Grey was the UK’s favourite new car colour in 2021, topping the charts for the fourth year running.
Nearly one in four new cars sold was painted grey, with the colour’s popularity actually increasing by 2.8 percent last year. More than 408,000 new grey cars were registered in 2021.
In a monochromatic top three, black was second, with one in five new cars sold, and white was third, accounting for around 17 percent of new cars.
More than six in 10 new cars sold are now either grey, black or white.
Blue was back in fourth, but it is edging closer to the top three – finishing the year just 2,638 units behind white.
The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) collated the figures from official sales data. This showed a largely unchanged top 10, although green cars did overtake orange to finish in seventh.
Sales of green new cars actually grew for the first time since 2015, by an impressive 24 percent.
But even though more motorists picked a ‘green’ hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric drivetrain, they didn’t choose to paint them in green. Grey remained the most popular colour even for alternative-fuel cars.
Any colour you like so long as it’s greener
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “2021 was anything but normal, but British drivers stuck to their familiar favourites of grey, black and white cars.
“But while last year’s new cars might share the same shades as previous years, under the bonnet there has been a real shift, with one in six buyers choosing to go green.
“With car registrations still low compared to pre- pandemic, helping even more drivers move to greener cars – whatever the actual colour – has never been more important.”
Mr Hawes called for the installation of electric car charge points across Britain to be speeded up.
“Incentives are helping move the market and should continue, but the speed of this shift to electric must be matched by an acceleration in the pace of charging infrastructure investment.
“Drivers should expect to be able to recharge irrespective of wherever they live, work or visit.”
Top 10 new car colours in 2021
1: Grey
2: Black
3: White
4: Blue
5: Red
6: Silver
7: Green
8: Orange
9: Yellow
10: Bronze
ALSO READ:
Councils can enforce moving traffic offences from June
Alfa Romeo reveals UK’s best tunnels for driving sound
Bentley details £2.5bn electric car model blitz: FIVE new EVs from 2025