Does this 1996 vs 2025 car color trend toward grayscale make sense?

[AviatorTom]

Here's a comparison of popular car colors in the US separated by 30 years.

It shows a definite trend away from colors to mainly grayscale.

What do you think about this?

For people in other countries, would your country be similar?

Updates

2 mo

Remember Henry Ford's original sales pitch of the Model T, a hundred plus years ago.

You can have any color you want, so long as it's black.

[Lliam]

In 2013, my wife bought a brand new 2012 Kia Soul in "alien green". Here it is:
https://preview.redd.it/just-joined-the-club-my-new-to-me-2012-green-soul-any-v0-jqdaag1g6gl31.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=28e84bfeb73e8db374cc8e0217df018700230549
When I told someone about it they asked "Is she a redhead?" Bingo. She looks extra cute in that green car with her red hair. It's essential to look cute. LOL

In 2020, I bought a red 2010 Toyota Rav4 Limited in new condition with only 83k miles.

My wife and I both love our colorful cars.

The walls in our house are painted fun colors, too. I was sick of shades of white from living in apartments all my life.

Regarding car colors, I recall the car culture of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Candy apple red, Canary yellow, and stock colors like Tor Red, Hemi Orange, Vitamin C, Go Mango, Lemon Twist, Top Banana, Limelight, In Violet, Plum Crazy, Moulin Rouge, Panther Pink, Sassy Grass Green, Green Go, Grabber Blue and Competition Blue.

I owned a midnight blue '63 Buick Le Sabre 2 dr hard top with a white top. It was bad ass. I christened it the Bismark. Later, I owned a light green '69 El Camino. And after that I owned a gold souped up '72 El Camino.

Cars were colorful, cheerful and had character. Some of the colors were metalic and glistened. I had a gun safe painted a 1989 Nissan iridescent dusky rose that changes from tan to pink to light gray, depending on the light.

Now days, car colors are not only boring but so are most of the designs unless you get into high end models.

Is it because it is cheaper for manufacturers to limit their color options or because consumers have become more sedate and lacking in character?

[Billlewis]

I worked for many years in the flooring industry, and for a long time, I argued that one of the best colors for carpet, tile and vinyl plank is gray. I was usually met with incredulity, until about ten years ago, whereupon droves of customers suddenly clamored for gray. Now, it's all over the North side of Chicago and pretty much everyone is sick of it. I don't know how it's working out for the automobile industry.

[AviatorTom]

@Billlewis I hear ya. When we remodeled our home 6 years ago, we put gray LVP throughout the house. Now, my wife wants to change it all. 🤨

[sage2021]

I've given a lot of thought about this even before reading your question.

I think that it's terrible that there's only black, white, and gray cars anymore.

And same with the way people are always dressed in black.

Black leggings

Black T-shirts

That's all we see anymore. So I refuse to buy or wear black clothes. I wear cheerful colored clothes.

I think that the black cars, black appliances and black cars are part of the reason why people are so depressed. They are surrounded by black!

In the way back days, the only reason to wear black or be in a black car was if you were going to a funeral.

[Flower7]

Interesting theory.

[sage2021]

Thank you for the MHO 🙂🧡

[purplepoppy]

Same in the UK there's far to many grey cars on the roads I reckon its 50 shades of grey syndrome.

They say it's because they sell better than nice colours which makes me think. Are we all so scared of standing out that we all choose grey as not to draw attention to ourselves? Are we trying to get through life unnoticed? And how the Hell do grey car owners find their car in carparks?

[browsingthroughthe]

@purplepoppy 🟣🎨 interesting though what happened to all the the smaller percentage people who chose colours like purple etc? Did they all just not breed and die out lol

[OlderAndWiser]

I am partially colorblind. Because of that, I have a preference for grayscale colors, so. . . what's the problem?

[Massageman]

Except for the reds, yes, because I see a lot of those- mainly on trucks, per se, not as much on cars.

The small/baseline cars aimed at kids/ first time owners are more brightly colored, and pull from a wider palette. The higher end cars have finishes that are often on the "silver-gray-black" (when DOES a grayed blue become a blued gray?) continuum, but with plenty of variation in the metallic subtleties.

