Grey was Britain’s most popular new car colour for the third year running, latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show.
Almost one in four new cars sold last year were grey – and the popularity of the colour actually grew eight percent over 2019.
Perhaps reflecting the mood of the country in 2020, the second most popular colour was black, with one in five new car buyers choosing the moody hue.
White came third, meaning more than six in 10 new cars sold in 2020 were either white, black or grey.
“2020 was a pretty dark year for the automotive industry and having grey as the top new car colour probably reflects the atmosphere,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
Code red
Blue cars did slightly grow in popularity, to take a 16.9 percent share of the new car market. It was well clear of red, which dropped 7.9 percent to take a meagre nine percent share of new car sales.
The last time so few red cars were sold was back in 1997.
Interestingly, white was the most popular car for pure electric cars, while black was top for buyers of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) motors.
White also topped the list for city car buyers, with black the top choice for executive and luxury cars.
The SMMT adds that no fewer than 106 distinct car colours were registered during 2020.
And the least popular new car colour of all? Maroon.
Top 10 car colours 2020
1: Grey (24.4%)
2: Black (19.9%)
3: White (17.4%)
4: Blue (16.9%)
5: Red (9.0%)
6: Silver (7.5%)
7: Orange (1.3%)
8: Green (0.9%)
9: Yellow (0.4%)
10: Bronze (0.1%)
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