INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Stop by a classic car show and you’ll see pops of color everywhere. You might spot a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner in bright yellow, a color common in the muscle car era, or a 1975 Chevy Nova in sleek orange.
But parking garages and driveways are now full of white, gray, and black cars – so what’s going on? Have drivers become more boring and are now choosing more muted colors for their cars? White tops the list, with 25% of all new registrations in 2023 being white, according to Edmunds.
To find out what colors dominate in Indiana today, CheapInsurance.com used data from Edmunds to create a ranking of the most popular car colors based on a national analysis. The ranking of car colors was created based on their market share of new residential registrations in 2023.
Neutral colors continue to top the list of most popular car colors, but there are some surprising hues further down. Historically, several factors play a role when it comes to changing car color preferences, including the development of different paint technologies over the years, larger economic trends and, of course, consumer preferences, explained Consumerist.
Ford’s original Model T was only offered in black because the black asphalt paints used on the assembly line dried the fastest and were more durable than other oil-based options. Innovations on the assembly line after World War I made colored cars possible for the first time, and in 1923 Duco paint was introduced, offering an additional range of beautiful colors.
Car manufacturers often hire color experts and put together focus groups to hypothesize about the new trending colors. In the past few decades, however, black, white and their offspring gray have been the best sellers.
The early 2000s recession may have pushed consumers toward more “neutral” colors, Barb Whalen, color and materials design manager at Ford Motor Company, told Consumerist. Plus, Apple’s sleek white tech products helped establish the color (or lack thereof) as the hue of the future, as consumers might subconsciously decide to match their iPhone to their new Camry.
Wondering what colors are popular in your state? Read on to learn about the most popular car colors in Indiana.
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#5. Red
– Market share: 7%
(Photo/Canva provided via Stacker)
#4. Dark blue
– Market share: 8%
(Photo/Canva provided via Stacker)
#3. Black
– Market share: 20%
(Photo/Canva provided via Stacker)
#2. White
– Market share: 21%
(Photo/Canva provided via Stacker)
#1. Grey
– Market share: 24%
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, written by Cassidy Grom, and is part of a series leveraging data automation in 50 states and Washington DC
This story originally appeared on CheapInsurance.com and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
