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From yellow convertibles to green minivans, unusually colored cars appear to have their values hold up best in the resale market.
Even though black and silver vehicles, for example, are much more popular with new car buyers, research from iSeeCars.com shows that vehicles in common paint coats can lose value quickly. "There are just too many cars available in those colors to elevate resale value," Karl Brauer, an analyst at the car search company, said in a report from June.
The value of the average vehicle drops 22.5% in three years, but the falloff is much lower for certain color cars, like yellow, coming in at 13.5%. Compared to the average three-year decline in value of $9,674, yellow cars lose $6,588, a difference of more than $3,000.
“While not many people want a yellow car, there are clearly more people who want one than exist, which is why yellow performs so well on the secondary market,” Brauer said.
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What the research says
For the car market in general, the above-average colors for resale value are yellow, beige, orange, green, red, white and blue. These could be good choices if resale value is a top concern.
Here are some of the other insights from the data:
- Compared to last year’s analysis, beige moved up from the No. 9 spot into second. It can be hard to say exactly why a color performs well in terms of holding its value, but iSeeCars.com suggests beige cars are faring better than other colors because some special trims of off-road trucks are made in that color, including the Jeep Gladiator Mojave and the Toyota Tacoma TRD, which are coveted vehicles.
- While yellow performs extremely well for resale value in the coupe and convertible segments, shoppers for other types of cars seem to want something less flashy. Overall, brown is the second worst color (only ahead of gold) if you're trying to sell your vehicle, but it’s the best color for sedans if you want your car to hold value. Brown “blends in and doesn’t make any waves,” which used sedan buyers seem to be into, according to the report.
- Green does well in every category, but that's especially true in the minivan segment where it's the top ranking color for resale value, “suggesting the conservative earth tone matches the minivan demographic," according to the report.
Bottom line
Resale value isn't always a consideration when Americans are shopping for cars and choosing colors. More often, buyers probably pick a color based on what they think looks good. Or, with vehicle inventory as low as it has been, they may focus simply on getting the right trim at a fair price and the color is an afterthought.
As it turns out, however, a car’s color matters quite a bit and can possibly make a difference of several thousand dollars when it’s time to sell.
But you can’t necessarily just buy a yellow car and bank on being able to sell it for a high price in a few years. It’s not that simple because trends vary depending on the segment and the car model. Not to mention that the potential difference in resale value may not be worth the head turns, if that’s not your thing.
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FAQs
Popular colors like Black, White and Silver depreciate at a rate close to average. If resale value is important to you, you'll probably want to steer clear of gold and brown, colors that depreciate far worse than average.
What color cars have the lowest resale value? ›
Popular colors like Black, White and Silver depreciate at a rate close to average. If resale value is important to you, you'll probably want to steer clear of gold and brown, colors that depreciate far worse than average.
Which color car has the highest resale value? ›
Resale Value
Many buyers choose to buy white, black, gray, or silver cars because they retain their value better. If your car is a flashier color, you may have difficulty selling it.
What color has the highest resale value? ›
The top five car colors with the best resale value
- Yellow (13.5% value lost over three years)
- Orange (18.4% value lost over three years)
- Red (20.6% value lost over three years)
- White (21.9% value lost over three years)
- Blue (22.0% value lost over three years)
- Gray (22.5% value lost over three years)
White, Silver, and Grey (Average Depreciation: 36-38%)
These classic colours consistently rank high in terms of resale value.
What color car loses its value the fastest? ›
Brown, a shade that is uncommon across most vehicle types, also happens to lose its value faster than any other color, depreciating at a rate 1.2 times faster than the industry average.
What is the least desired car color? ›
Among all the cars produced in 2021, the least popular car colors were:
- Green: found on 2% of cars.
- Natural/Brown/Beige: found on 1.5% of cars.
- Purple, Two-Tone, Other: found on 1% of cars.
Worst Car Colours for Resale Value:
- Gold: While it may be a unique choice for some, gold cars often have lower resale values as they may be seen as dated or less universally appealing.
- Purple: As a less common and quite specific colour, purple cars can be harder to sell and might fetch a lower resale price.
We've referenced the safest color car on the road. That color is white. White cars are 12 percent less likely to be involved in an accident than black cars at any time of the day under any conditions. This is because there is often a lot of contrast between white cars and its surroundings.
What car color lasts the longest? ›
White. It can stay the dirtiest the longest while still looking clean, or somewhat clean. Despite being filthy. And as time goes on as the clear coat dulls with age, it isn't nearly as noticeable as colors like black.
Eminent White Pearl
White cars have a natural sense of luxury and classiness that can't be denied. So, it's a great choice if you want to keep your car color simple but not dark.
What color sells the fastest? ›
White is one of the best colors for selling a home because it's simple, timeless, and not influenced by personal taste, which allows potential buyers to see it as their own blank canvas. And when buyers can see your home as a blank canvas, it dramatically increases the pool of buyers you appeal to.
What Colour cars hold their value the best? ›
Choosing the right colour for your car can have an impact on its resale value. Although there are many colours to choose from, white, black, silver, blue, and red are the best choices if you want to hold your car's value.
What is the most attractive car color? ›
White tops our list as the hottest color for cars 'cause it's just so fresh and clean. The reason why white works so well is that it can be used to create the most visually-appealing contrast between the main body of the car and smaller parts like the wheels, grill, or windows.
Which color car is best to buy? ›
Sticking to neutral colors like white, black, gray, and silver is the safest bet. But if you feel inclined to expand your palette, remember that bright blue, yellow, orange, or purple vehicles could put you at a disadvantage when selling or trading in your car.
What color cars are harder to sell? ›
The three paint colors with the highest depreciation—purple, brown, and gold—also have low market share, but depreciate far worse than average. “Rarity alone does not equal value. If a color doesn't resonate with enough used car shoppers it will hurt resale value, even if it's uncommon,” said Brauer.
What is the most unpopular car color? ›
Maroon, pink and cream remained the least popular colours, comprising just 604 registrations combined. Meanwhile, orange, bronze, turquoise and brown fell in popularity compared with 2023 volumes.
What is the cheapest car color to maintain? ›
Most variations of gray or silver are the lowest maintenance colors, followed by whites and other lighter-shade hues.
