More than two-thirds of all cars bought in 2022 came in a monochrome hue of some kind, with grey getting even more popular while black and white were second and third choice among motorists.
It’s the fifth year in a row that drivers have made grey the most popular colour option, with black, white and silver still popular as well. Combined, they made up about 69% of all new cars registered in 2022, according to figures published this week by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
More than 415,000 grey cars were registered last year, representing 26% of total sales. That was 2% up on 2022, proving that the colour has lost none of its lustre among car buyers.
In fact, the ranking of the top ten colour choices was exactly the same for 2022 as it was for 2021, with very little variation in terms of popularity. If you like colourful cars, it makes for rather a depressing read.
Red, although retaining its fifth-place ranking, also recorded a decline to reach its lowest market share since 2008, at 137,000 units, accounting for around 9% of all cars registered. At the other end of the spectrum, the least popular shades were maroon, pink, and cream which, combined, recorded less than 1% of all registrations.
Pink cars tallied their lowest number since 2009, while other niche paints, such as orange, yellow, bronze, turquoise and mauve, all posted growth, hinting at a changing trend, even though combined, the colours only make up just over 3% of the market.
Green enjoyed a resurgence in popularity to a level not seen for 16 years. It was up by a huge 74% on 2021’s figures – the largest volume growth of all colours. Sales of green cars were up around 13,000 units to 31,000 – perhaps fittingly, a quarter of these could be plugged in.
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