Glendal's Favorite Reviews: UK's favourite car colours: Grey overtakes black to claim 2018 top spot

Thursday, January 17, 2019

UK's favourite car colours: Grey overtakes black to claim 2018 top spot

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Tristan Shale-Hester 2019-01-18 00:01

Nearly 21 per cent of new cars sold in the UK 2018 were grey, as the colour knocked black off the top spot

Grey was the UK’s favourite new car colour last year for the first time since records began, knocking black off the top spot.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that, of the new cars sold in 2018, some 495,127 – or 20.9 per cent – were grey, while 478,154 (20.2 per cent) were black and 432,207 (18.3 per cent) were white, meaning 59.4 per cent of all new cars registered last year were one of these three colours.

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Grey actually saw a 1.1 per cent decrease in registrations compared with 2017, but this was enough to capitalise on black’s 7.3 per cent drop over the same period.

Demand for most colours in the top 10 list fell in line with market trend, with the exception of orange and beige, which increased 37 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.

Cream was knocked off the top 10 list after seeing a drop of 34 per cent – the largest overall percentage decrease of any colour. Yellow also saw a 34 per cent fall, with 132,000 fewer new cars registered in the colour since its peak in 2015.

Drivers in Scotland bucked the national trend by having white as their top colour, while grey reigned supreme in Wales and Northern Ireland, and blue reached the podium in all three countries.

Meanwhile, English motorists registered 116 of the 118 colours available on the market, while only 53 different colours were specified by consumers in Northern Ireland.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “There are more opportunities than ever to personalise your new car to your exact taste, and UK motorists have approached the challenge with gusto in 2018.

“With around 80 new or upgraded models coming to market in 2019 equipped with the latest low and zero-emission powertrains, advanced safety tech and exciting comfort and convenience features, it’s great that buyers have so much to choose from.”