There was a time where white would be a free colour choice for customers but not anymore, with many manufacturers charging a premium for the colour. Figures from cap hpi reveal that last year 8 out of 10 cars purchased in white had at least £250 added on for the privilege. The figures also show that 1 in 5 cars sold last year were white, making it the most popular car colour for three years running.
I must say I find this rather odd, why pay more for colour that gets dirtier quicker and therefore requires more frequent washes? Also, I think white is a rather boring colour and is only really suited to certain cars, normally big German saloons in my opinion.
Cap hpi revealed that out of the top 10 cars sold last year only 2 of them came with a non-cost white option, the Audi A3 and the Mini hatchback. The cheapest option from the top 10 is the The Ford Fiesta and Focus, with prices at £250, then the Volkswagen Golf which is priced at £260 and Vauxhall Corsa is £275, although if you want a metallic option you will need to cough up almost double that with a price of £545.
“It’s interesting to see that manufacturers have noticed the rising popularity of white cars here in the UK. As it’s become more desirable, it makes business sense for manufacturers to start charging extra for the snowy tones,” explains Mark Norman, Managing Consultant and Chief Residual Value Optimisation Analyst of cap hpi.
Norman then explained how the market varies across Europe, explaining: “It’s also interesting to learn that manufacturers change standard non-cost colours in different regions of Europe. For instance, the non-cost Fiesta colour in Germany is Blue and they charge €200 extra for Red or €150 for white. Their standard metallic charge is €565. In France they don’t charge extra for solid colours and standard metallic cost €500. In Spain Blue is non-cost, red and white cost €200 and standard metallic costs €425 and in Italy the standard colour is red, solid blue will cost you €300, white €400 and standard metallic €600.