The UK’s favourite new car colour in 2020 was grey for the second year running, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

There were 397,197 grey new cars sold during the year – almost a quarter (24.3%) of all registrations.

Black and white took second and third place overall, completing a monochrome podium, with more than six in 10 (61.6%) of all new cars sporting one of these three colours.  

The rest of the top 10 remained unchanged, apart from yellow and bronze which reversed places as yellow increased its market share by 50% but equivalent to only 6,816 sales.

Red saw its registrations drop below 200,000 for the first time in a decade to 147,222, recording its worst tally since 1997.

While the top colour for both petrol and diesel cars was grey, with 248,182 and 84,489 registered in the colours respectively, white was the most in-demand colour for zero emission battery electric vehicles (BEVs) (25,689 units). Black was the most popular shade for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with 17,989 registered.

It was a record year for these electrified vehicles, which together accounted for more than one in 10 registrations – up from around one in 30 in 2019.

Unlike 2019, which saw Scotland and the Channel Islands bucking the national trend, in 2020 grey was the unanimous colour of choice across the UK.

Indeed, the only counties to not opt for grey cars as their number one choice were the Isle of White and Borders, where blue was the most popular tint, and Strathclyde which saw white take the top spot.

Leicestershire, meanwhile, was the most popular location for pink cars, with 23.7% of the UK’s total registered in the region, while buyers in the West Midlands snapped up the most orange cars. 

While white was the most popular shade for the mini segment, luxury saloons and executive cars were most likely to be black.

Overall, there were 106 different distinct colours registered throughout the year with the least popular colour nationwide being maroon.

 

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