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1. White 2012 Tesla Model S, shown in Pearl White White is the most popular car color, according to the 2012 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report*. White makes up 23 percent of the North American market and 24 percent of the worldwide market. It connotes luxury and quality, thanks in part to Apple’s influence with its white-colored computers, iPhones and iPods.
2. Black 2013 Cadillac XTS, shown in Black Raven Black, the second most popular car color, makes up 19 percent of the North American market and 21 percent of the worldwide market. Like white, it connotes luxury and quality. Also like white, black isn’t just black anymore. Advances in paint technology have created a plethora of rich finishes, such as the $995 optional Black Diamond Tricoat available on the Cadillac XTS.
3. Silver 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sport Sedan, shown in Iridium Silver Silver makes up 16 percent of the North American market and 18 percent of the worldwide market. It was the top color for many years, before white bumped it down a notch in 2011. It dropped another notch this year, ranking as the third most popular color. Silver took hold in consumer electronics during the early- to mid-2000s and consequently rose in popularity within the auto industry.
4. Gray 2013 Land Rover Range Rover, shown in Orkney Grey Americans call it gray. The British call it grey. Either way, it accounts for 15 percent of the market in North America and 14 percent worldwide. Metallic finishes such as the one on the Range Rover shown here have spruced up gray and made it something far different from the flat boring hue it used to be.
5. Red 2013 Lotus Evora Sports Racer, shown in Ardent Red Red comes in fifth and comprises 10 percent of the North American market and 8 percent of the worldwide market. “Reds are historically an important color for North America,” says Nancy Lockhart, DuPont color marketing manager. “They’re part of our American heritage when you look back at different car colors.”
6. Blue 2014 Jaguar XFR-S, shown in French Racing Blue Besides red, blue is one of the few popular chromatic colors. It makes up 7 percent of the North American market and 6 percent of the worldwide market. It’s popularity is on the rise in Europe and the color has been in vogue for a few years in the United States.
7. Brown/Beige 2013 Porsche Boxster, shown in Cognac Metallic Use of beige and brown in home decor has helped popularize the colors on cars. These earthy tones, which rank seventh on the list of most popular car colors, are associated with luxury and together comprise 5 percent of the North American market and 6 percent of the worldwide market.
8. Yellow/Gold 2013 Ford Focus ST, shown in Tangerine Scream Tri-Coat Bright colors like yellow have a bigger impact than their small take rate suggests. Together, yellow and gold only make up 2 percent of the North American automotive market and 1 percent of the worldwide market. But with so many black, gray, silver and white cars driving around, yellow cars really get noticed.
9. Green 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed, shown in Apple Green Green is seeing a resurgence, not in the typical hunter green of the past, but in lighter and more vivid tones like the Apple Green of the Bentley Continental GT Speed shown here. Still, green only makes up 2 percent of the North American market and 1 percent of the worldwide market.
10. Everything Else 2013 Chevrolet Spark, shown in Techno Pink Every other color excluding the previous nine on this list are so rare that combined they comprise less than 1 percent of the market in North America and less than 2 percent worldwide. But again, just because they’re rare doesn’t mean such colors disappear. On the contrary, cars painted in hues like the Techno Pink on the Chevrolet Spark shown here stand out and get talked about more because they are so rare.
