Car buyers still going monochrome, despite move to 'greener' vehicles

BERLIN: Greys, blacks and whites are still the most popular new car colours in Britain and Germany, where "greener" forms of propulsion have not dislodged monochromatic hues.

Amid another year of tumultuous global events, British drivers doubled down on their preference for drab or unadventurous shades in 2021, with grey increasing its dominance as the UK’s favourite new car colour for the fourth year in a row.

The trend was borne out by figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

It was a similar picture in Germany where nearly three-quarters of cars registered from January to November 2021 were - just like in the previous year - either grey, silver, black or white, according to the Automotive Industry Association.

It cited numbers from the official Federal Motor Transport Authority. Grey was chosen by a third of new car buyers over the period.

Greener forms of propulsion seem to have little effect on colours chosen and the trends were visible across all car types, whether battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, petrol or diesel.

Green, orange and yellow are on the up in Germany although there is no sign of a general return to the vibrant colours that once wooed buyers.

Most motorists prefer sobre or "boring" shades because they believe it helps maintain the value of a car when it is sold second-hand.

Red has been in the doldrums for years in both countries, while in Britain so-called niche colours are brightening up the street scene, with gold, yellow and turquoise listed as fast-growing.

Gold more than tripled its appeal (up 231.8 per cent).