Britain’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
www.smmt.co.uk 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 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, 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. Appropriately, registrations of green-tinted battery electric (BEV) cars almost doubled – up 95.2% on 2024 to reach 23,249 units – accounting for one in 20 new BEVs, compared with just one in 300 last year. Grey remained the top choice among BEV buyers, however, with 131,984 joining the road.
At the other end of the spectrum, maroon, pink and turquoise accounted for just 342 registrations between them, highlighting Britain’s enduring preference for more understated tones.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “UK car buyers’ preferences remain pretty consistent, with monochrome continuing to lead in popularity. The surge in green, however, matches the growing popularity of electrified cars as the new car market decarbonises. As ever, manufacturers are responding by expanding model ranges, colours and finishes, giving UK drivers more opportunities to personalise their vehicles — even if grey matters most.”