Most and least popular new car colours revealed

Grey is Britain’s most popular new car colour for the sixth consecutive year, topping half a million registrations, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

With 509,194 grey cars registered in 2023, that equated to a market share of more than a quarter (26.8%). 

Completing a monochrome top three, black and white new cars secured second and third place, also for the sixth consecutive year, and recorded their best volumes since 2019.

Almost two thirds (63.5%) of all new cars joining UK roads in 2023 were monochrome.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “Buyers continued to gravitate towards familiar monochrome hues for another year.

“Car manufacturers have diligently expanded their offerings, with a huge selection of colour options available across hundreds of models and thousands of specification options.

“The extensive variety allows drivers flexibility in choosing a tint that embodies their individuality and style.”

Blue rose up the ranks to secure fourth place while red remained in fifth – although it also recorded its lowest market share since 2005, when it held 7.3% of the market. Today, just 3.9% of new cars are red.

Maroon, pink and cream remained the least popular colours, comprising just 604 registrations combined.

Meanwhile, orange, bronze, turquoise and brown fell in popularity compared with 2023 volumes.

Green, however, experienced a comeback, reaching its highest volume since 2005 at 53,426 units and a market share of 2.8%, the highest since 2004.

While the colour may have environmentally friendly associations, zero emission cars reaching Britain’s roads in record numbers last year followed the same grey colour trend as their internal combustion engine counterparts.

Grey also remained the most popular choice across the majority of segments, including the three bestsellers – supermini, dual purpose and lower medium.

Three segments went against the grain, with black the favoured shade among executive cars and luxury saloons, and white appearing as the top choice for the multi-purpose segment.

Fleets, which drove investment in the new car market in 2023, also favoured monochrome, with grey making up more than a quarter (26.9%) of all registrations (280,480 units).

Private sales saw more variation, brightening up roads as they were marginally more likely to opt for a green or yellow tint over fleets, with 29,919 and 6,964 units registered respectively.

The British regions were unanimous in a preference for grey, with white ranking as the second most popular in the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Black was the second most popular in England, Wales and the Isle of Man.

Strathclyde proved the best place to play the ‘yellow car’ game, ranking the most registrations of the bright shade, with 677 sold in the area and, while orange wasn’t quite the new black in

Cheshire, drivers there registered the most cars in this colour of any county, at 1,140 units.

Berkshire was home to more than one in 10 of pink cars registered (22 units) and was also the top spot for red motors at 8,034 units. Drivers in Greater London snapped up more green cars than any other county (3,650).