White remains the most popular vehicle colour in the United States.
Gray posted the largest market share increase since 1996.
Sports cars are significantly more diverse in colour than other vehicle segments.
White remains the most common vehicle colour in the U.S., but gray has emerged as the fastest-growing choice over the past three decades. A recent survey shows that white, black, and gray together account for nearly three-quarters of all vehicles from the 2025 model year.
The study examined more than 22 million used vehicles from model years 1996 through 2025 sold between January 2025 and May 2026. White leads the market with a 25.7% share, followed by black at 23.4% and gray at 22.9%.
Grayscale colours, which include white, black, gray, and silver, now account for 80.4% of the vehicle market. In 1996, those same colours accounted for less than half of all vehicles. The change is the result of a steady decline in brighter paint options over nearly 30 years. Blame the buyers or the automakers?
| Most Popular Car Colours by Market Share: 2025 vs. 1996 | ||||
| Rank | Colour | 2025 | 1996 | % Change |
| 1 | White | 25.7% | 22.1% | 16.7% |
| 2 | Black | 23.4% | 14.2% | 64.5% |
| 3 | Gray | 22.9% | 3.6% | 528.4% |
| 4 | Blue | 9.1% | 10.2% | -10.8% |
| 5 | Silver | 8.4% | 7.3% | 14.3% |
| 6 | Red | 7.0% | 20.1% | -65.2% |
| 7 | Green | 2.2% | 13.4% | -83.8% |
| 8 | Brown | 0.4% | 2.9% | -84.6% |
| 9 | Beige | 0.4% | 1.6% | -73.8% |
| 10 | Orange | 0.3% | 0.2% | 2.5% |
| 11 | Yellow | 0.1% | 0.3% | -59.4% |
| 12 | Gold | 0.0% | 2.3% | -98.1% |
| 13 | Purple | 0.0% | 0.7% | -94.7% |
| Grayscale colours | 80.4% | 47.3% | 70.1% | |
| Non-grayscale colours | 19.6% | 51.7% | -62.2% | |
Gray recorded the largest increase of any shade. Its share climbed from 3.6% in 1996 to 22.9% in 2025, representing a more than six-fold increase. Black has also grown significantly in popularity, while white has strengthened its already dominant position.
At the same time, traditional colours such as red and green lost substantial ground. Red fell from 20.1% market share to 7.0%, while green declined from 13.4% to just 2.2%. Combined, the two colours represented one-third of vehicles in 1996 but account for less than 10% today.
Truck buyers have embraced grayscale finishes more than any other segment. Neutral colours increased from 43.4% of trucks in 1996 to 83.5% in 2025. White alone now accounts for one-third of all trucks, while gray has increased from only 3.4% to 19.2%.
2021 Honda CR-V TouringSUVs have followed a similar pattern. Grayscale colours now represent 79.3% of the segment, compared with 43.8% three decades ago. Green experienced the largest decline among SUVs, falling from more than one-fifth of the market to less than 3%.
Passenger cars have become especially dependent on gray. The colour now leads the segment with a 28.4% share, up from 3.8% in 1996. Silver, once one of the fastest-growing colours, has lost popularity in recent years.
Sports cars remain the exception. Non-grayscale colours account for 36.2% of sports cars, nearly double the overall market average. Blue, yellow, orange, and purple all increased their share within the segment, while red remains more common among sports cars than any other vehicle category.
Source: iSeeCars
