Grey has become the UK’s favourite new car colour for the first time since record began, while silver is no longer even in the top five.

Grey was the favourite new car colour in 2018

The data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that around one in five of 2018’s 2.4 million new car registrations were grey – equating to some 495,127 units and knocking black off the top spot. Meanwhile white also continued to lose favour; more than 132,000 fewer cars registered in white last year than in 2015 when it reached its peak.

Black, grey and white tones made up the majority of new car colours – equating to 59% of new cars registered – with a primary colour not making the top three for eight years. However, blue maintained its solid fourth position, while red knocked silver down a place to introduce more colour to the top five. This meant silver – once the nation’s long-standing favourite – was out of the top five altogether, with its lowest popularity rating since the late 1990s.

Orange and beige put in notable performances, with significant increases of +37% and +28%. Orange jumped up to seventh place, while beige made its first appearance in the top 10 since 2014 as a number of new and upgraded models had the colour as an option.