Britons who've been driving for decades will know how our roads have become considerably blander over time when it comes to car colour.

And nothing demonstrates it more than the fact grey has been the most popular car colour of choice for the past five years.

Exclusive analysis for This is Money shows the boom of Silicone valley and the importance of maximising future residual values have combined to make grey the car colour of choice.

In 1900, red was the most popular car colour but now a much more minimalist grey is the most loved car colour, as Automotive technical data experts Vehicle Data Global's (VDG) deep dive into colour theory has found.

In fact, grey is so popular that more than half a million (558,050) grey new cars were registered last year - up 2.7 per cent on 2024, and make up more than a quarter of all new cars sold.

VDG's analysis, which is based on cars on the road today – including those first registered up to 126 years ago - shows how car colour choices appear to reflect a wider cultural mood alongside design trends also seen in fashion and interior design.

The boom of Silicone valley and the importance of maximising future residual values have combined to make grey the car colour of choice, new analysis has found

Which colours were popular when?

In 1900 red was the most popular colour, before green and black swapped positions as Britian's favourite car colour between 1901 and 1911.

Blue then made a one-year appearance as the favourite in 1912, before black reigned supreme until 1940 – for an almost 30-year stint.

The consistent choice of green and black, as shown by VDG's colour data, paints a picture of historic change in Britain, representing a time where utilitarian and austere choices were paramount.

In the 1960s this gave way to consumer culture which saw blues and reds take over, with blue popular for 13 out of the 14 following years.

Red then exploded to the top of the popularity list again and had a long reign as Britain's favourite car colour between 1973 and 1997.

In 1900 red was the most popular colour, even though cars themselves were barely popular

The consistent choice of green and black, as shown by VDG's colour data, paints a picture of historic change in Britain, representing a time where utilitarian and austere choices were rife

Red then exploded to the top of the popularity list again and had a long reign as Britain's favourite car colour between 1973 and 1997 - as this 1989 GTi advert shows

Various monochromatic choices have dominated since 2000 with car buyers favouring silver, then white and now grey, with black having a brief interlude as the most popular choice again between 2009 and 2011.

The era known by design historians as 'Y2K Futurism' saw the old staple primary car colours such as red and blue replaced first by silver in a 26-year trend that now sees grey as the most popular choice on the road.

VDG explains that the switch to silver, white and grey coincided with the rise of the technology sector which strongly influenced consumer product design, most famously represented by Apple, with its suite of silver, white and grey devices.

While Apple broke through in the 1970s, the iPhone launch in 2007 transformed it into the world's most valuable company.

Fast forward to today and VDG says that the rise of technologically sophisticated electric vehicles and the position of grey as today's paintwork of choice is no coincidence.

There's more going on than just tastes and fashion... there's a monetary reason that grey now reigns supreme.

Black has topped the charts 48 times

| Colour | Number of Years at No.1 | Last time as No.1 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Black | 48 | 2011 |
| Red | 27 | 1997 |
| Blue | 16 | 1999 |
| Green | 12 | 1956 |
| White | 10 | 2021 |
| Silver | 9 | 2008 |
| Grey | 5 | 2026 |

VDG's analysis, which is based on cars on the road today – including those first registered up to 126 years ago - shows how car colour choices appear to reflect a wider cultural mood

Grey is vital for preserving residual values. Silver, white and grey benefit from optical qualities that hide the minor imperfections which are more apparent on solid colour vehicles

Residual values: Why grey cars are smart choice

The more practical side to why grey is the go-to on British roads is the importance of strong used car values to fleet car operators.

The increasing sophistication of the automotive market and its domination by company car fleets have made certain paint choices important for maximising future residual values.

In this vein, silver was particularly favoured for technical and chemical reasons as resilient to road grime and its capacity to be returned to like-new quality for sale as a used car.

As fleets became ever more focused on achieving the best possible resale values, cars that could be most easily refurbished became their first choice.

Silver, white and grey benefit from optical qualities that hide the minor imperfections which are more apparent on solid colour vehicles.

Ben Hermer, operations director of Vehicle Data Global, said: 'While it is interesting to connect car colours with wider cultural trends, UK automotive is one of the most sophisticated markets in the world and not much happens in it without good practical and professional reasons.

'So, although the rise of digital technological design aesthetics doubtless made achromatic car shades appealing to buyers, the focus of fleets in particular on resale values is often overlooked.

'Grey is the perfect colour for the moment we are now in, because it combines business priorities with an aesthetic that suits the increasingly high-tech nature of cars.

'As a neutral, mid-tone shade, grey is exceptionally good at hiding the minor scratches, road chips, and swirl marks from automatic car washes that accumulate over 60,000 miles of fleet service.

'And dealers favour it because it optically masks minor imperfections, meaning less paint correction and detailing to look showroom-ready for the next owner, thereby saving significant prep costs.'

2025's most popular car colours: Gery dominated the top 10, with black in second place

The most popular cars of 2025 were mostly bought in grey with the colour sweeping the top 10

Just how popular is grey for new cars?

In 2025, for the eighth consecutive year, grey was the most popular car colour choice for British drivers, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows.

Almost 560,000 grey cars were registered last year, marking a record year for the neutral tone - more than a quarter of all new cars sold were a shade of grey.

And grey was the most popular colour across the majority of powertrains – except for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which were most commonly specced in black.

Out of the one in 20 new cars last year that were electric, grey remained the top colour choice with 131,984 grey EVs hitting the road.

The majority of the top 10 most sold cars were grey: The Kia Sportage (2nd), Nissan Qashqai (3rd), Vauxhall Corsa, (4th), Nissan Juke (5th) and Volkswagen Golf (6th) were all preferred in the colour grey.