6:06 am, January 20, 2024
A growing trend to go green has been highlighted as more drivers than ever pick the colour for their new car.
Latest figures from industry trade body the SMMT show that green cars secured the highest market share in 19 years.
Some 53,426, or 2.8% of all new cars, were ordered in a shade of green last year.
The SMMT also reported 210 pink cars were registered in 2023 – with Berkshire home to more than one in 10 of them.
However, grey was by far and away the most popular colour with 26.8% of all new cars painted in the monochrome tones with more than half a million new cars on the road in the shade.
Grey – which in the official figures includes silver – also increased its share of new car colour choices on the previous year, up from 25.7% in 2022.
Brits are certainly not the boldest when it comes to car colours as after grey, black was in second place (20.2%) followed by white (16.5%).
More than three out of five (63.5%) new cars joining UK roads last year were either grey, black or white.
Bestselling models by colour in 2023
Source: SMMT
- Ford Puma – Grey
- Nissan Qashqai – Grey
- Vauxhall Corsa – White
- Kia Sportage – Grey
- Tesla Model Y – White
- Hyundai Tucson – Grey
- MINI – Black
- Nissan Juke – Grey
- Audi A3 – Black
- Vauxhall Mokka – Black
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: ‘Buyers continued to gravitate towards familiar monochrome hues for another year – even as ever more motorists embrace new technologies.
‘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.’
The other colours with a market share of more than 1% were blue (15.1%), red (7.5%), silver (6.5%), green (2.8%) and orange (1.7%).
Yellow cars were most popular in Stathclyde with 677 new yellow car registrations, the most in Britain.
While the least popular colour during the year was cream – with just 151 cars specified in the hue.
Red recorded its lowest market share since 2005, posting a steady decline in popularity since 2019.
