!!

The fastest possible paint-job would be red, painted the right way, with red racing-stripes also painted the right way over the top.
With a P-plate.
And it would be a rental.

 

[UTE042_NZ]

I've never paid more or less due to car colour.
I've seen people claim this before, maybe it's just not relevant in Australia?

Hehee, sorry dude but it's true that at least some insurers do. So you might have paid more or less due to vehicle colour without realising it. It's not like they would voluntarily tell you, is it?

I first noticed it while using online calculators to compare quotes between a black Ford Ranger and a white Magnum when I inadvertently got the colours wrong way around on one site and then corrected them.

*edit* Uncle Google found this nugget...

In 2007, the Accident Research Centre at Monash University in Australia published its investigation into the relationship between vehicle colour and crash risk. This study was based on the review and analysis of real accident data from more than 850,000 crashes that either resulted in injury or the towing of a vehicle. These vehicles were classified into 17 colour categories. In conclusion, the authors found that:

"Results of the analysis identified a clear statistically significant relationship between vehicle colour and crash risk. Compared to white vehicles, a number of colours were associated with higher crash risk. These colours are generally those lower on the visibility index and include black, blue, grey, green, red and silver. No colour was statistically significantly safer than white although a number of other colours could not be distinguished from white statistically in terms of relative crash risk. The association between vehicle colour and crash risk was strongest during daylight hours where relative crash risks were higher for the colours listed compared to white by up to around 10 per cent."

 

[tml678]

It seems that Youi did cost premiums based upon colour - https://www.smh.com.au/business/ban...-billing-without-consent-20160818-gqvrmi.html

Putrid..Yet another reason to avoid 'budget' insurers like this. I've been with NRMA for over 20 years and currently have 9 policies. Can't fault them.

 

[blackve76]

Putrid..Yet another reason to avoid 'budget' insurers like this. I've been with NRMA for over 20 years and currently have 9 policies. Can't fault them.

It's funny but a white car needing no clear coat paint is going to be a lot cheaper to paint than a metallic requiring clear coat so in some ways it makes sense. Can't remember but there was one Holden colour that cost heaps more years ago

 

[Forg]

Hehee, sorry dude but it's true that at least some insurers do. So you might have paid more or less due to vehicle colour without realising it. It's not like they would voluntarily tell you, is it?

I don't think I've ever been asked the colour before getting a quote.
They can't increase the premium after you've accepted the quote in case you've got a black car, but they're also not going to reduce the premium if it turns out to be white …

I suspect maybe I've just not seen it because I avoid insurance mobs like Youi & Budget Direct that have a reputation for being a nightmare if you ever have to claim.

Can't remember but there was one Holden colour that cost heaps more years ago

Apparently that stunning Soul Red that's available on most Mazda models these days is shockingly expensive to paint. They achieve that incredible colour depth by having actual depth of colours; you need 5 different colours layered one-over-the-next to get the finish to match the Mazda one, admittedly one of which may be the black undercoat.

 

[tml678]

Apparently that stunning Soul Red that's available on most Mazda models these days is shockingly expensive to paint. They achieve that incredible colour depth

Ironic you say that Forg, because Mazda isn't known for their paint depth, rather how thin it is..!

Have a google of 'thin Mazda paint'..

 

[Skylarking]

Yes most paints seem thin and cheap, metallics included with only a few models having what seems like decent paint.

Ford also had a special paint on their (orange) FWD focus RS which had a real depth to it much like the Mazda mentioned above. Insurance companies knew of this Ford paint option and specifically asked as part of the insurance quote process, pricing accordingly. From memory it didn’t make a huge difference to premiums (< $200).

In fact, in almost all quotes I got for the MSE a while ago, they all asked about factory options and they were rather simple to select out of the provided list. From memory, it didn’t make any difference to the price whether my MSE had solid or metallic paint. Maybe that’s more an achnowledgement that for the most part, the paint on most accessibly priced cars is not of the same quality and depth as the FWD RS or Mazda.

Never got quotes for $400k priced supercars so they may be a difference beast entirely to insure.

 

[Forg]

Ironic you say that Forg, because Mazda isn't known for their paint depth, rather how thin it is..!

Have a google of 'thin Mazda paint'..

I would incredibly supershocked if any car has thinner paint than the VF … mostly because I can't imagine it to be possible! I've never previously had a car on which you can get a scratch in the paint & not be able to feel it with a fingertip or by lightly running a fingernail over it; because the paint is so thin that the scratch has near zero depth.

 

[Holden17]

I’ve read on here a number of times the complaints about VF paint, but I honestly can’t fault it with our two VF2s...phantom & LMF. Have had VT, VT2, VX, VY, VZ, VE, VE2 and haven’t noticed any differences...actually I’ve always been impressed with the quality compared to what I’ve seen on imported (not talking about models above say $50k)....and yes, a relative’s Mazda 3 flakes paint off like you wouldn’t believe...which really annoys the owner because he does look after his cars, as I do.