Car Colour Trends
In 1909, Henry Ford famously said of the Model T Ford that “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” Strangely though, the Model T wasn’t even available in black in its early years. You could choose from grey, green, blue or red, although the fenders were black.
Today, you can have a car in pretty much any colour you like and manufacturers introduce ever more unique shades to try and make their models stand out from the crowd. Car colour trends come and go just like fashion, and the trendy colour you choose for your car this year could affect its resale value in the future. So, what are the most popular car colours?
Fifty Shades of Grey
According to 2019 statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the most popular colour for new cars registered in the UK was grey for the second year running. Close runners up were black and white, meaning that 60.7% of new cars were in monochrome shades.
Things brighten up a little in fourth and fifth place with blue and red before the once long-time favourite of silver in sixth spot. Following those comes the surprising choice of orange, then green, bronze, and yellow.
The trend does vary from place to place and different car styles seem to affect the buyer’s choice of colour. While grey was the UK’s favourite, drivers in Scotland and the Channel Islands preferred white. The majority of executive and luxury saloons were sold in black, while most drivers of small and zero-emission vehicles opted for white. The UK’s least favourite colours were maroon, cream and pink.
Changing Trends
For nine years, from 2000 to 2008, silver held the top spot, usually followed by either blue or black. The next four years saw black at number one. Surprisingly, white didn’t appear in the UK’s top five until 2011 and 2012, after which it took top place for four years before being relegated to fourth.
Favourite car colours are not the same everywhere. The world’s most popular colour has been white for the last ten years, but the majority of drivers in Europe and North America are moving towards blue. Young drivers of sports cars are opting for stand-out colours such as fluro-orange or bright yellow. Two-tone paint jobs are becoming more popular, with car makers adding the sporty look of a contrasting roof colour.
Let Your Personality Shine
When you’re buying a new or used car, you want it to show your personality, and choosing the ideal colour is a major part of that. A vibrant colour can bring out your fun side but, if you use your vehicle for work, you might want a more conservative shade for a business-like look.
Whatever car you drive, a personalised number plate will add a fun and unique aspect to it. Why not highlight the colour and look on CarReg for a colour-related registration such as B1 ACK, B1 LUE, GRE 3N, RED 80Y, WH05 RED, S11 VER, YEL 10W.
Do you know the personalised number plate you want, but can’t find it? Register for email alerts from the CarReg finding service.
