Things come in and out of fashion on a regular basis and that also applies to car colours. Earlier this year white cars were the craze but times have changed and it appears that black is the new black. Many consumers have switched to the darkside on a variety of cars stretching from convertibles to SUVs. This new data comes from automotive experts cap hpi.
21.5% of convertibles are now chosen in black, making it the most popular choice of colour, whilst 29% of coupe cabriolets are also sold in the colour. SUVs have also been given the black treatment – a quarter of all models are now chosen in black when bought new, as has the executive sector which now favours black with a percentage of 28%.
There are some exceptions to the rule though – white still remains popular on city cars with a percentage of 17%, although red rules the roost with 18%. MPVs and superminis have also not seen the memo about black being the new ‘in’ colour as both genres favour silver – 27% and 19% respectively.
Philip Nothard, retail specialist at cap hpi commented: “Black is without doubt the new white. White had become the colour of choice over the past few years but black seems to be back with a vengeance. Black represents a safe choice for motorists as, along with silver and grey, these so called safe colours consistently maintain their value when sold as used.
“The subject of much discussion, many in the trade believe that the popularity of white was down to manufacturer marketing campaigns, whilst others thought it was a trend that started with other desirable products such as white laptops, smartphones and tablets. Whatever the reason, white seems to have fallen out of favour and black is staging a bit of a fightback –black appears to be appealing to buyers’ financial sensitivities as it represents more of a safe bet in terms of returns later on down the line.”
Black cars do look good but they can be a right pain in the back side to clean. I once owned a Renault Clio and the car used to look dirtier after I had cleaned it, thanks to all the streaks left after drying. I could chamois to my heart’s content and it would make no bleeding difference. Personally I’m not sure I could own another black car, unless the car looked really desirable in that colour – like the black Mini John Cooper works model with the red roof.
Nothard added: “Black, grey and silver have always been in the top five most popular colours, so it’s no huge shock to see that white seems to have lost its crown. Our data shows that middle of the road cars in black are better at holding value than any other colour. Customers are always likely to settle for the safest option and it would appear that they are thinking about what they can get at trade-in time rather than taking any risks with brighter or whiter paintwork.”