As much as 80% of cars these days are painted in so-called ‘’achromatic’’ colors. Achromatic colors usually emit different nuances of white, black, grey, or silver, which means that these colors are not all that colorful.
This is because most people tend to opt for these types of colors as they work favorably for the resale value. Dealerships are also keen on opting for similar colors because they would rather stockpile these shades and hues, rather than stockpile unusual and unpopular hues.
However, even though the statistics tend to suggest that all cars are either black, white, silver, or gray, the truth is that there are quite a bit more nuances and variations. Whites are not all that white, they are usually mixed with various other shades to perceive as more luxurious or futuristic.
It’s the same story with every other color, especially black. Many automakers these days offer dozens of ‘’blacks’’, but these colors tend to shift from lighter to darker depending on the light source. They often range from dark or midnight blue, dark brick red, dark emerald green, and similar.
Resale colors – Safest and most popular colors
Favorite color is a subjective opinion, and that’s a fact. Be that as it may, people tend to buy certain items in their favorite colors, but when it comes to cars, houses, and other rather expensive items, they tend to go for a safer option in order not to hurt the resale value.
This is not only reserved for affordable or economy cars, this holds true for the entire car industry in general. Maybe a few extremely limited edition high-end luxury vehicles are sometimes painted in more daring and abstentions colors, but these are rather an exception in most cases.
According to a few different sources, as much as 26% of cars sold in 2021 were white. Black cars take up 19% of all cars sold in 2021, and so do gray cars as well. Silver is the 4th most popular color as 12% of all cars sold in 2021 are painted in silver colors.
Chromatic colors – Most popular options
As mentioned previously, chromatic colors are not all that popular, but there are a few notable exceptions. The most popular chromatic car paint options are blue as 10% of all cars sold in 2021 are painted in blue, followed by red with 9% of cars.
Green is slowly but steadily making a comeback and is now the 3rd most popular chromatic car color as 2-4% of all cars sold in 2021 are painted green. It’s worth saying that there are numerous different shades of these colors, but all of them are primarily blue, red, or green.
Bright and punchy colors are mostly associated with exotic supercars or quirky-looking city compact cars as these are often pitched towards more daring and youthful customers. Luxury cars are hardly ever painted in bright and daring colors.
Least popular car paint types and colors
There are many different paints and paint techniques out there and some of them are more popular than others. It’s worth saying that gold, purple and yellow are the least popular car paint options in the US by a long shot as less than 0.1-0-3% of people ever opt for those.
Pearl, color-shifting paint types are the least popular paint types followed by shiny chrome colors. Metallic and flat colors are the most popular, and the vast majority of cars these days are either one of these two. Satin/frozen/matte colors are becoming increasingly popular in the performance car world.
It’s rather obvious why someone wouldn’t want to paint a Honda Civic in gold or purple because selling such a car is definitely going to be challenging. Besides daring and bright interior colors, it’s worth mentioning that bright interior colors are also rather a deterrent for most people.
FAQ Section
Which interior color should I go for?
The general rule of thumb is that you always opt for colors you prefer. However, opting for brighter or darker colors has its ups and downs. If you opt for the most popular option which is black, your interior will look newer for longer if you don’t use any specific cleaning and maintenance solutions, but it will make the cabin feel more claustrophobic as it does not emit any light.
Be that as it may, value-wise, it’s the one to go for. If you opt for a brighter color such as white, your seats will be a nightmare to keep clean which will hurt the resale value. However, a brightly colored interior lets more light inside the cabin which makes the interior feel way brighter and spacious.
Are there any similar ‘’resale’’ car options I should go for if I want the maximum resale value?
To get the most value out of your car when it’s time to sell it, it’s always best to go for cars that are at least moderately well equipped. Low spec cars without some essential pieces of equipment usually depreciate even faster because no one wants to buy an expensive car that does not come with dual-zone A/C for example.
Furthermore, it’s better to opt for regularly sized rims and skip buying 19 inches + wheels if the car does not come standard with them. Besides that, opt for a safe interior color that can be highlighted with brighter colors. Most importantly, always check the ‘’essential’’ options.
What interior and exterior options are essential for great resale value?
It depends on the car in question, but such a philosophy usually holds true for all cars, no matter the value. As such, always opt for multi-zone A/C, cruise control, a backup camera, parking sensors, HUD if possible. Automatic transmission cars are also way more popular than manuals which means that you will sell an automatic faster.
Besides these, there are many different ‘’essential’’ options depending on the car in question. For example, you should never buy a Rolls Royce without the stary headliner in the same way you should not buy a Porsche 911 without a Sports Chrono pack, a supercar without a front-end hydraulic lift system, or an SUV without an AWD system.