While most shoppers still buy vehicles in white, black, gray and silver, carmakers are betting on bolder colors to attract buyers.
There’s no shortage of color options for next year’s models. For example, there’s Neoteric Yellow (2025 Hyundai Kona), Molten Magenta Metallic (2025 Ford Mustang) and Bright Moss Green (2025 Volkswagen Taos).
Pittsburgh paint maker PPG Industries recently proclaimed Purple Basil its 2025 color of the year for everything from cars to home interiors. The car paint creators describe the hue as a “dusty violet with mauve undertones.”
“We have been predicting that consumers will be ready now and in the next decade for color … and move away from all gray and beige,” says Misty Yeomans, manager of color styling for automotive at PPG.
Credit: SPECIAL
Credit: SPECIAL
Historically, shoppers buy safe car color choices
Despite the rise of bold vehicle colors, 80% of car consumers still buy black, white, silver and gray, says Serban Boldea, Volkswagen’s director of product planning. The top reason: car resale value.
“They’re the most simple and safe colors,” Boldea says.
Another car paint coatings company, BASF, says achromatic, neutral colors have gained popularity in North America. The company’s most recent report shows that white, black, silver and gray gained two percentage points. Blue was the next most popular paint color.
“We’re experiencing the same shift that other regions [of the world] are seeing,” says Elizabeth Hoffmann, color designer for BASF’s North America office. “The old standard color palette no longer applies. Lighter shades are getting more popular, taking market share from gray. More and more choices have effects pigments to give them intensity and excitement.”
Even though the market remains stuck in black and white — and silver and gray — buyers increasingly ask for broader choices in colors and finishes, such as two-tone and matte.
What is driving the shift?
Consumers want unique vehicles with custom paint, and some prefer aftermarket modifications. Automakers are responding to the trend with limited-edition colors and last-call options, like the palette offered on Dodge Challengers and Chargers last year. Dodge offered throwback colors from the 1960s-70s, such as Sublime Green and Plum Crazy Purple, for both vehicles.
Social media is a major influence in the move to add more color to our driving world.
Celebrities and influencers show off their colorful rides on social media, including TikTok and Instagram. Nicki Minaj drives several pink cars, including a Ferrari 488 GTB. Robert Downey Jr. recently held a sweepstakes giveaway of his dream cars benefiting the FootPrint Coalition, a nonprofit advancing technology and initiatives promoting sustainability and environmental conservation. Several of RDJ’s restored and modified 1960s and 1970s vehicles, including a 1969 matte pastel green Mercedes-Benz 280 SE, wore bright paint colors.
Bright pastels and metallics were popular in the 1960s, while earth tones arose in the 1970s and 1980s. The rise of neutrals came in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Neutral colors have stuck around ever since.
Custom cars
Yeomans of PPG says consumers of all ages like to express themselves with color.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, vehicle manufacturers improved online car buying options, allowing for more custom options, including shades and sheens. For example, this year, Porsche offers 15 exterior color options for its Panamera.
Volkswagen recently launched its 2025 Taos in Bright Moss Green, aimed at younger consumers who want to use color to express part of their personalities. VW’s Boldea says the company also targets empty nesters who choose smaller SUVs and aspire to maintain their youth and playfulness through color.
“The possibilities are becoming endless,” Yeomans of PPG says.
Those expressions of color or finishes can also help carmakers make more money. There’s an upcharge for some colors. For example, the Molten Magenta Metallic Tri-coat paint job on the 2025 Ford Mustang adds almost $1,000 to the bottom-line price of approximately $47,000 (including the destination fee). For the 2025 Hyundai Kona, which starts at $25,745 with destination fee, the Neoteric Yellow costs $470 extra.
On its website, Ford reports that 39% of buyers choose Blue Ember as the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse color of choice, compared with 16% choosing Shadow Black.
Gray matters
Despite all the buzz about color, VW and other carmakers offer many gray colors to appeal to shoppers looking for a new take on the old standard. VW offers several shades of gray on its cars, including the Taos. Besides a metallic, there’s also a solid called “Pure Gray.”
“We are the masters of reinventing gray,” Boldea says.
Renee DeGross Valdes is a veteran reporter and editor who writes about car advice for Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. She previously worked for CNN and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive. Cox Automotive and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are owned by parent company, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.
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