 Many more grey cars were sold in Britain in 2004 than 2003 |
People buying a new car in Britain are increasingly likely to opt for a grey or black vehicle, figures suggest. But both colours lag behind silver and blue, which remain firm favourites for drivers.
Red has suffered a recent fall in popularity with less than half as many buyers choosing it in 2004 as in 1998.
The research, compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), helps those in the motor industry predict customer behaviour.
Just over 2.5 million new cars were bought in England, Scotland and Wales in 2004. Of those, 436,000 were black and 244,000 were grey.
 |  Research like this helps manufacturers and importers plan for the future |
But silver and blue remain the most popular colours on the road, with 823,000 and 585,000 sold last year respectively.
In total, there are more than seven million blue and five million silver cars registered.
Despite the dominance of a handful of colours, many drivers have a taste for unconventional-looking cars. Of all those on British roads, 23,524 are described as 'multi-coloured'.
But few of us will see a pink car dashing around, with just 4,184 of them about.
Some say that the colour of a person's car reflects their personality but the decision is likely to be motivated by hard economics rather than emotion.
| Most popular GB cars, by number Blue - 7,302,931 Silver - 5,681,521 Red - 5,402,009 Green - 3,344,745 Black - 2,671,945 White - 1,914,116 Grey - 1,843,012 Gold - 260,747 Purple - 217,825 Yellow - 206,917
SOURCE: SMMT research
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Used car experts believe people are increasingly likely to consider the resale value when making a purchase.
But even though the numbers may not reveal that much about the British psyche, they are a boon to anyone in the business of making money from four wheels.
"Research like this helps manufacturers, and importers in particular, plan for the future," Nigel Wonnacoot of the SMMT said.
"We had an example of a Japanese manufacturer which was keen to deliver white cars to the UK market, as they are popular in mainland Europe.
"Here, they're more likely to remind people of the 1990s, and Ford Escorts.
"The importer was able to persuade the manufacturer to change the colour by using research like this.
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