A walk through any parking lot tells the story plainly. Close to 80 percent of American new-car buyers are still choosing neutral "grayscale" finishes — white, black, or silver/gray. But color is quietly making a comeback.
"Trend data clearly shows the palette evolving rather than stagnating," says Gloria Jover, an automotive expert at the New Jersey-based Pantone Color Institute. The market share of colored car paints has risen by nearly two percentage points over recent years — a notable shift.
This represents a meaningful reversal of a pattern that has defined the 21st century, a period in which the range of available car colors effectively shrank to half of what it was just two decades ago.
That drift toward neutrality reflects the psychology of purchasing an expensive, depreciating asset, according to Jover. With average new-car prices now around $50,000, dealers stock neutrals because they sell fastest, and buyers choose them to protect resale value.
The postwar optimism of the 1950s gave us cars in bright pastels. More recently, the all-white minimalism of early-2000s technology — iPods, iMacs — helped establish white as the dominant new-car color of the 2010s.
So what can we expect over the next five years?
Blue and red — the colors Americans have historically reached for when going chromatic — are actually declining in popularity, according to German chemical company BASF, which supplies paint to roughly half of all new cars globally.
The bigger story is our relationship with the natural world, which appears to be shaping vehicle color preferences. Green is the standout trend. According to Jover, it "has become the most dynamic chromatic mover worldwide." Green's growth tracks directly with the ongoing SUV and crossover boom, as both the marketing and the self-image of buyers in those segments increasingly lean into outdoor and ecological themes. "Green signals individuality and a nature-linked aesthetic," Jover says.
Misty Yeomans, automotive color and styling manager at paint manufacturer PPG, singles out the emerging appeal of minty and soft leafy greens — like PPG's own color of the year, "Secret Safari," described as "organic" and "mineral." These lighter greens "visually reflect efficiency, minimalism, and advanced mobility," Jover explains, and are expected to show up on production vehicles in the coming years.
Deep purples are also gaining traction, driven by a fascination with space and the cosmos. "Consumers have continued to be super interested in space and space travel, so we're seeing a rise in an intergalactic look," says Yeomans — purplish blues with a black shift or a glittering sparkle that evoke interstellar exploration. Dodge has leaned into this with colors like Purple Haze and After Dark on its new Charger.
"Atmospheric" oranges are another emerging trend, partly inspired by the enduring popularity of golden-hour photography. Orange also evokes rock formations and the adventurous spirit of technical outdoor gear, according to Gypsy Modina, principal designer of color, material, and finish at Honda — which launched its new Passport TrailSport in an exclusive Sunset Orange.
Despite slower overall EV market growth, electric vehicles continue to drive aesthetic trends. "Electrified vehicles are now leading a lot of the color trends," says Honda's Modina.
"Smoked neutrals — subtly tinted brownish or greenish grays infused with delicate chromatic undertones — are gaining traction" in EVs, says Jover, linking these tones to the mood of quiet luxury. Jeep's upcoming Recon electric off-roader launched in one such olive shade.
New finishes are also breathing life into familiar color families. Matte ethereal silvers are ascending among EV buyers, with Jover linking the look to core EV values of "efficiency, minimalism, and advanced mobility." The Dodge Charger EV's "Triple Nickel" and the Jeep Wagoneer S EV's "Silver Zynith" are prime examples. Pearl-infused whites are also on the rise, evoking "luminosity, depth, and expressing innovation and precision" — as seen on Honda's now-cancelled 0-Series concept vehicles.
"With technological advances like AI, we can be more efficient in developing colors, compressing timelines, moving faster," says Yeomans. Modina adds that it accelerates the research side of R&D, streamlining the process of cataloguing existing colors and competitive offerings.
AI tools are also making premium finishes more accessible. Matte and pearlescent treatments, once reserved for high-end applications, are becoming broadly available. "We can make a version of luxury styling to fit any price point now," Yeomans says.
