Car colour popularity

{{Short description|none}} {{Use British English|date=December 2014}} thumb|upright=1.35|A carpark in Austria, 2013 thumb|upright=1.35|Parking lot in California, 2016

The most popular car colours {{asof|2024|lc=true}} were greyscale colours, with 80% of cars produced being white, black, grey or silver. Red, blue, and green cars ranged between 2% and 9% each, while all other colours amounted to less than 2%.<ref name="iSeeCars"/>

== Survey results (2024) == In 2024, online automotive search engine iSeeCars.com published a study measuring the colours of cars sold between January 2023 and April 2024.<ref name="iSeeCars">{{cite web|url=https://www.iseecars.com/most-popular-car-colors-study|title=Cars Are Half as Colorful as They Were 20 Years Ago|publisher=iSeeCars.com|accessdate=2025-07-18|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250517090910/https://www.iseecars.com/most-popular-car-colors-study|archivedate=2025-05-17}}</ref> The results of the study are shown in the chart below.

{|class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:right" |- !colspan=6|Colour distribution (%) |- !Colour !Overall !Trucks !SUVs !Passenger cars !Sports cars |- | align="left"| {{Legend|white|White}} || 24.8|| 30.9|| 26.7|| 24.8|| 19.4 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|black|Black}} || 22.0|| 20.0|| 23.1|| 21.6|| 19.4 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|dimgray|Grey}} || 21.3|| 20.6|| 21.1|| 22.7|| 20.1 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|silver|Silver}} || 9.1|| 7.9|| 9.2|| 9.4|| 3.5 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|blue|Blue}} || 8.9|| 9.6|| 8.5|| 9.9|| 13.2 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|red|Red}} || 7.3|| 7.2|| 7.1|| 8.2|| 14.3 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|green|Green}} || 2.0|| 1.7|| 2.5|| 1.2|| 3.4 |- | align="left"| {{Legend|#FFD0D0|Others}}|| 1.8|| 2.1|| 1.7|| 2.1|| 3.3 |}

== Survey results (2012) == The results of colour popularity surveys conducted by American paint manufacturers PPG Industries (PPG)<ref name=ppg>{{cite web|url=http://www.ppg.com/en/newsroom/news/Pages/20121010A.aspx|title=PPG announces annual automotive color popularity, trend data |publisher=PPG industries |date=2012-10-10 |accessdate=2014-12-02|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013184631/http://www.ppg.com/en/newsroom/news/Pages/20121010A.aspx|archivedate=2012-10-13}}</ref> and DuPont (DP)<ref name='dupont'>{{cite web|url=http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/en_US/color_popularity/2012_assets.html |title= DuPont 2012 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report |publisher=DuPont |year=2012 |accessdate=2014-12-02|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229065631/http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/en_US/color_popularity/2012_assets.html|archivedate=2012-12-29}}</ref> (both for the year 2012) are shown in the table and chart below. Note that the results for silver and grey may be affected by discrepancies in how the companies classify these colours.

{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:right" |- ! colspan=9|Colour distribution (%) |- ! rowspan=2|Colour ! colspan=2|North America ! colspan=2|Europe ! colspan=2|Asia-Pacific ! colspan=2|World |- ! PPG || DP ! PPG || DP ! PPG || DP ! PPG || DP |- | align="left"| {{legend|white|White}} || 21|| 24|| 23|| 24|| 23|| 22|| 22|| 23 |- | align="left"| {{legend|silver|Silver}}|| 16|| 16|| 13|| 14|| 23|| 14|| 20|| 18 |- | align="left"| {{legend|black|Black}} || 19|| 19|| 21|| 23|| 19|| 21|| 19|| 21 |- | align="left"| {{legend|dimgray|Grey}} || 16|| 15|| 17|| 15|| 8|| 20|| 12|| 14 |- | align="left"| {{legend|blue|Blue}} || 8|| 7|| 7|| 8|| 7|| 5|| 7|| 6 |- | align="left"| {{legend|red|Red}} || 10|| 10|| 7|| 6|| 9|| 7|| 9|| 8 |- | align="left"| {{legend|tan|Brown}} || 7 || 5|| 7|| 6|| 10|| 6|| 7 || 6 |- | align="left"| {{legend|green|Green}} || 3 || 2|| 2|| 1|| 1|| 1|| 2 || 1 |- | align="left"| {{legend|#FFD0D0|Others}}|| || 2|| 3|| 3|| || 4|| 1 || 3 |}

