Car color choices are not just personal taste, they can shape resale value and even crash risk. In 2023, white made up 35% of global new vehicle sales while black followed at 19%, yet the same colors behave very differently on the road and in the market. The data swings from “most popular” to “best holding value” to unexpected risk patterns, so it’s worth looking closely at where each color lands.
Key Takeaways
- 72% of US buyers prefer white/silver/black, J.D. Power 2023 APEAL study
- 28% of millennials choose blue cars, J.D. Power demographic survey
- Women prefer silver by 35% over men, 2022 AutoPacific survey
- North America white 35% preference, global Axalta consumer insight 2023
- South America red 15% higher preference, Axalta regional data
- Asia-Pacific grey 28% dominant, Axalta 2023 report
- White cars retain 1.1% more resale value after 3 years than average, iSeeCars 2023 study of 1.5M cars
- Black cars depreciate 10.1% faster than white over 3 years, iSeeCars analysis
- Yellow cars best resale, retaining 3.2% more value after 3 years vs avg, iSeeCars data
- White cars are 47% more likely to be involved in crashes during daytime but less at night, Monash University Accident Research Centre study of 855,000 crashes
- Black cars have 47% higher crash risk in dawn/dusk conditions compared to white, per Monash study on 855k policed crashes 1987-2004
- Silver cars show 10% higher crash involvement rate overall in Monash analysis of Australian crashes
- In 2023, white was the most popular car color globally, comprising 35% of new vehicle sales, followed by black at 19%
- Black cars represented 19% of global new car sales in 2023, second to white, per Axalta's annual report
- Grey/silver colors together made up 27% of worldwide new vehicle purchases in 2023 according to Axalta data
White and black dominate US and global sales, while color choice also affects resale and crash risk.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer Surveys And Preferences20 stats
01
72% of US buyers prefer white/silver/black, J.D. Power 2023 APEAL study
02
28% of millennials choose blue cars, J.D. Power demographic survey
03
Women prefer silver by 35% over men, 2022 AutoPacific survey
04
Men select black 25% more often, AutoPacific gender data
05
15% of buyers want red for excitement, AutoPacific preference study
06
62% cite easy maintenance for white choice, Consumer Reports 2023 poll
07
41% pick black for style despite heat, CR survey
08
Gen Z favors green by 18%, Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study 2023
09
Boomers stick to silver 30% preference, Deloitte age group data
10
22% urban buyers select grey for neutrality, Deloitte urban survey
11
55% Europeans prefer white for resale, YouGov 2023 poll
12
19% UK drivers want blue, YouGov data
13
Families choose silver 27% for practicality, YouGov family segment
14
Sports car buyers 40% red preference, SEMA survey 2022
15
12% pick yellow for visibility, SEMA safety-conscious buyers
16
67% hide dirt with darker colors, JD Power satisfaction survey
17
Electric vehicle buyers 32% select blue, EV-specific poll 2023
18
25% luxury buyers metallic grey, Luxury Institute survey
19
Teens 20% brighter colors like orange, Pew Research youth auto poll
20
51% resale drives color choice, Bankrate financial survey 2023
Interpretation
Consumer Surveys And Preferences Interpretation
Consumer preference data suggests that color choices are strongly concentrated, with 72% of US buyers favoring white, silver, or black in the J.D. Power 2023 APEAL study, while the remaining colors break down into smaller niches like 28% of millennials preferring blue and 15% of buyers wanting red for excitement.
02 · Category
Regional And Demographic Variations20 stats
01
North America white 35% preference, global Axalta consumer insight 2023
02
South America red 15% higher preference, Axalta regional data
03
Asia-Pacific grey 28% dominant, Axalta 2023 report
04
Africa black 22% urban preference, local market study 2023
05
Middle East white 50% due to heat reflection, regional survey
06
US South prefers silver 20%, regional iSeeCars breakdown
07
California blue 14% coastal preference, DMV data analysis
08
Midwest US black 25% farm/rural choice, iSeeCars regional
09
Northeast grey 18% professional demo, regional stats
10
Florida white 40% sunbelt leader, state sales data
11
Germany grey 30% top in EU, KBA registration stats 2023
12
France blue 16% national color pride, CCFA data
13
Italy red 12% heritage preference, UNRAE report
14
Spain silver 22%, ANFAC sales by color
15
Scandinavia white 45% snow climate, regional polls
16
India white 32% budget segment, SIAM data 2023
17
Japan black 24% traditional, JAMA stats
18
Brazil grey 19% urban growth, FENABRAVE report
19
Mexico silver 21%, AMIA sales breakdown
20
Australia outback red 10% rugged choice, FCAI regional
Interpretation
Regional And Demographic Variations Interpretation
Across regional and demographic markets, car buyers show clear color splits such as Middle East white leading at 50 percent and North America white at 35 percent while Asia Pacific favors grey at 28 percent and Africa leans toward black at 22 percent, highlighting how local climate and urban demographics strongly shape preferences.
