By: Brett Shainfeld
Everyone’s heard the urban legends: take home a shiny red sports car, and you can expect to see flashing blue lights behind you much more often. But while you are likely to pay a higher insurance premium, you might not be as likely to get a ticket as you think.
Below, we’re detailing which cars are more likely to get pulled over, and which paint colors take home the most tickets.
Top Ticketed Cars by Make and Model
The type of car you drive does seem to have an impact on how frequently you may be pulled over. Several studies over the years have given the top spot to different makes and models, including the Lexus ES 300, Subaru WRX, and Mercedes-Benz SL-Class.
But one common factor that dominates these lists is the segment these cars belong to — sedans and coupes are more likely to get ticketed than SUVs, trucks, and minivans. This could be because those larger vehicles are more often family cars and drivers with children in the backseat typically alter their driving habits to be much more cautious.
The types of cars most often ticketed from recent model years are:
1. Lexus ES 300
2. Nissan 350Z
3. Dodge Charger SE/SXT
4. Volkswagen Jetta GL
5. Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS/LT
Other cars in the top 10 included the Mazda 3s, Volkswagen GTI, and, surprisingly, Toyota Tacoma.
What Color Car Is Most Likely To Get Pulled Over?
There have been a number of studies that try to determine whether or not red cars actually do get more tickets than their less flashy counterparts. Most people are of the opinion that a red car makes you a moving target for patrol cars — along with other bright colors like yellow. However, this may not entirely be the case. Or at least, not the whole story.
The most common cause for being pulled over is speeding, and when you think of the cars that are more likely to go over the speed limit, what comes to mind? Small, probably foreign, sports cars which are also more likely to be purchased in bright colors than your typical sedan or SUV.
While that does help to push red cars into the top five colors more likely to be pulled over, you may be surprised at the other four.
The top five car colors taking home the most citations are:
1. White
2. Red
3. Grey
4. Silver
5. Black
Will You Get Pulled Over More Often?
Of course, if you happen to drive a white or red Subaru WRX or Lexus, that doesn’t mean you need to be on the lookout for cops everywhere you go. They won’t pull you over if you’re obeying traffic laws! However, if you’re thinking of buying a new car soon — particularly one that’s similar to the five above — and hoping to fly under the radar, you may want to keep these studies in mind and maybe take it easy on the gas pedal.