What is the most popular colour for new cars in the UK?

Consumer Editor

5 minute read|16th Jan 2026

Britain’s drivers continued their long-running love affair with muted tones last year, but green emerged as one of the most striking climbers in the colour charts.

The shade held seventh place overall, yet registrations surged by 46.3% to 99,793, the highest level in more than two decades.

Interest in green was especially strong among battery‑electric buyers: green‑tinted BEVs almost doubled, rising 95.2% year on year to 23,249 vehicles, meaning one in 20 new electric cars carried the colour, compared with just one in 300 the year before.

Despite green’s resurgence, grey once again dominated the market, securing the title of Britain’s favourite car colour for the eighth consecutive year, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

A record 558,050 grey cars were registered, a 2.7% rise, giving the shade a commanding 27.6% share of all new vehicles.

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Black held firmly onto second place with 464,369 registrations, its strongest performance since 2019 after a notable 9.7% increase. Blue followed in third for the second year running, reinforcing its position as the nation’s preferred non‑monochrome option with 306,349 cars registered, up 4.9%. Collectively, grey, black and blue represented nearly two‑thirds (65.8%) of all new cars entering UK roads in 2025.

Further down the rankings, white remained in fourth place, while silver re‑entered the top five for the first time in almost ten years – a modest revival for a colour that once dominated Britain’s roads in the early 2000s. Red continued its decline, slipping to sixth with its smallest market share on record at just 5.8%.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Britain’s least‑favoured colours – maroon, pink and turquoise – accounted for only 342 registrations combined, underscoring the country’s enduring preference for more understated shades.

Top 10 car colours 2025

Colour	Number of registrations	Market share %	2024 total	Market share 2024
Grey	558,050	27.62%	543,433	27.83%
Black	464,369	22.98%	423,360	21.68%
Blue	306,349	15.16%	291,926	14.95%
White	265,462	13.14%	291,628	14.93%
Silver	127,383	6.3%	122,472	6.27%
Red	116,576	5.77%	136,371	6.98%
Green	99,793	4.94%	68,230	3.49%
Yellow	10,725	0.53%	11,944	0.61%
Orange	9,614	0.48%	10,754	0.55%
Mauve	5,711	0.28%	4,142	0.21%