Yellow car sales rise by 50% but NI drivers opt for monochrome

Survey shows new UK appetite for light, bright vehicles

YELLOW car sales in the UK rose by 50% last year — but monochrome tones still reign supreme among new car buyers.

A new survey by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that while grey is still the top colour for new car owners across the UK — followed by black, then white — brighter colours were rising in popularity.

The colour palette changes slightly in Northern Ireland, where the top selling new car colours are grey, blue then white, followed by black.

Nationally red car sales suffered their worst year in 2020 but were still among the top five most popular shades. Registrations of red colours dropped below 200,000 for the first time in a decade, falling to 147,222, the lowest tally since 1997.

The rest of the top 10 remained unchanged, apart from yellow and bronze, which reversed places as yellow increased its market share by 50%, taking the number nine spot here in Northern Ireland.

In total, some 6,816 yellow cars were sold nationally.

Charles Hurst sales director Jeff Mccartney said colour choice remained a major factor in purchasing a vehicle and colour often tended to mirror the type of car chosen.

He said: “For new cars, customers can choose the colour to their specifications and it’s no surprise that grey, black and white continue to stand out, particularly among established brands. While conservative, they’re seen as safe and classic choices and buyers can often be conscious of their popularity, particularly when it comes to changing or selling on later.

“However, more younger buyers and first-time drivers are definitely more adventurous and care-free in their choices which is reflected by an increased number of yellow vehicles on the road, which tend to be the top favourite among smaller vehicle owners. There’s never been so much choice to adapt the car that you want and these buyers are really taking advantage of that.”

Paul Wards, director of sales at Shelbourne Motors, said grey, black and red are the most popular choices at his showrooms.

He said the trend had been pretty consistent across his Toyota, Renault, Nissan, Kia and Dacia franchises “with white becoming more and more popular”.

“We have noticed that silver isn’t as popular as it once was a couple of years ago. Yellow wouldn’t be one of the most popular selections, but a customer’s choice of car colour is very individual and really does come down to personal taste.”

A total of 397,197 grey cars were sold in 2020, meaning just shy of a quarter (24.3%) of all new cars sold were painted in the shade.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “2020 was a pretty dark year for the automotive industry and having grey as the top new car colour probably reflects the atmosphere.”