What Is the Most Unpopular Car Color?

Purple (including violet) is currently the least popular color for new cars worldwide, accounting for a fraction of a percent of new-vehicle production; pink is even rarer but is scarcely offered by automakers. Among colors that are more commonly available, brown/beige and green sit at the bottom of the popularity rankings. This assessment reflects the latest industry color audits from major coatings suppliers and market analysts through 2023–2024.

What the Latest Data Shows

Annual color popularity reports from global coatings makers consistently place purple/violet at the very bottom of new-car color choices. Axalta’s Global Automotive Color Popularity report (latest edition published late 2023) puts “Others” — a bucket that includes purple/violet and orange — at roughly 1% of global production, with purple typically representing the smallest sliver inside that category. Mainstream neutrals dominate: white (~36%), black (~19%), gray (~19%), followed by silver (~10%), blue (~8–9%), and red (~7–8%). Brown/beige hover near ~2%, green near ~1%, and yellow/gold together around ~1%, varying by region and vehicle segment.

The list below synthesizes those findings into a snapshot of the least-selected hues for new cars. Percentages are approximate global shares and can vary meaningfully by market and model type.

• Purple/Violet: well under 1% globally and often effectively 0% in regional tallies
• Pink: effectively 0% due to extremely limited OEM availability
• Yellow/Gold: roughly ~1% combined; more common on niche performance models
• Green: around ~1% globally, though rising modestly with new model launches
• Brown/Beige: roughly ~2%, continuing a long-term decline in many markets

Because manufacturers’ offerings and regional tastes differ, these shares should be read as directional rather than absolute; the consistent throughline is that purple/violet remains the rarest choice among colors that are actually available to order.

Why Some Colors Lag

Several structural and behavioral factors keep certain colors — particularly purple — at the bottom of sales charts.

1. Limited availability: Automakers rarely offer purple or pink on mainstream models, restricting supply before buyer preference even comes into play.
2. Fleet demand: High-volume fleet and commercial orders concentrate on white, gray, silver, and black, skewing totals toward neutrals.
3. Resale caution: Buyers often perceive non-neutral colors as riskier for resale, reinforcing a preference for white/black/gray/silver.
4. Fashion cycles and culture: Color associations shift slowly in autos; purple lacks broad cultural appeal compared with blues and reds.
5. Segment skew: Bold colors cluster on sports cars and specialty trims; the bulk of sales are trucks and crossovers favoring subdued palettes.
6. Maintenance perceptions: Some bright or unusual hues are seen as harder to keep looking clean or to repair-match.

These dynamics create a feedback loop: limited supply reduces visibility on the road, which in turn dampens demand and discourages broader OEM adoption.

Regional Nuances

While purple is rare almost everywhere, regional patterns shape the lower ranks. Asia-Pacific and North America remain heavily neutral (white, black, gray), leaving little room for fringe hues. Europe leans strongly into gray and black; Latin America traditionally favors silver and white. A notable shift is the gradual return of green — particularly sophisticated metallic and matte shades — on crossovers and EVs, nudging green’s share upward from a low base. Even so, purple’s presence generally rounds to near-zero across regions.

What It Means for Resale

Unpopular doesn’t always mean poor resale. Analyses of used-car depreciation have shown that some uncommon colors, like yellow on sports cars, can retain value well because scarcity meets focused demand. Conversely, historically unfashionable hues such as brown/beige have tended to depreciate faster on mass-market vehicles. For purple, sample sizes are often too small to draw firm statistical conclusions, but the safest bet for broad resale appeal remains the core neutrals (white, black, gray, silver), with blue and red also performing reliably in many segments.

Practical Takeaway for Shoppers

If you value blending in and maximizing resale, choose a neutral. If you want a distinctive look, consider limited but rising options like deep greens or curated special-edition colors on the right segment. Choosing purple will make your car stand out — but expect fewer choices on dealer lots and a narrower buyer pool at resale.

Summary

Purple (and violet) is the most unpopular new-car color worldwide, representing a tiny fraction of production, with pink even rarer but scarcely offered. Brown/beige and green are the least popular among commonly available colors, while neutrals dominate. Regional tastes, automaker offerings, and resale perceptions all reinforce these patterns, though emerging palettes — especially greens — are slowly diversifying the road’s color mix.

What color car do police stop the most?

White cars are stopped the most by police because they are the most popular on the road, making up a larger portion of the overall vehicle population. Red cars are often thought to be stopped more, but while they may be more visible, statistics show they are not overrepresented in traffic stops when the proportion of their presence on the road is considered. 
The Real Reasons for Traffic Stops

• Population Bias: White vehicles are the most common, so it’s logical that they would be involved in more stops, tickets, and accidents. 
• Driver Behavior: The primary reason for a traffic stop is aggressive driving or traffic violations, such as speeding, not the car’s color. 
• Vehicle Type: The make and model of the vehicle also play a role, with performance-oriented cars being more prone to stops. 

Why the Red Car Myth Persists

• Visibility: Red is a bold color that can catch the eye, leading to a perception that it draws more police attention. 
• Aggressive Driving: There’s a tendency for younger drivers to buy red cars, and this demographic might also be more prone to aggressive driving, further fueling the idea that red cars are stopped more often. 

What is the least popular car color?

The least popular car colors are generally considered to be yellow, purple, and orange, though the exact least popular color can vary depending on the year and source of the data. For instance, one recent report noted that yellow was the least popular, while others highlight orange as being extremely uncommon. 
Here’s why it’s hard to pin down one definitive color:

• Varying Data Sources: Different reports use different methodologies, such as tracking new car production, analyzing sales data, or examining used car transactions. 
• Shifting Trends: Popularity trends for car colors can change over time, with some colors falling out of favor and others making a comeback. 
• Regional Differences: Car color preferences can differ by country and even by region within a country, with North America generally having more colorful cars than other parts of the world. 
• Specific Vehicle Types: Some less common colors, like yellow and orange, may be popular on certain types of vehicles (e.g., sports cars) but rare on others (e.g., luxury sedans). 

What car color is hardest to sell?

The worst car colours for resale are:

• Orange – 10,000 new cars in 2024.
• Green – 68,000 new cars in 2024.
• Purple – 136,000 new cars in 2024.

What color car to avoid?

Worst Car Colours for Safety:
Research has indicated that black cars have a higher accident rate than cars of any other colour. Dark Blue: Like black, it’s harder to see in the dark or against dark backgrounds. Dark Green: This can blend with trees and other vegetation, making it less visible in certain scenarios.