If you've ever wondered what's in a car color - the answer is, a lot. The color of a vehicle can really impact its resale value - with some colors causing a larger drop in value than others. iSeeCars compared the prices of more than 650,000 recently sold three-year old used cars then determined the average three-year vehicle depreciation rate by car color. Its researchers found that vehicles withthe highest depreciating color lost nearly four times the value compared to the lowest. Bold colors - with a low market share - tend to hold their value best. Jewel tones also do fairly well because they stand out without being flashy. 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. Vehicle Depreciation by Car Color (ranked by lowest to highest % depreciation) - iSeeCars Rank Color 3-year % Depreciation $ Difference from MSRP Compared to Overall Avg 1 Yellow 4.5% $3,155 0.3x 2 Orange 10.7% $3,825 0.7x 3 Purple 13.9% $5,461 0.9x 4 Red 14.0% $5,399 0.9x 5 Green 14.0% $5,596 0.9x 6 Blue 14.3% $5,582 1x 7 Gray 14.3% $5,635 1x 9 Beige 14.4% $5,960 1x 10 Silver 14.8% $5,499 1x Overall Average 15.0% $6,096 1x 11 White 15.5% $6,490 1x 12 Black 16.1% $6,993 1.1x 13 Gold 16.7% $6,719 1.1x 14 Brown 17.8% $7,642 1.2x White, black, and gray, known as "greyscale colors", are the most popular car colors and researchers say they depreciate at a rate close to average. So they won't help or hurt resale value to any great degree. 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. All-Electric 2023 Lexus RZ. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our full review. 2023 Hyundai Kona EV. Want to learn more? Click the image for our full review. Kia Stinger. Want to learn more? Click the image to read, "Kia Stinger Ends Production With A Tribute Edition." Polestar. Want to learn more? Click the image. 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our full review. 2023 Dodge Hornet GT. Interested? Click the image to learn more. Nissan Aryia EV. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our full review. While it may be among the least popular color choices, yellow is the vehicle color that holds its value best overall, depreciating 70 percent less than the average vehicle. You'll typically find it on sports cars and low volume vehicles that typically hold their value relatively well. Orange ranks second, for the same reason. iSeeCars says you often find it on special limited edition vehicles and muscle cars. The color on the Mustang Mach-E you see below is technically called "Cyber Orange Metallic." The color on the Genesis GV60 (pictured in the image slider) is technically called "Sao Paulo Lime" but it looks yellow to us. Ford Mustang Mach-E in Cyber Orange Metallic.Want to learn more? Click the image to read our article, "Ford Boosts 2023 Mustang Mach-E Production And Lowers Prices". 2023 Wrangler Rubicon 4xe.Click the image to read our article, "Meet The 20th Anniversary Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Limited Editions." 2023 Dodge Charger ScatPack Widebody.Click the image to read our article, "Order Your “Last Call” 2023 Dodge Charger & Challenger Now." Kia Seltos in Starbright Yellow. Did you know? The Seltos was awarded 2023's Best Subcompact by Kelley Blue Book.Click the image to read the full article. 2023 Genesis GV60 EV in Sao Paulo Lime. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our review of the 2023 Genesis GV60. Aside from yellow and orange - if retaining value is important to you, look to jewel tones like purple, red, green and blue. Researchers say they hold their value better than average. 2023 Dodge Charger ScatPack Widebody in Plum Crazy. Credit: Stellantis. 2023 Lexus LC 500 Convertible. 2023 Ford Bronco Everglades. Ford Mustang Mach-E. 2023 Kia EV6 GT Line in Runway Red. 2023 Toyota Crown in Supersonic Red. Blue is the most popular color aside from greyscale hues, according to another iSeeCars study. As you can see below, blues range widely in color as evidenced by models we spotted at the recent 2023 North Texas Auto Show. 2023 Chevrolet Camero in Rapid Blue. 2023 Ram 1500 TRX in Hydro Blue Pearl-Coat 2023 Honda Pilot Trailsport in Diffused Sky Blue Pearl. Ford F-150 Lighning in Antimatter Blue Metallic. 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness in Geyser Blue. 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Edition in Robin's Next. Audi's Navarra Blue Metallic. 2023 Kia Telluride in Midnight Lake Blue. 