Company News from yesinsurance
9 January 2007Black is the new silver, says research on car colours
Whilst silver is currently the most popular colour for new cars, research conducted last month among 4,000 UK motorists reveals that it may soon be replaced by black.
The research, which was undertaken by insurance provider yesinsurance.co.uk, reveals that 30% of those surveyed said that they would choose black as their preferred colour if they were to purchase a car tomorrow. Silver came in second place (27%) and blue in third (17%). Red was chosen by 13% of respondents, grey by 3% and white by 2%. The remaining 8% would choose other unspecified colours.
“The results are interesting, because they measure the preferences of motorists who may not be in a position to buy a new car today, but who may well be in the market for one within the next few years,” said Paul Purdy, of yesinsurance.co.uk.
“Silver has been the most popular colour for new cars for a number of years, but this research, which measures the current preferences of drivers, indicates that black may soon jump from third to first place in the table of most popular colours,” he said.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 31% of cars sold in 2005 were silver, with blue coming in second place (22%) and black in third (20%). However, silver and blue have both been falling in popularity over recent years.
Most popular colours for new cars (source: SMMT)
| Colours | Sales in 2005 | % of market | Sales in 2004 | Sales in 2003 |
| Silver | 762,000 | 31% | 823,000 | 836,000 |
| Blue | 543,000 | 22% | 585,000 | 616,000 |
| Black | 479,000 | 20% | 436,000 | 383,000 |
| Grey | 272,000 | 11% | 244,000 | 204,000 |
| Red | 171,000 | 7% | 201,000 | 236,000 |
| Green | 60,000 | 2% | 117,000 | 176,000 |
“The survey results may also have implications for the popularity and purchase prices of used vehicles,” said Paul Purdy.
“With black becoming the most popular colour, this will make black used cars easier to sell. With demand increasing and supply constrained by the number of black vehicles currently on the road, this may lead to increasing prices,” he said.
yesinsurance.co.uk specialises in providing insurance for cars of any colour that are five or more years old.
