Out of all the new car colours on offer today, grey remains new car buyers’ most popular choice according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Data from the automotive trade body showed that grey remained the favourite new car colour of 2020, with nearly 400,000 new models registered in the shade – accounting for 24.35 per cent of total sales.
It was the third year in a row that grey has been the most popular colour – ahead of black and white, which accounted for 19.9 per cent and 17.37 per cent of registrations respectively, meaning it was a monochrome podium.
Following this, blue remains a popular choice (16.92 per cent), while red rounds off the top five (9.03 per cent), though slid down in market share during 2020. More vibrant shades such as yellow, green and orange did prove more popular than in previous years, though.
While grey was the best-selling option for petrol and diesel cars, though, when it came to EVs, white was the most popular, with the most plug-in hybrid vehicles being painted in black.
Interestingly, though, the UK’s best-selling car in 2020 – the Ford Fiesta – was most commonly painted in blue, while the most popular grey car was the Volkswagen Golf.
When it came to less obvious colours, the most orange new cars were the Vauxhall Corsa, while the Peugeot 208 was the best-selling yellow car. The Mini, meanwhile, accounted for the most new cars painted green.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “2020 was a pretty dark year for the automotive industry and having grey as the top new car colour probably reflects the atmosphere.
“The sector, however, continues to provide valuable mobility, from vans delivering essential goods to private cars helping key workers do their jobs, and click and collect offers a lifeline for the industry, helping to keep manufacturing going.”