{| class=wikitable !Colour popularity |- |style="background: linen;"|{{Graph:Chart |width=864 |height=200 |xAxisTitle= |yAxisTitle=% |legend=Legend |type=stackedrect |x=North America PPG,North America DP,Europe PPG,Europe DP,Asia-Pacific PPG,Asia-Pacific DP,World PPG,World DP |y1= 21 , 24, 23, 24, 23, 22, 22, 23 |y2= 16, 16, 13, 14, 23, 14, 20, 18 |y3= 19,19,21,23,19,21, 19, 21 |y4= 16,15,17,15,8,20,12,14 |y5= 8,7, 7, 8, 7, 5, 7, 6, |y6= 10, 10, 7, 6, 9, 7, 9, 8 |y7= 7, 5, 7, 6, 10, 6, 7, 6 |y8= 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1 |y9= , 2, 3, 3, , 4, 1, 3 |y1Title=9 White |y2Title=8 Silver |y3Title=7 Black |y4Title=6 Gray |y5Title=5 Blue |y6Title=4 Red |y7Title=3 Brown |y8Title=2 Green |y9Title=1 Other |colors=white,silver, black,gray,blue,red,tan,green,pink }} |}

== Financial impacts of colour choice == Silver is a popular colour for rental vehicles.<ref name="peterson">{{cite web |url=http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/070914/22589.html?.v=1&.pf=family-home |title=Hottest Car Colors |author=Erin Peterson |publisher=Yahoo! Personal Finance |accessdate=2007-09-23 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417204221/http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/070914/22589.html?.v=1&.pf=family-home |archivedate=2008-04-17 }}</ref> Cars that are silver retain their value better than any other colour, reselling for around 10% more than white cars; this superior resale value has caused many UK police agencies to replace their standard white patrol cars with silver models.<ref name="peterson"/>

A common misconception is that red cars cost more to insure; in fact, insurers do not take colour into account.<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/18/do-drivers-of-red-cars-really-pay-more-for-auto-insurance.html | author = Sarah Whitten | publisher = CNBC | accessdate = 2017-04-18 | title = Do drivers of red cars really pay more for auto insurance? | date = 2015-09-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/are-red-cars-more-expensive-to-insure/article551722/ | author = Roma Luciw | publisher = The Globe and Mail | accessdate = 2017-04-18 | title = Are red cars more expensive to insure? | date = 2011-08-12 }}</ref>

Studies show that white cars are safer, getting in 12% fewer collisions than black cars, although some studies show yellow cars as being slightly safer than white. This is a major reason why school buses are yellow in much of the world. The safety difference is because lighter coloured cars are easier for other drivers to see, especially at night. However, other factors, such as driver behaviour and weather, are significantly more important to vehicle safety.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gibson|first=Brittany|date=2021-01-27|title=Here's How Different Car Colors Affect Your Chances of Getting into an Accident|url=https://www.rd.com/article/car-color-accidents-risk/|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Reader's Digest|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Historical trends == thumb|More colour variety in 1973, America Colour choice is subject to fluctuation and fashion, and historical trends shifted from dark neutral colours of early cars, through more vivid colours of 1950s and 1960s, back towards today's greyscale colours.<ref>{{cite web |title=A History of Automobiles and Colour before the Age of Chromophobia |url=https://autouniversum.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/a-history-of-automobiles-and-color-before-the-age-of-chromophobia/ |website=www.autouniversum.wordpress.com |date=16 November 2009 |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Why Are Our Cars Painted Such Boring Colors? |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/design/2011/10/car_paint_colors_why_are_so_many_cars_painted_white_silver_and_b.html |journal=Slate |date=21 October 2011 |accessdate=9 June 2018 |last1=Felsenthal |first1=Julia }}</ref>

==Gender differences== A 2013 survey in the United States found that men were 12% more likely to prefer a red car, while women were 9% more likely to prefer silver.<ref name="forbes">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/11/26/men-see-red-women-take-a-shine-to-silver-when-car-shopping-survey-says?.v=1&.pf=family-home |title=Men See Red, Women Take A Shine To Silver When Car Shopping, Survey Says |author=Jim Gorzelany |work=Forbes |accessdate=2014-12-02}}</ref> The research suggested this may indicate that women are more likely to prefer practical cars, while men may be more likely to prefer less practical but more fast and fun cars.<ref name="forbes"/>

==See also== * Metallic paint

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Car colour popularity}} Category:Automotive industry Category:Color