Britain's most popular paint colour revealed
More than one in five new cars were painted grey in 2019, but at the other end of the scale, cream, maroon and pink were the UK's least-favourite choices...
More UK buyers chose grey as the colour for their new car than any other in 2019. That's according to new data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which also reveals that black was the second most-popular choice, followed by white, blue and red.
In total, more than 521,000 cars were painted grey in the past year – that's more than a fifth of all new cars. Grey was also the UK's favourite choice in 2018, having usurped black and white, which had alternated as the most popular colour since 2009. And although grey was the UK's top colour in 2019 as a whole, in Scotland the preference was for white.
The car most likely to be painted grey was the Volkswagen Golf family hatchback, which ended 2019 as the UK's second most-popular new car behind the Ford Fiesta, with close to 60,000 models sold. The majority of Fiesta buyers chose to paint their cars blue.
Rounding out the top 10 most popular hue choices over the last year were green, bronze and yellow, with each colouring less than 1% of the new car market. In fact, yellow cars made up just 0.3% of the market, with just 6566 owners choosing that colour for their new car. The most likely model to be painted yellow was the Suzuki Vitara small SUV.
The least popular choices of car colour over the past year were maroon, cream and pink.
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The UK's best-selling cars of 2019
So grey was the UK's most popular new car colour in 2019, but which cars were among last year's big winners? Below we look at the 10 most popular cars leaving dealerships in 2019. As always, you can find out more about each model by following the links to our reviews, and see how much we can save you with our Target Price discounts.
10. Kia Sportage
The Sportage is a versatile family SUV that represents great value for money, especially if you stick with the lower trim levels. It also has decent space for rear passengers and in the boot, which means it can haul your family and all their luggage in comfort. Add in that resale values are also decent and it's thoroughly recommendable.
2019 sales 34,502
What Car? rating: Rated 3 out of 5
Read our full Kia Sportage review >>
9. Volkswagen Polo
The Polo is our champion in the small car class, and it's easy to see why. Not only is it deceptively spacious, but it's quiet on the move, has a supple ride and is offered with a range of peppy engines. It genuinely feels like a car from the class above, and while it can be a tad pricey, our Target Price deals means that need not be a problem.
2019 sales 37,453
What Car? rating: Rated 5 out of 5
Read our full Volkswagen Polo review >>
8. Mini 3dr/5dr
The Mini hatchback consistently appears on this list, and we like its low running costs and strong resale values. It's great to drive, although it's not as practical as some rival small cars. Go with a Cooper Classic model for the best experience while also keeping costs sensible.
2019 sales 41,188
What Car? rating: Rated 4 out of 5
