What does the colour of your car say about you? We work with colour a lot – most accident damage involves some form of denting, scratching or chipping of your car’s paintwork, and we do a lot of custom paint jobs too. We all know that practically speaking, the colour makes no difference at all – it’s not going to help in an accident, save you money on fuel or make you go faster! But we also know that cars are more than just machines, and they mean more to us than just transport, so your choice of colour probably says more about you than you realise.

Did you know that people with red cars pay more for car insurance, for example? A red car is an attention-grabbing car, and a person who buys one is more likely to be all the things we associate with the colour itself: passionate, wild, daring and a little bit reckless. This is why ‘racing red’ is such a big part of Ferrari’s branding – and also why you don’t see too many Ferraris aimed at the suburban family market! Statistically these drivers have a greater chance of being involved in an accident, so they’re up for a little bit more on their premium.

Psychologically, car colour says something about the way we like to be perceived. Some common examples:

Black : serious, mysterious and a little bit aloof. Think Men in Black or the Batmobile.

White: wholesome, clean and generous. Greased Lightning or the Popemobile

Blue:  calm and in control. Police cars.

Silver: slick, space-age and wealthy. The Delorien and James Bond*

Yellow: fun, cheeky and little bit glamourous. Bumblebee from Transformers.

*yes we know, he has one in every colour

But it’s not just about perception – your car colour can have a serious impact on the value of your car! A conservative colour choice statistically has a much greater resale value for most cars, particularly in the current economic climate where ‘safe’ is a much more desirable option than ‘reckless’ for most people. And it’s the same at the opposite end of the market – a Ferrari that’s not red will sell for thousands less than its rosy counterpart. It’s a good thing to keep in mind before you disco-pimp your family sedan – there’s a reason the Scooby Doo kids are still driving that psychedelic van after 45 years.

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