Grey is the UK’s favourite new car colour – but green is on the up – Motoring Research
Grey was the top colour choice for UK new car buyers in 2025, making it the eighth year running that grey has been number one.
Meanwhile, the number of new green cars grew rapidly – up 46.3 percent to claim their highest volume in 20 years.
More than 550,000 new grey cars were registered last year. According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), that gives the colour a record 27.6 percent market share.
Black was in second place, with 464,369 new car registrations giving the colour its highest market share since 2019. Sales of black cars grew by nearly 10 percent in 2025.
The UK’s favourite non-monochrome choice was blue, with 306,349 registrations earning it third place in the rankings – up 4.9 percent in a year.
Together, grey, black and blue cars accounted for nearly two thirds of all the new cars registered in 2025.
White remained fourth and silver regained fifth place. It’s a comeback for silver, points out the SMMT, which used to dominate British roads in the early 2000s.
Red cars were very popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, but the colour has now slipped to sixth place. A 5.8 percent market share is the lowest for red cars since records began.
The number of green cars registered in 2025 rocketed to nearly 100,000: the most since 2004.
Fittingly, points out the SMMT, the number of green-coloured electric cars almost doubled to reach 23,249 registrations.
This means one in 20 new electric cars registered last year was green, compared to just one in 300 the year before.
Notable new green electric cars include the Renault 5 E-Tech (pictured above) – indeed, green is the ‘free’ colour for the R5, with other hues being optional extras.
The Kia Sportage was the most registered new green car in 2025.
“UK car buyers’ preferences remain pretty consistent, with monochrome continuing to lead in popularity,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
“The surge in green, however, matches the growing popularity of electrified cars as the new car market decarbonises.”
The SMMT figures also showed that mauve entered the top 10 most popular colours. The BMW 1 Series was the most-registered mauve car.
The best-selling Ford Puma was the top-selling car for four colour choices: blue, white, silver and red.
Car manufacturers also offered maroon, pink and turquoise paint colours last year. However, they accounted for just 342 registrations between them.
Indeed, turquoise was the least popular colour of all, making up just 12 new car registrations in 2025.
“As ever, manufacturers are responding by expanding model ranges, colours and finishes, giving UK drivers more opportunities to personalise their vehicles – even if grey matters most,” added Mike Hawes.
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