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New figures for March have revealed that white has overtaken silver as the most popular colour choice for car buyers. Silver has been the most popular colour for car buyers for over a decade.
The car colour 'Apple effect'
One explanation for the colour's resurgence has been dubbed the 'Apple effect', referring to iPhones and other gadgets which come in the minimalist colour. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) stated that a decade ago, more than a third of new cars, 36%, were silver. Last month however, white was the bestselling colour, accounting for 22% of new cars, while silver was at 13% tying with blue. Black was the second most popular colour choice at 19%, while grey followed at 14%. Red which was once favoured by by racers, failed to register in the new figures, despite accounting for 9% of sales in March 2004.
Research by CAP Automotive found that white cars hold about 5% more of their value than the market average for a typical used cars, meaning that buyers could simply be considering the resale value of their purchase.
Car sales in March
Sales of new cars accelerated to their highest monthly level for a decade in March with sales being 18% higher than March last year. These figures were boosted by the demand for the new 14 plate, low interest rates, competitive finance deals and windfall PPI payouts to householders who were victims of the banks' mis-selling scandal. Sales of commercial vehicles to 'white van men', the small traders, are also soaring.
A total of 464,824 new cars were registered last month, the best return since March 2004 when 466,954 sales were registered. This makes last month's sales the highest for over a decade.
According to the Treasury, this is “further evidence that the Government's long term economic plan is working.” A SMMT spokesperson commented on the high sales, stating that, “People are feeling more confident and deciding to splash out on a new car.”
The top selling models last month included the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, Fiat 500 and Toyota Yaris. Market leader Ford said it had chalked up its highest monthly sales since 2008.