Manufacturing Biz #6 - Magazine - Page 20
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Grey in the fast lane as green
powers up in Britain’s top new car
colours
B
ritain’s car buyers have crowned grey
the nation’s favourite car colour for
the eighth year running, according
to the latest figures published today by the
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
(SMMT).
More than half a million grey new cars
(558,050) were registered last year – up 2.7%
to a record total for the shade – accounting
for more than a quarter (27.6%) of all new
car registrations.
Black retained second place with 464,369
20
new registrations – its highest volume since
2019 – after a robust 9.7% increase on last
year. Blue came in at number three for the
second time, confirming its status as the
nation’s top non-monochrome choice, with
306,349 registrations (up 4.9%). Together,
the top three accounted for nearly two thirds
(65.8%) of all new cars joining UK roads in
2025.
Elsewhere in the charts, white retained
fourth place, but silver returned to the top
five for the first time in nearly a decade,1
M A N U FA C T U R I N G B I Z M A G A Z I N E A P R I L 2 0 2 6
marking a notable comeback for a colour
that previously dominated Britain’s roads
in the early 2000s. Red, once a mainstay of
the British car parc, slipped to sixth with the
lowest market share (5.8%) since detailed
records began.
2025 also marked a standout year for
green, reflected in both colour preference
and powertrain given the shift towards
electrification. The colour retained seventh
place, but volumes rose 46.3% to 99,793
registrations – the most since 2004.3
