Car colours: why we no longer want white or black?

Drivers’ tastes are changing and while until a while ago the most requested colours at dealerships were white and black, that is no longer the case. This is due to the association. A study has just been carried out confirming that drivers do not want their car to be taxi white or private-hire black. Today, the most in-demand colour when buying is grey.

The grey colour has grown by almost ten points of market share over the last five years and has become one of the most sought-after colours among drivers who have bought a car. It has gone from 16 to 25%. This colour is the favourite in the family car and MPV segments, although it is also popular in SUVs and saloons, but to a lesser extent.

What are the favourite colours when buying a car?

Up until five years ago, the white colour was the most in-demand option, reaching as much as 29% of buyers. Today, this colour ties with grey at 25%. It is worth noting that for many years it was the favourite colour because it is a “hard-wearing, neutral colour with no risk of the driver tiring of it, and it also reflects sunlight better and therefore heats up less”. According to the study, drivers now associate it with taxis.

The black colour, for its part, has dropped from 14 to 12% and is concentrated more among drivers looking for a sports car or a convertible. In small cars it is the least sought-after option, trailing behind colours such as red and blue. The report also confirmed that blue is beginning to pick up and reaches 12% of requests. It sits at the same level as black. Dark blue is used on saloons or estates and light blue on SUVs.

At the opposite end are red and silver. These are the least chosen colours, at 9% and 5% respectively. “Silver actually tends to be confused with grey, but it is a shade halfway between that colour and white and, although it was fashionable back in the 90s, it has lost ground among drivers.”

For his part, Ignacio García Rojí, spokesperson for the company that carried out the report, pointed out that “although eye-catching colours are, when it comes down to purchasing, quite marginal, it is not unusual to see some truly unusual launches, even two-tone ones, which are the nightmare of insurers”. “In reality, there is a lot of marketing and psychology behind it, because a striking or flashy colour seen on the street is great advertising for the model, although then at the dealership we become more conservative and there are shades we don’t want to see even in paint.”