9:20 am, January 18, 2023
Green is definitely the in thing when it comes to new cars, with latest figures showing demand for the colour as well as for EVs soared in 2022.
The SMMT said today that a total of 31,220 new cars were registered in that colour last year – an increase of 74.2 per cent on the previous 12 months and the most in 16 years.
Almost a quarter (24.1 per cent) of last year’s new green cars could be plugged in, including pure-electrics and plug-in hybrids.
The industry body said the figures suggested that many of those who opted for a green car on the inside were keen to show off their cleaner credentials via the colour scheme.
The market share for plug-ins of all colours rose from 18.6 per cent in 2021 to 22.9 per cent last year, said the SMMT.
Grey increased its dominance as the most popular new car colour in the UK with 25.7 per cent of all new cars registered last year – up from 24.8 per cent in 2021.
2022 proved to be a greyscale top three, with black in second place (20.1 per cent) and white in third (16.7 per cent).
That means more than three out of five new cars last year were in one of those colours.
The other colours with a market share of more than one per cent were blue (16 per cent), red (8.5 per cent), silver (6.1 per cent), green (1.9 per cent) and orange (1.2 per cent).
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: ‘A resurgence of green-coloured cars is apt, given that last year more people chose a zero-emission electric vehicle than ever before.
‘With the choice of electric models and battery ranges continuing to grow, there’s never been a better time to choose emission-free driving.
‘Car colour choice theoretically proclaims something about who we are as drivers, and buying a car today comes with many possibilities to customise your vehicle to match.
‘After choosing from the market’s ever-growing choice of makes, models, powertrains, wheel trims and in-car tech, picking out the perfect paint is an exciting decision to make.
‘While the most popular shades remained unchanged for 2022, for those looking to ensure their vehicle stands out from the crowd, there remains a huge variety of colour choices from across the rainbow available to suit every character.’
A total of 1.61m new cars were registered in the UK last year, as the global shortage of semiconductors and the impact of the pandemic hit sales.
That was a two per cent drop on 2021 and a quarter below pre-coronavirus levels.
Car Dealer Live – the future of the car dealer – exclusive conference features talks from leading car dealers, Google and Auto Trader among much more. Find out the full event details and book tickets.