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV in Ice Blue Metallic. You won't see a lot of beige cars out there (beige defined as off-white to light brown), which depreciate at a rate close to average. We're not sure where Lexus' Copper Crest falls in terms of popularity and long-term value, but it's one of the unique hues out there right now. 2023 Lexus RX 350 F Sport in Copper Crest. 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition in Baja Storm Metallic. Car color depreciation varies by vehicle type. iSeeCars analyzed the depreciation of each car color within the major vehicle segments. The colors that retain the BEST value by segment are: SUV Depreciation by Color - iSeeCars Rank Color Average 3-year % Depreciation $ Difference from MSRP 1 Yellow -2.7% -$1,437 2 Orange 11.5% $3,635 3 Green 15.3% $5,695 4 Gray 15.8% $6,366 5 Red 15.8% $6,078 Pickup Truck Depreciation by Color - iSeeCars Rank Color Average 3-year % Depreciation $5,628 1 Beige 3.8% $5,628 2 Orange 8.6% $5,628 3 Gray 10.7% $5,628 4 Blue 10.9% $5,628 5 Brown 11.6% $5,628 Sedan Depreciation by Color - iSeeCars Rank Color Average 3-year % Depreciation $ Difference from MSRP 1 Purple 10.7% $4,053 2 Red 11.9% $3,565 3 Green 12.8% $5,515 4 Orange 12.9% $4,229 5 Silver 13.1% $3,927 The colors that DEPRECIATE the most by segment are: For a complete breakdown of the data by segment visit iSeeCars.com.Car Colors and Value
Vehicle Depreciation by Car Color
White, Black and Gray
Yellow, Orange
Jewel Tones
The Many Shades of Blue
Other Car Colors
Colors by Car Segment
Top 5 SUV Colors With The Least Depreciation
Top 5 Truck Colors With The Least Depreciation
Top 5 Sedan Colors With The Least Depreciation
FAQs
ISeeCars: The Best and Worst Car Colors For Resale Value? ›
Jewel tones also do fairly well because they stand out without being flashy. 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 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 most popular color car for resale? ›White, Silver, and Grey (Average Depreciation: 36-38%)
These classic colours consistently rank high in terms of resale value.
On the complete opposite end of the color spectrum, you can go with a beautiful Eminent White Pearl. Its beautiful sheen will look immaculate, especially in the wintertime. White cars have a natural sense of luxury and classiness that can't be denied.
What color car is easiest to sell? ›The color of a car can have an effect on its 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 car not to buy? ›The most dangerous car colors tend to be the darkest ones. Just because you buy a black, gray, blue, or green car does not make you unsafe or accident-prone, but it does put you at a higher risk of getting into an accident, all things being equal.
What is the most unpopular car color? ›What is the least favourite car colour? According to statistics, the least popular car colours are gold, yellow and purple.
What color car hides scratches best? ›Silver. Similar to white, silver cars reflect light effectively, making it easier to conceal scratches. Instead of standing out, scratches in a silver car are more likely to blend into the paint.
What color car sells best? ›White Cars
Cars painted in white tend to hold their value better than other colours, and this is because of its universal appeal. White is a classic, clean, and timeless colour that is favoured by many buyers, which makes it an easy sell should you ever decide to sell your car.
White is the colour that lasts the longest due to its lack of pigment. Conversely, black, green, red and blue are the hardest colours to maintain.
What color car is classy? ›
Neutral colors like white, black, silver, and gray are consistently associated with luxury and elite social status. They are elegant and often considered “classy,” at least compared to “loud” car colors like yellow and red. When considering practicality, sliver and gray hues are much easier to keep clean.
What color car is the most expensive to insure? ›The color of your car doesn't affect your insurance rate. Instead, your insurance company uses other information, like your car's age, location, usage, and your driving record, to help determine insurance rates. Learn more about the factors that impact auto insurance pricing.
What is the best color to sell a car? ›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 desirable color for a car? ›America's Most Popular Car Colors (according to iSeeCars.Com) Grayscale colors (white, black, gray, and silver) represent a total of 78.5% of all vehicles on the road in the United States. White sits atop the list as the most popular choice.
What color adds value to a car? ›Yellow, beige and orange will bring the most money when it's time to sell.