Dupont, who make automotive paint have just released their annual survey into new car colours for vehicles registered in 2008.
We all know how important the colour of a car is to the user when they choose a new car, well whilst they are not thinking about it at the time they buy it, its actually much more important when you come to sell the car after you’ve finished with it.
Of course, if you have to live with a car for three years or so, you do not want a colour that you hate, but what you have to remember is that when you eventually sell your car, somebody else has got to want it and if its not in a popular colour, it can mean your car is worth hundreds of pounds less when you dispose of it compared to the same vehicle in a popular colour.
So with that in mind, we take a look at the Dupont Survey to see what’s been the most popular choice of new car buyers in 2008.
Across Europe for 2008, Black was the most popular colour, being on 26% of vehicles registered, albeit, 22% of the black cars were metallic black. Silver still remained strong, with 20% of the market, whilst Grey picked up 18%, Blue took 13% and climbing back into the charts, White took 10%.
Worldwide, White took 20% of the market, closely followed by Black and Silver, both at 17%.
In individual countries, these figures differ hugely, but Dupont say that White & Silver Metallics remain popular, with a surge in interest in bright colours such as Red.
It’s always been claimed by some that the colours of the cars we drive, reflect the way the economy is and that in buoyant times, we choose bright cheerful colours and whilst we don’t know if that’s true, its certain that some of these very unusual colours that crop up from time to time, date a vehicle in a way nothing else can and whilst it’s the hot colour on the day you buy the car, three years later, it’s the colour to avoid.
So our advice is by all means choose the colour you like, but stay away from the bright vibrant ‘manufacturers car launch’ colours that are designed to get their new product noticed on the road and look good in the showroom and opt for a more normal colour.
White & Red used to be so popular, but because of that (and the ease of selling a used white or red car), the Police chose white which eventually killed off its desirability and of course, companies too chose white, with red as the other easy sell colour. However, things change and many Police cars now days looking for an easy sell colour, are now silver. White is gaining in popularity, with most prestigious car manufacturers showing white cars in their adverts and TV commercials and you can even get a white Audi R10, or Lotus Elise these days.
Finally, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but fact is, some car look better than others in certain colours and just because you love the colour, take a moment to think if it really suits the car you are going to buy.
