Car Popular Color Relations With Resale Value And Safety Factors On Highways

Nissan Qashqai is the best-selling car in England in 2022 with 42,704 units sold. (Doc. Nissan Europe)

JAKARTA - On June 26, Fiat announced a surprising decision not to produce gray cars anymore, even though the color is the most popular car color in the world.

Previously, The Telegraph daily on March 23, 2023 published an increase in the number of gray cars on British roads recently. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders they quoted showed that 25.7% of the new cars purchased in the UK last year were gray. The next most popular colors are black (20.1%) and white (16.7%). These three colors, along with silver, account for more than 80% of total car sales.

Only gray has held the title of favorite car color in England for five consecutive years, with 415,199 gray cars registered last year. Gray has beaten silver as the best-selling car color. Meanwhile, from research to car buyers, it is known that there is a tendency for consumers to worry by not choosing the neutral color to reduce the value of their car resales.

In the United States (US), according to a study from iSeeCars.com last year involving 6.1 million units of cars on US highways from 2017 to 2020, it was found that white, black, gray, and silver contributed 78.5% of all vehicles on the road. White is the most popular choice in the US with a percentage of 25.8%, followed by black (22.3%) and gray (18.4%). One reason white popularity is because it is considered to describe modern and progressive impressions.

The data is in line with a preliminary January 2023 report from Axalta, a US car paint company widely used by global automakers. The Axalta report, which covers 2022, states that the most popular colors for cars in the world are white (34%), black (21%), gray (19%), silver (8%), and blue (8%).

In Indonesia, the pattern of colors that are popular is not much different. Generally, neutral colors such as gray, black, silver, and white are still in demand in the new and used car market. These colors maintain good selling values for a longer period of time, and become the main choice for car buyers in Indonesia.

Based on data released by PT Astra Daihatsu Motor (ADM) in October last year for example, it shows that the best-selling color for Daihatsu cars in the last three years is white with a contribution of 36% in 2019, 34% in 2020, and 32% in 2021. The black color occupies the second position with a contribution of 21% in 2019, 22% in 2020, and 22% in 2021. While silver occupies the third position with a contribution of 17% in 2019, 16% in 2020, and 16% in 2021. The gray color is fourth with a contribution of 14% in 2019, 14% in 2020, and 15% in 2021.

Not valid for luxury cars

However, in the luxury car market and sports cars, color popularity has different dynamics. Luxury cars or sports cars with unique colors often have higher selling prices than luxury cars with plain colors in the used car market. Studies conducted by Rivervale Leasing in 2021 show that for the luxury car market, gold is the highest resale value, followed by green and orange. Sports car buyers also tend to be attracted to cars with striking colors that can attract attention.

While in terms of safety, various studies show that bright and flashy colors such as white and yellow are included in the most secure categories used. A study by the Monash University Accident Research Center in 2007 found that vehicles of striking white or color had a lower 10% probability of being involved in accidents compared to less-looking vehicles such as black, gray, and silver.