Most popular colours for new cars revealed – and there has been a surge in sales of one particular bold tone
Britain’s favorite new car color is a lot like January’s weather: grey.
Gray is the most popular car color choice for British drivers in 2025 for the eighth year in a row, according to new data from the Association of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
More than half a million (558,050) gray new cars were registered last year; This means a 2.7 percent increase compared to 2024.
This marks a record year for the neutral tone; More than a quarter of all new cars sell in some shade of grey. In fact, gray was the most popular color on most powertrains; except for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which are most commonly designated in black.
Black maintained its second place from last year, while blue came third for the second year in a row.
Together, the three most popular colors accounted for nearly two-thirds (65.8%) of all new cars on our roads in 2025.
However, there is one color in particular that is on the rise: Green.
Gray again: The slightly dull but hugely popular color was the most popular color for British cars last year; This means Gray has won for the 8th year in a row.
Green was one of the colors that had a great year, even though it wasn’t at the top of the rankings.
It retained seventh place, but volumes increased by a whopping 46.3 percent to 99,793 registrations.
At the same time, registrations of ‘green’ electric vehicles have almost doubled; It reached 23,249 units in 2024, an increase of 95.2 percent; This shows that the UK is embracing green cars of all kinds.
Auto Express’ Steve Walker said this surge in popularity for green cars could be down to the particular car.
‘The growth in green car sales seems remarkable, until you realize that Renault has made the bold move to offer green as a standard color on its retro new Renault 5 electric supermini.
‘With the Renault 5 being the best-selling retail EV in the UK in April, October and November last year, there’s a good chance this model will play a big part in the green car boom in 2025,’ he said.
Green retained seventh place but volumes increased by a whopping 46.3% to 99,793 registrations as registrations of ‘green’ zero-emission vehicles also increased rapidly. Renault 5, which is offered in green as standard, is thought to have played a major role in the increase in green car sales last year.
Black’s place on the second step of the podium was due to the fact that 464,369 new cars were selected in this car; this was the highest number since 2019. The forever chic color has seen a healthy 9.7 percent increase in popularity in 2024.
Blue took the bronze medal of popularity thanks to 306,349 new registrations, making it the country’s favorite non-monochromatic colour. Blue’s entry into the top three last year was the first time a non-monochromatic color had appeared on the podium since 2017.
White finished fourth but more impressively was silver returning to the top five for the first time in almost a decade. The color last enjoyed success in the early 2000s, but its popularity increased by 6.3 percent in 2025.
Red, once one of the most loved British car colours, has fallen to sixth place, with its lowest market share (5.8 per cent) since detailed records began.
In the top 10, only white, red, yellow and orange saw uptake levels decline by nine percent, 14.5 percent, 10.2 percent and 10.6 percent respectively.
In the top 10, only white, red, yellow and orange uptake levels decreased by 9%, 14.5%, 10.2% and 10.6% respectively.
Red, once one of the most popular colors for British cars, has fallen to 6th place, with its lowest market share (5.8%) since detailed records began.
The most popular cars of 2025 were mostly purchased in gray, and the color is causing havoc
Of the 20 new cars that went electric last year, gray overall remained the top color choice, with 131,984 gray EVs hitting the roads.
Yellow also added some sunshine to the top 10, retaining eighth place and shifting 10,725 units. However, volumes decreased for the first time since 2019.
On the other hand, the three least popular car colors (burgundy, pink and turquoise) had a poor year, receiving just 342 registrations.
The country’s most hated color was turquoise, and sales volume dropped 96.7 percent in 2025. Only a dozen, yes only 12 turquoise cars were purchased.
The best selling cars of 2025 in the UK; What were the most popular shades?
Britain’s best-selling car of 2025, Ford Puma, was most purchased in black.
This is the trend for the majority of the top 10, with Kia Sportage (2nd), Nissan Qashqai (3rd), Vauxhall Corsa (4th), Nissan Juke (5th) and Volkswagen Golf (6th) opting for grey.
The Volvo XC40 and MG HS, the UK’s seventh and eighth most popular models, were purchased in black more than any other colour.
Among the top 10, Volkswagen Tiguan ranked ninth and Hyundai Tucson ranked tenth.
Gray cars have better residual value, making them a logical choice for new car buyers, even if it’s boring
