Grey has taken the lead as the UK’s most popular new car colour for the fifth year running.

Grey was the UK’s most popular new car colour for fifth consecutive year in 2022, with a 25.7% market share

Some 415,199 grey cars were registered last year, up 1.7% and accounting for more than a quarter (25.7%) of sales, according to new Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data.

Meanwhile, black and white took second and third place overall, completing a monochrome podium. More than six in 10 (62.5%) new cars hitting British roads in 2022 were painted in grey, black or white – although take-up varied wildly depending on vehicle bodystyle.

While grey was the most popular colour for superminis, lower mediums and dual purpose – the UK’s three largest segments – as well as in upper medium and specialist sports, white was the most popular shade for the mini and multi-purpose segments. And black was most popular for executive cars and luxury saloons.

Silver, however, continued to decline in popularity. It held first or second place in car buyers’ affections for 12 straight years from 2000 to 2011, but posted just 98,483 units and a 6.1% market share in 2022 – its lowest level in more than two decades and putting it in sixth place.

Red, although retaining its fifth-place ranking, also recorded a decline to reach its lowest market share since 2008; at 136,793 units, it accounted for just 8.5% of all cars registered.

At the bottom of the charts, maroon, pink and cream were the least popular shades, taking just 0.02% of all registrations combined.

But green enjoyed a resurgence and saw the biggest volume uplift of +13,293 units, up 74.2% on 2021 and marking a level not seen for 16 years. Its renewed popularity is tied to the rise of EVs – a quarter (24.1%) of green cars registered last year were either plug-in hybrid or fully electric.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Car colour choice theoretically proclaims something about who we are as drivers and buying a car today comes with many possibilities to customise your vehicle to match.”

He added: “While the most popular shades remained unchanged for 2022, for those looking to ensure their vehicle stands out from the crowd, there remains a huge variety of colour choices from across the rainbow available to suit every character.”