Grey is the UK’s most popular new car colour for the fifth consecutive year, followed by black and white, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The SMMT data shows that 415,199 new grey cars were registered last year, up by 1.7%, equating to one in four new cars sold (25.7%).

Black, which had been the most popular car colour in the UK from 2009 to 2012, was the next most popular colour, equating to one in five new cars (20.1%) sold. White was the third most popular (16.7%).

It means that 62.5% of all new cars sold in 2022 were painted in one of these monochrome shades. Silver, meanwhile, which held first or second place in car buyers’ affections for 12 straight years from 2000 to 2011, posted just 98,483 units and a 6.1% market share in 2022 – its lowest level in more than two decades.

Red, although retaining its fifth-place ranking, also recorded a decline to reach its lowest market share since 2008, at 136,793 units accounting for 8.5% of all cars registered.

Green enjoyed a resurgence in popularity to a level not seen for 16 years, up by 74.2% on 2021 with the largest volume growth of all colours (up 13,293 units). Some 31,220 new green cars were registered in total – perhaps fittingly a quarter of which (24.1%) could be plugged-in. Overall though, the top colour for most powertrains remained grey, with just PHEVs opting for black.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “Car colour choice theoretically proclaims something about who we are as drivers and buying a car today comes with many possibilities to customise your vehicle to match. After choosing from the market’s ever-growing choice of makes, models, powertrains, wheel trims and in-car tech, picking out the perfect paint is an exciting decision to make. While the most popular shades remained unchanged for 2022, for those looking to ensure their vehicle stands out from the crowd, there remains a huge variety of colour choices from across the rainbow available to suit every character.”

At the other end of the spectrum, the least popular shades were maroon, pink, and cream, which, combined, recorded less than 1% of all registrations.2 Pink tinted vehicles tallied their lowest number since 2009, while other niche paints, including orange, yellow, bronze, turquoise and mauve, all posted growth, hinting at a broader trend, although combined, the colours only make up 3.4% of the market at 55,401 units.

Grey was also the top selling colour in every region and every county in the UK, bar the Scottish Borders where blue pushed it into second spot. Red cars proved most popular in Berkshire with 6,735 registrations, while the highest number of green cars was registered in Greater London, at 1,894 units, and Strathclyde registered more orange cars (1,313) than any other county. Cheshire took top spot for turquoise, with 291 units, while pink was most favoured in Derbyshire, although it accounted for just 10 new car registrations in the county, demonstrating how rarely drivers picked the colour.

While grey was the most popular colour in the UK’s three largest segments, superminis, lower mediums and dual purpose, as well as in upper medium and specialist sports, white was the most popular shade for the mini and multi-purpose segments and black was most popular for executive cars and luxury saloons.

The new car market contracted by 2% last year, despite recording its fifth consecutive month of growth in December.

Figures from the SMMT show a total of 1.614m new cars were registered in 2022. Despite underlying demand, pandemic-related global parts shortages meant the new car market ended 700,000 units below pre-Covid levels.

Fleet and business registrations accounted for 49.3% of the total, falling from 51.3% in 2021. However, fleets and business buyers were responsible for the lion’s share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), accounting for two thirds (66.7%) of all BEV registrations and 74.7% of the volume gain in 2022.

The best-selling new car in 2022 was the Nissan Qashqai, achieving 42,704 registrations. Grey was also the most popular colour choice among Qashqai buyers.