UK favours grey in 2018 new car colour registrations

Grey was the UK’s favourite new car colour in 2018, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The figures saw black get knocked off top spot with registrations figures down -7.3 per cent on 2017 to 478,154. Grey’s -1.1 per cent drop on 2017 to 495,127 was enough to top the podium, with over one in five of 2018’s 2.4 million new car registrations in the UK painted grey.

Joining grey and black on the podium was white, with the top three making up 59 per cent of all new car registrations for 2018.

Silver falls out of top five with its lowest popularity rating since late 1990s.

It’s been nearly a decade since a primary colour last featured in the UK top three, when blue hit 329,146 registrations in 2010. Blue made fourth, while red concluded the top five.

Demand for most colours in the top 10 was down year on year, apart from – believe it or not – orange and beige. The pair saw significant increases of +37 per cent and +28 per cent respectively. A number of new and upgraded models had the colours as an option, pushing orange up to seventh and helping beige re-enter the top 10 for the first time since 2014 with a tenth place finish.

Despite nearly 7,000 UK motorists’ attempts to brighten up the roads, demand for yellow still fell by a third (-34 per cent). Unsurprisingly, cream also saw a -34 per cent drop with just 559 drivers opting for the colour in 2018.

White has been the biggest loser in recent years, according to SMMT, with more than 132,000 fewer cars registered in white last year than in 2015 when it reached its peak.

However, white topped the podium in Scotland while Northern Ireland and Wales favoured grey in 2018. Blue made a podium appearance in all three countries as buyers opted for a splash of colour.

English drivers made the most of the staggering 118 different colours available on the market, registering 116 of them last year.

Northern Ireland only registered 53 different colours in 2018.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive 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.”