Car myths debunked

There are so many old wives tales surrounding cars so knowing fact from fiction is important. Here at Hitachi Finance, we are debunking some of the top myths so you will know once and for all.

“Red cars cost more to insure”

This one of the most common misconceptions – colour does not affect the cost of your premium. The price of your insurance is based on your driving history and what type car you own. However, black cars are more prone to be involved in night time crashes than any other colour.

“Taking out car finance will damage your credit rating”

Purchasing your car on finance could actually have a positive impact on your credit rating – providing you keep up to date with all payments as per your agreement. Like any other form of credit, sticking to your payments will show future lenders that you are low risk and a safe customer to lend to.

“You can’t drive late at night with a black box”

Some young and new drivers who are required to have a black box installed as part of their policy are under the assumption that they cannot take their car out at night and are under curfew. This is partially correct as some policies may exclude night time driving but there are many other policies that do not have such restrictions, so be sure you check the specifics.

“No flash, No fine”

This is totally untrue. Many drivers believe that if they do not get flashed when speeding through a speed camera then they have got away with it. Many cameras these days use infrared technology combined with multiple cameras to gauge your speed so you may actually have a fine land through your letter box if you don’t stick to the limit. Remember – speed limits are set for a reason.

“It’s illegal to drive in flip flops or barefoot”

False – It is not illegal to do either of these however the DVSA advise that “suitable shoes are particularly important behind the wheel. We would not recommend driving barefoot because you don’t have the same braking force with bare feet as you do with shoes on.” Flip flops may slip off and get stuck under your pedals and bare foot may not be as comfortable as you first thought so your concentration is taken away from the road.

“Used cars are less reliable than new ones”

If a car has been looked after and is “healthy” then there is no reason why it should not be as reliable. New cars are just as likely to break down if they are not looked after so it is more about ownership than age.

If you have any more car myths you would like us to debunk then leave a comment on our Facebook page or sent a tweet to @Hitachi_Finance using #HPFCarMyths