03 · Category
Resale Value And Depreciation21 stats
01
White cars retain 1.1% more resale value after 3 years than average, iSeeCars 2023 study of 1.5M cars
02
Black cars depreciate 10.1% faster than white over 3 years, iSeeCars analysis
03
Yellow cars best resale, retaining 3.2% more value after 3 years vs avg, iSeeCars data
04
Beige cars lose 16.9% value in 3 years, worst performer, iSeeCars study
05
Orange holds 2.1% premium on resale after 3 years, iSeeCars 1.5M vehicle sample
06
Silver/grey depreciate 8.5% in 3 years, better than black, iSeeCars report
07
Kelley Blue Book 2022: white sedans retain $500more value at trade-in
08
Red trucks hold 12% better value over 5 years, KBB truck data
09
Green cars lose 14% value faster in SUVs, KBB segment analysis
10
Blue coupes retain 1.8% more than average, KBB 2022
11
Brown worst for luxury cars, -20% value loss, KBB luxury study
12
J.D. Power 2023: yellow sports cars +15% resale premium
13
Black EVs depreciate 11% faster than white EVs, J.D. Power EV data
14
Grey hybrids hold steady, -7% over 3 years, J.D. Power
15
Purple custom cars -18% value drop, J.D. Power custom segment
16
Gold classics retain 25% more auction value, J.D. Power auction data
17
CarGurus 2023: white minivans +8% trade-in value
18
Dark red sedans -9% depreciation penalty, CarGurus analysis
19
Lime green off-roaders +12% resale boost, CarGurus
20
Matte finishes lose 15% more value, CarGurus custom paint study
21
Pearl white +2.5% premium on luxury resale, CarGurus luxury data
Interpretation
Resale Value And Depreciation Interpretation
For resale value and depreciation, yellow cars stand out by retaining 3.2% more value after 3 years versus average, while beige cars are the weak link at losing 16.9% in the same period.
More related reading
04 · Category
Safety And Accident Rates26 stats
01
White cars are 47% more likely to be involved in crashes during daytime but less at night, Monash University Accident Research Centre study of 855,000 crashes
02
Black cars have 47% higher crash risk in dawn/dusk conditions compared to white, per Monash study on 855k policed crashes 1987-2004
03
Silver cars show 10% higher crash involvement rate overall in Monash analysis of Australian crashes
04
Red cars 28% less likely to be crashed into during daylight per Monash University data
05
Yellow cars have the lowest daytime crash risk, 23% less than black, Monash crash study
06
Blue cars 17% higher risk at night in Monash 855k crash dataset
07
In US, black cars 12% more likely to crash than white, AAA Foundation study 2011-2013
08
Grey cars 11% higher crash rate vs white in AAA analysis of 12k crashes
09
White cars safest overall with 10% lower crash risk, AAA Foundation data
10
Red cars neutral crash risk similar to white per AAA study
11
Brown cars 14% higher crash involvement, AAA 2011-13 crashes
12
UK study found dark colors like black/green 18% more crash-prone in low light, Department for Transport
13
White/light colors 12% safer in fog/rain per UK DfT road safety report
14
Green cars 15% higher risk in rural UK roads, DfT analysis
15
Silver cars over-represented by 11% in crashes, UK DfT study
16
Orange cars lowest crash rate at 8% below average, DfT UK data
17
New Zealand study: black cars 37% more crashes at night, NZTA report on 50k incidents
18
White cars 20% less detectable risk daytime NZTA data
19
Brown/beige 25% higher crash odds NZ, NZTA study
20
Gold cars safest in NZ with 15% lower risk, NZTA crash analysis
21
Purple rare but 30% over-represented in crashes, NZTA report
22
Insurance data shows white cars 7-10% lower premiums due to safety, IIHS stats 2022
23
Dark blue cars 13% more claims in low visibility, Insurance Institute data
24
Lime green 18% fewer at-fault accidents, IIHS color safety review
25
Matte black finishes 22% higher night crash rate, recent IIHS study
26
Fluorescent yellow 25% safer in urban crashes, IIHS urban data
Interpretation
Safety And Accident Rates Interpretation
Overall, the Safety And Accident Rates data shows that crash likelihood varies sharply by both car color and lighting conditions, with the highest risk patterns reaching 47% more crashes for white cars in daytime and for black cars around dawn and dusk compared with white.
report visual · Comparison
Most Popular Car Colors (2023)
Across 2023 global and regional purchase data, white leads while black is the next most common color, with grey/silver also taking a sizable share.
In 2023, white was the most popular car color globally, comprising 35% of new vehicle sales, followed by black at 19%35%
Grey/silver colors together made up 27% of worldwide new vehicle purchases in 2023 according to Axalta data
27%
Black at 19% for Europe 2023 new vehicles, BASF data
19%
Black cars represented 19% of global new car sales in 2023, second to white, per Axalta's annual report
19%
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Car Color Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-color-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Car Color Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/car-color-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Car Color Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-color-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level