The one trend I really dislike is the "wall paint with varnish" look- dead-flat colors with a clear coat over. Camo, hazy, washed out sage- whatever- "flat wall paint" with a clear coat to make it appear shiny. Shiny does not equal depth, and it's the depth that really makes a car's paint job pop. I hope this fad dies quickly.

[Screenwriter]

I have coffee with a guy a few mornings a week and his street is a main artery to a children's hospital. We've marveled at how colorless late model cars are. THey are depressing to look at.. White, black, silver, grays. I'm glad my old civic is maroon. Can always find it in the parking lot.

[FreyaRed]

Silver metallic was popular here two decades back. I guess because metallic paint has two layers and transparent coating outside is harder and more durable than pigmented coating.
Now it's gray or even matte gray, sometime anthracite gray that is close to black.

My father said. People complained while communism time that everything is brown and gray, now they buy brown and gray cars.

[jennifer_bloom]

I think the evidence shows your chances of getting into a car crash are higher with a red car and that is why car insurance is higher if you buy a flashy car colour like red or yellow or green. I also want to be anonymous so I do not get noticed by thieves. I told my cousin to get any high end vehicle she considers safe for her and her family, but paint it a disgustingly ugly colour so nobody will try to steal it.

[Ill_made_Knight]

I think that most people tend to choose a "safer" color for their vehicle, every day you're going to look at it as you walk up to it. If the color is a bit exotic it could start feeling a bit disappointing 5 years down the road after the chosen color becomes dated much like that avocado green or harvest gold kitchen that was almost standard in the 70's. If you're spending a bunch on a car safe is good.

[Jersey2]

For a long time I hade black, gray and even a silver car. But we now noticed the same, that everyone is on the grayscale so we picked out a bright red for the 2026 car. 🚘 The color cost an extra $2,000 so perhaps that is why there are so few.

[Jersey2]

I selected a red emoji car and when it posted it changed to blue… how about that, huh.

[Chris009800]

There's been a recent trend of all these new vehicles being painted in mat grey. They look like they just have primer on them with a gloss coat over it. I guess they gotta do something to make them appear new and different.

[browsingthroughthe]

@AviatorTom depressed people? Or people not wanting to stand out.

Or as we all remember - the speech by Miranda to Andy about "a blue sweater" 👀 🔵

[browsingthroughthe]

"because you tell the world you take yourself too seriously to care about (what colour) you throw on your back"

[Cidknee]

It actually funnels down to the feeling one settles into as the say passes. It's contagious and all around. You take it to work and you bring it back home.
It's the general consensus of a combined consumer in a constructed society.

[goaded]

When matt grey cars first started appearing, I wanted to buy Airfix models of battleships and attach the gun turrets to them (with strong magnets and something soft underneath so they wouldn't get scratched, I'm not a monster).

[NathanDavis]

"if you'd like some color to your car... please subscribe to this monthly fee..."

[exitseven]

most new vehicles are either black or white. It turns out blue or red vehicles can cost $500-$1000 dollars more than a black or white one. I suspect that has something to do with it.

[DryGermanGuy]

Practically every Mercedes is either silver or black, it's so damn boring.

[Iron_Man]

I like the dodge Challenger either red or black me and my brother used to race them when we went out of town with the locals in North Carolina and we won every time just random strangers at a red light and one had an old-fashioned Dodge Challenger

[Flower7]

Yes, for some reason many people like to drive boring vehicles these days

[Snakeyes7]

I hear that the more you stand out the easier it is for you to be pulled over by the cops. If that's true then I can totally understand the trend towards black or gray cars.

[OneViewpoint]

Grayscale has always been a sales leader. White, silver, gray, black. Colors are for a minority willing to step outside the box and ignore resale value for personal gratification.

[Cidknee]

I'd say they are all hooked into the passing of fads. Just like haircuts car colors have their day.

[Shiprex]

Nowadays one should be able to order any colour of car paint you want when you purchase it new.

[_Jenny_]

@AviatorTom Yes

[Paige2006]

Yes it does

[msc545]

I like it.