WHITE has been the colour to have for new car buyers recently.
But EurotaxGlass’s reports that used buyers are much less convinced as to the colour’s merits.
High-performance and sportily-styled white cars are achieving trade-in values similar to those in fashionable metallics.
However, in most instances, white remains a turn-off for car buyers. And the penalty can be as much as £5000!
Examples where white is alright, says EurotaxGlass’s Richard Crosthwaite, include Audis S3, RS4 and R8, BMWs 1-Series M Sport and M3, plus Porsche 911s GT3 and GT3 RS, and the Cayman.
But this is not across the board. ‘An Audi A4 S-Line model in white currently performs well on the used market, and yet a white version of a standard A4 can be worth up to £1,000 less than an otherwise identical car in a desirable metallic colour,’ says Crosthwaite.
A supercar or luxury grand tourer in white will still be penalised by five big ones. Premium luxury saloons and SUVs will also be hit, by up to £3k.
‘The recent favourable reception for selected white vehicles on the used market has, in part, resulted from more vehicle manufacturers using white cars on their press launches, generating widespread national media exposure,’ says Crosthwaite.
‘White car values have also been supported by low levels of supply. Several carmakers have only very recently added white to their new car paint options lists, so the general availability of used white cars inevitably remains very low. We have also found that some manufacturers are sensibly placing a five per cent limit on the number of new cars produced in white to protect second-hand values.’
His summary? ‘If supply increases significantly, or if white falls out of favour with fashion-conscious buyers, values could fall sharply, even on those sports derivatives where they currently perform well.’
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