Does debadging a car affect insurance?

Some vehicle owners like to modify their car to make it more unique. One common way drivers customize their ride is by removing some or all of the factory emblems and lettering that comes attached to the vehicle.

In a lot of cases, the insurance company will raise rates if the owner decides to make changes to their car. Keep reading below to find out if debadging your car will affect how much you pay for insurance.

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Vehicle Modifications and Car Insurance Rates

Before you choose to make any changes to your car, you should understand why it could affect insurance. When a vehicle has been modified for appearance and performance, it can cost more to replace or repair if it is damaged in an accident. For this reason, car insurance companies will typically require additional coverage for these types of customizations.

If you have made significant changes to your vehicle, you have or probably will see an increase once you report these to the insurance company. Failure to notify your insurance company of major modifications can be very expensive in the future.

If you do not report these changes, you will be responsible for the cost of repairing or replacing all aftermarket parts should you get into an accident.

In extreme cases, the insurance company may accuse you of material misrepresentation. Trying to hide the fact that you’ve made expensive upgrades on your car, could end up voiding your policy entirely. Then it’s likely that none of the repair costs will be covered.

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– Minor Modifications that Won’t Affect Rates

Now you must be wondering about minimal customizations such as debadging your vehicle. Do little changes need to be reported, and will they affect my rates? Your insurance company should not raise your rates for small things like taking the emblems off the car.

There is no need to report every little change you make to your car. The insurance company just needs to know about it if the modification involves performance enhancement (increase the risk of an accident), aesthetic changes that could increase the risk of theft, or any aftermarket parts that could be expensive to replace.

Debadging a Vehicle

If you are still debating whether or not you should remove the emblems, you should know the risks involved when trying to do it yourself. Unless you have a good deal of experience with auto body and paint, you may want to consider having a professional do this for you.

Some may wonder why people would want to remove their emblems. Some common reasons include:

• They may simply like the look of their car without any brand names or logos.
• A person might want to add some mystery by hiding what kind of car they have.
• Some may not want to “advertise” for a car company by having their logo on the car.
• Drivers in European countries tend to remove the emblems from their vehicles. Some Americans like to follow the trend, especially if their vehicle was manufactured in Europe.

If you’re feeling confident and want to debadge your own car, there are plenty of online tutorials and guides for removing emblems safely. Keep in mind that your insurance will not cover damages from removing badges. If you damage the paint or crack the surface as you are taking them off, you’ll need to get together some funds out-of-pocket to have it repaired.

As a car owner, you have the right to make your car look however you want. Whether you want to make the car faster, look cooler, or simply make it more unique, that’s your call.

If you want to make big changes but don’t like the rate increases you’ve been noticing in your current policy, compare the pricing from different companies and find a policy that will work best for you and your customized ride. (For more information, read our “How quickly do changes I make to my policy go into effect?“).

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