► Britain’s most popular car colours
► Which paint is most common?
► We pore over the colour charts
Black is back as the most popular car colour, according to an analysis of new car paint choices in 2017. It’s the first time in five years that white hasn’t been the UK’s favourite new car colour.
More than half a million black cars were registered in 2017, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
A surprising 60% of new cars were ordered in muted blacks, greys or whites – no primary colour has made the top three for the past seven years. And red has fallen out of the top five, reflecting our subdued, more restrained times.
The CAR top 10 paint jobs
More than half a million motorists ordered a black car in 2017 – and grey was more popular than white, too.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘Picking a colour is one of the many exciting decisions to make when specifying a new car, as well as selecting from the cutting-edge safety and comfort tech available on the latest low emission vehicles. Manufacturers are continually investing to bring more choice to car buyers, including more colours and colour combinations than ever before.’
However, it’s worth pointing out that manufacturers are also charging more than ever before for paint choices. An investigation by our sister website Parkers.co.uk found that on average most new cars come with just one free paint colour – leaving motorists with big bills to splash out on lucrative metallics and other flash paint finishes.
