The UK’s best-selling car colours in 2017

There’s nothing quite so divisive as a car colour - it’s a key decision for carmakers launching their cars, buyers picking their cars, and second-hand buyers dictating what will sell. 

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has compiled the top ten biggest-selling colours in the UK, where the six most common colours dominate, taking almost 95% of the car market.

The most popular car colours in the UK: 

1 - Black

515,970 registrations, 20.3% market share

Black cars ruled supreme in 2017, with more than one in five registrations being for a black car. It’s the first time black has overtaken white in five years. 

2 - Grey

500,714 registrations, 19.7% market share

Grey has shot to second place, with more than half a million registrations. It’s the favourite car colour for buyers in the East Midlands, and has pushed white from first place in 2016 to third place in 2017.

3 - White

482,099 registrations, 19% market share

Close but now usurped, white cars have slipped to third place, despite being the colour preference for drivers in the north. It’s the first time since 2012 that white hasn’t been the colour of choice for UK motorists. 

4 - Blue

405,758 registrations, 16% market share

Blue cars haven’t been the UK’s most popular since 1999, but have been in the top ten since records began. It’s now the only primary colour in the top five, as red slipped to sixth this year.

5 - Silver

254,192 registrations, 10% market share

The nation’s favourite between 2000 and 2008, silver is a neutral, safe bet for those wary of residual values. One in ten cars registered across 2017 were silver.

6 - Red

251,104 registrations, 9.9% market share

For the first time in five years, red has slipped out of the top five, replaced by more neutral tones. It’s only by a small margin, but 1.4% of the market has turned away from red in the last year.