White was the most popular exterior car color in 2021 for the twelfth consecutive year.
PPG released its 2021 automotive color popularity report this week, an annual study that identifies which exterior colors are rising in popularity among new car buyers, along with those that are becoming less common.
According to PPG, 35 percent of all new cars built in 2021 were painted some variation of white, with black a distant second place at 18 percent. Grey rose in popularity by two percent, taking up 14 percent of the market share, followed by silver at 11 percent. Blue followed with eight percent of the market share, followed by red at seven percent, brown/beige at four percent and green at two percent. Other colors, such as yellow, pink and purple, had less than one percent market share combined.
White’s popularity is mainly due to the fact that fleet vehicles and rental vehicles are often finished in gloss white. Metallic/pearl white colors are also common in the luxury industry and can contribute to higher residual values for certain vehicle types. For these reasons, it’s unlikely that any car color will ever be as popular as white.
One of the more interesting takeaways from the 2021 automotive color popularity report is that two-tone colors are rising in popularity significantly. PPG says the rise of two-tone finishes “reflects consumers’ desire for personalization,” in the current day and can better reflect their “individual preferences and personalities.” This trend is evidenced by the release of more two-tone paint options from General Motors, including contrasting roof paint schemes for crossovers like Chevy Blazer, Chevy Trailblazer and even the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV.
Additionally, PPG color manager Misty Yeomans said she expects green to remain “an important color space for the automotive industry,” in the coming years due to its direct connection to “nature, sustainability and inclusiveness.”
“Green is also seen as a ‘traffic light’ color, acting as a signal for everyone to go forward – it’s safe and we can trust this color,” Yeomans said. “Green has two directions. One is sporty, fresh and vivid. The other is organic and darker, with deeper tones developed or designed as dark luxury greens yet still with a sporty and fresh attitude.”
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Comments
Good thing tesa has tape on these cars!
Yeah, because it doesn’t require an added charge for it.
Exactly…it seems that every color now has become an add-on cost. I like white because it hides scratches and when it is clean and polished up, it looks sharp. The last car I leased was a 2022 Durango, and that model only came in 6 colors. It came in black, white, two shades of red, army green, and destroyer/primer gray. Every color except for the black and white came as a $400 upgrade. I ended up with the Destroyer Gray. My wife drives a Reline Equinox that is white with the red and black accents. When it is cleaned up, it looks amazing.
With cars becoming appliances to most people, it kind of makes sense that they are being painted the same colors.
cars have become boring. Everyone has a white SUV. How drab is that?
In grade school we were taught that white is the presence of all colors and black is the absence of all colors. So white and black make 53% of all new car color. Terrible and boring! Add in gray and silver which says over 2/3rds of new cars are painted without imagination. White is selected by people who struggle making decisions. Black usually follows having a white car…until the owner tries to keep it clean. This past fall I selected a Burnished Bronze metallic Buick Envision with light beige interior. It stands out and turns heads. I really enjoy being seen next to white/black/gray/silver cars…all winter storm colors in shopping center parking lots. Will never not find my Buick!!!
White is probably the most common color because many models from the manufacturers offer terrible color options. I’ve always assumed that I was in the minority, but maybe not – I generally avoid metallic (as well as pearl and tintcoat colors), in part because hard to match if repairs are needed (the Lexus pearl white is the worst), and in part because I prefer a solid color. White is literally the only solid color option on some cars, including sports cars.
I realize colors are highly subjective, but I have put my money where my mouth is before…I bought a Voodoo Blue 4runner in late-2018 solely because I loved the color…I otherwise didn’t really like the styling of the 4runner. I also have a torch red Vette.
I have started and then stopped looking at many cars that I otherwise liked due to lack of a color I wanted…several GM models over the years…and some non-GM.
It’s funny, I actually like some colors offered by Dodge/Jeep…I just never felt confident that they could provide a quality vehicle to go along with the paint. Porsche has some really nice colors too in my opinion…but there’s a hefty premium, and I trust “German engineering” about as much as I trust Chrysler/stellantis engineering.
I like yellow but they don’t have yellow to choose from on the lot or in the vehicle color choices. So hard to say if white, black or gray would be top choices if you can’t choose from all colors.
There is nothing cheaper looking than a car or truck in “contractor white”.
White is the smartest choice if you live in the desert Southwest where summer temps reach 110 degrees approximately and the sunshine beams 330 days a year on average. I see some people in this area order a white exterior and black interior and black exterior and black interior. Crazy. Black is a baker in warm climate regions. When your fanny touches the seat when parked outdoors you can sure feel the hot discomfort. Order a white exterior and light colored interior as your best bet.
Also white is the safest color for motor vehicles in the night whether in motion or parked. Utah State Police have gone to white vehicles.
Black in LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Reno and parts between is a very poor color choice in these sunbelt areas. Even in Denver.
They should not count rental cars and police cars, utility etc… Only personal purchases. Bet it would be different..
White is boring but good in the rust belt to hide the rock salt stains that stand out on darker colors