Mustang Shelby GT500

Make
Ford
Segment
Coupe

There are many factors to consider when buying a new car, from price and comfort to safety equipment. For many people, color is another important factor since it reflects their personality. Some people want to stand out and choose something vibrant like the eye-catching Grabber Lime finish available for the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 or the bright Individual colors available for the new BMW M3 and M4. Others prefer something more subtle. Color is perhaps more important than you think for car buyers, however.

In a study by Automotive Color Preferences 2021 Consumer Survey, 4,000 people aged 25 to 60 in four of the largest car markets in the world (China, Germany, Mexico and the US) were asked about their car color preferences. Out of these, 88 percent said that color is a key deciding factor when buying a car.

"The psychology of color is a powerful influencing factor in automotive purchasing decisions. Frequently, color reflects the personality of the vehicle owner," said Nancy Lockhart, Global Color Manager, Mobility Coatings at Axalta. "What's interesting is that elegance, stability and positivity were predominant color characteristics desired by respondents surveyed."

The most popular car colors vary considerably in each country. In the US, 79 percent of participants said color was an important factor when buying a car. While white has consistently been the most popular car color in the world for the last decade, 30 percent of people surveyed in the US chose black as their favorite vehicle color, followed by white (15 percent), blue (14 percent), and gray (13 percent). 21 percent of this group said their current car is finished in black, followed by gray (16 percent), white (15 percent), and silver (14 percent).

In China, white was the most popular paint color for 29 percent of people surveyed, followed by black at 26 percent. Color is also important to 99 percent of respondents in China, while 64 percent said they would change manufacturers if their favorite color was not offered.

As for Germany, 83 percent of people in the survey said color is an important factor when buying a car. Black was the most popular color with 32 percent, while blue was the second most popular color with 16 percent. By contrast, red was the most popular car color in Mexico favored by 22 percent of those surveyed. Color was a key factor for 90 percent of people surveyed in Mexico when buying a car.

The study also revealed car buyer's preferences for paint finish and effects. High-gloss finishes were preferred in all markets apart from China, where there was an almost even split between high-gloss (48 percent) and matte (52 percent) finishes.