Car colours are so much more important to buyers than they’re given credit. Some people wouldn’t even consider a vehicle if it was painted in a shade they didn’t like, while similarly others would only buy a new car if it was finished in a certain colour.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has now released its car colour data from 2022, with some interesting results and trends. Let’s dive in and take a look.
Grey continues to top the charts
There are some things that buyers don’t deviate from, and that’s their love for the colour grey. That’s because this colour remained the UK’s most popular finish for new cars for a fifth consecutive year.
More than a quarter elected for their new car to be painted grey, a small increase compared to the previous year. The sheer choice on offer of grey finishes no doubt helps, from light shades like Audi’s Nardo Grey to much darker finishes.
Monochrome finishes remain popular
When it comes to car colours, plenty of buyers don’t show off their creative flair, with many opting for ‘safe’ monochrome finishes, which are always a reliable bet, particularly when it comes to selling your car.
Including top-placed grey, black in second and white in third, these colours made up an impressive 62.5 per cent of all cars sold.
Green sees a resurgence
With hybrid and electric models, many buyers are choosing to go ‘green’, and it seems the same is true when it comes to car colours, as green made a resurgence in 2023, with sales of green models increasing by 13,293 units compared to the previous year.
It’s particularly interesting that green is proving particularly popular with electric car owners, with a quarter of models painted in the shade being EVs, likely helped by cars like the Fiat 500 and Mini Electric which are both popular in a green finish.
Silver dwindles in popularity
For pretty much the whole first decade of this millennium, it was silver that was the most popular car colour. But this shade has dramatically fallen out of fashion in recent years, and it isn’t even ranked as one of the five most popular paint finishes.
In 2022, silver made up just 6.1 per cent of new cars sold, its lowest level in more than two decades.
Niche paints remain just that
While many of us might imagine that we’d opt for a new car in a vivid launch shade it comes painted in, when it comes to settling on the final paint option, many of us choose to ignore these riskier shades.
Pink, for example, reached a low not seen since 2009, while combined with maroon, cream, these shades made up less than one per cent of all new cars sold.
