Car Colors: Why Americans Are So Boring with Their Choices

Take a walk through any parking lot and something becomes painfully obvious – most cars look exactly the same. Sure, automakers keep rolling out wild colors like Acura's Tiger Eye Gold or Mazda's Soul Crystal Red, but when push comes to shove, Americans are boring as hell when it comes to picking car colors.

According to the latest BASF Color Report, over half of all new car sales in the US come down to just five colors. Yep, five. Out of all the rainbow possibilities out there, people keep gravitating toward the same safe choices over and over again.

5. Blue (9% of Sales)

The only actual color on this whole list that isn't some shade of gray-scale. Blue's been hanging around forever, especially the darker shades that give off that classy, expensive vibe without being too flashy.

Most blues sold are the deep, serious ones – think midnight or navy. Though you'll occasionally spot something brighter, like the electric blue on a Toyota GR Supra. The reason darker blues dominate? Resale value. Apparently, 80% of car buyers actually think about what their car will be worth later, and boring blue holds its value way better than anything fun.

4. Silver (11% of Sales)

Silver used to be the ultimate "I have money but don't want to show off too much" color. BMW and Mercedes have dozens of different silver shades, from bright and shiny to dark and moody.

But here's the thing – silver might be losing its mojo. It dropped from third place to fourth this year, probably because it's not special anymore. When you can get silver on everything from a $20,000 hatchback to a $200,000 luxury car, it kind of loses that exclusive feel.

3. Gray (20% of Sales)

Gray is having a moment. Sales jumped 10% last year – the biggest increase of any color. It makes sense though. Gray works on literally everything, goes with other colors nicely, and doesn't make any bold statements that might age poorly.

The rise of Uber and Lyft probably isn't helping either. When people are buying cars to make money with rideshare apps, they want something that looks professional and hides dirt well. Gray checks both boxes perfectly.

2. Black (20% of Sales)

Black cars scream money and power like nothing else. Picture a luxury car in your head – chances are it's black, right? Even though black sales dropped 2% last year, it's still hanging tough in second place.

The downsides are pretty obvious though. Black cars show every speck of dirt and get ridiculously hot in the sun. Try grabbing a door handle on a black car after it's been sitting in a Florida parking lot for an hour – it's like touching a frying pan.

1. White (29% of Sales)

White absolutely dominates with almost a third of all sales, though it actually dropped 5% last year. Companies love white for their fleet vehicles because it's usually the cheapest paint option and hides dirt better than dark colors.

Interestingly, women are about 9% more likely to buy white cars than men, and since men still buy more cars overall in the US, that might explain why white's popularity is slipping as buyers drift toward grays and blacks.

The Colors Nobody Wants

Green managed a whopping 2% of sales (up from 1% the year before), while gold and purple each scraped together just 1%. Gold feels completely outdated now, and purple has never really caught on in America – which is honestly a shame because purple cars are pretty awesome.

The good news? Non-grayscale colors are actually growing overall, even though red lost some ground. Maybe, just maybe, Americans are getting a little braver with their color choices. Though let's be real – we'll probably still be seeing endless seas of white, black, and gray SUVs for years to come.