BASF releases 2024 automotive paint color report: white still dominates, but color variety slowly grows

White Remains the World's Favorite, But Loses Some Ground

For the 14th consecutive year, white has maintained its position as the world's most popular car color according to BASF's 2024 Automotive Color Report. But this year's data reveals some fascinating shifts in consumer preferences across global markets.

The Neutral Color Monopoly

The report shows that a staggering 81% of vehicles produced in 2024 came in just four colors:

• White (34%) - Down 1% from 2022 but still dominant
• Black (22%) - Gained 2% market share
• Gray (17%) - Up 1%
• Silver (8%) - Losing ground to gray

Why Do We Keep Choosing These Colors?

Economic Factors

• Neutral colors retain 5-10% higher resale value
• Fleet purchases account for 60% of white vehicle sales
• Insurance data shows neutral cars are 15% less likely to be stolen

Psychological Drivers

• The "mere exposure effect" makes familiar colors feel safer
• Color conformity - 68% of buyers choose colors they see commonly on roads
• Analysis paralysis leads to default neutral choices

Emerging Color Trends Worth Watching

While colorful options still represent just 19% of the market, certain hues are slowly gaining traction:

• Blue (7%) - Now the most popular non-neutral, especially in premium segments
• Red (4%) - Remains strong in sports cars and compact vehicles
• Green (2%)

Regional Color Personalities

Asia Pacific

• White commands 38% share due to tropical climates and taxi fleets
• Noticeable popularity of various different colors compared to the usual colors in other continents.

EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa)

• Gray surpasses black as the premium color of choice

Americas

• Blue and Red perform quite strong compared to other markets, likely being favored by performance buyers.
• Other actual colors are still quite unpopular.

The Future of Car Colors

Most manufacturers are beginning to experiment with more colorful choices on the standard paint range and premium manufactures are doubling down on personalization with their extended color palette.

The data suggests we may be approaching peak neutral, with color diversity expected to grow 3-5% annually through 2030 as personalization becomes increasingly important to buyers.

These figures are based on BASF’s global data for personal vehicles in 2024.