BASF Coatings automotive colour report 2025
BASF Coatings has released its 2025 colour report for automotive OEM coatings, which analyses how the global automotive colour landscape reflects a clear shift toward individuality and nature-inspired aesthetics as consumers continue to move away from traditional favourites.
Green emerges as the strongest growing chromatic signal worldwide, continuing its steady rise and making it into the top three led by blue and red. Once dominant, both colours decline year after year. Blue drops by one percentage point and red sees an even steeper decrease, marking only three per cent of the total market share. This defines a clear retreat from classic chromatic norms.
Grey records a significant increase of two percentage points, strengthening its position as a modern-elegant choice. White shows a slight decline, and black remains strong but with fewer solid finishes, as overall solid colours shrink to just 18 per cent of the market. This development underscores a global trend that combines timeless elegance with expressive diversity, with green leading the shift toward a more individual and sustainable colour palette.
EMEA: From silver to green – a new chapter for automotive colours
In the EMEA region, the green upward trend continues. Green has overtaken red and established itself as a sign of individuality and sophistication. Silver continues to decline in importance, while black and grey reinforce their positions within the achromatic palette. White shows a slight decrease but adds more nuances to the neutral colour range.
“The green trend was already making waves in EMEA a few years ago. Different shades have been featured in our Automotive Colour Trends collection, hinting at the huge variety of shades we see fitting to this movement today,” said Florina Trost, head of Design EMEA at BASF Coatings.
Americas: Chroma comeback with individual nuances but green in the lead
In the American automotive colour world, 2025 presents a mixed picture: grey is slightly below its 2024 level but still well above 2023. Silver is gaining importance again, while white continues to decline. The share of coloured car paints has risen by almost two percentage points, showing a stronger preference for expressive colours. While red and blue have historically led in the Americas, shades like green, beige, brown, and violet are now gaining momentum, highlighting a shift toward nature-inspired and diverse aesthetics.
Asia Pacific: Grey strengthens as green expands its horizon
In 2025, the Asian Pacific region continues to lean toward achromatic dominance, with grey showing a clear upward trend, while white declines. Black and silver remain stable, reinforcing the enduring appeal of classic neutrals.
Green is steadily gaining popularity among chromatic colours, while blue has dipped slightly. Green’s range now spans from light, fresh tones to more traditional, natural shades, reflecting a shift toward sustainable and renewal-focused palettes. Though the overall share of chromatic colours has decreased, the variety of hues still demonstrates the preference for individuality in Asia Pacific.