Will the colour of your car deter prospective buyers?

When it comes to choosing that next set of wheels, following fashion could cost car owners dearly, warns HPI’s valuations experts. Although the fashion conscience driver could be tempted by the latest ‘in vogue’ exterior bodywork shades, this could impact the value of the vehicle when the time comes to sell it. To keep sellers in the pink and to avoid leaving prospective buyers green around the gills, HPI offers some words of wisdom.

“The main problem for buyers is choosing a colour that suits the car, as this can be a very important factor in deciding how much value it will retain,” explains Alan Senior, HPI’s used car valuations expert. “Silver has become a favourite choice over recent years, however, this means it could be out of favour for those wanting something different. Too many of the same models in the same colour can lead to over-saturation in the market.

“As with clothes, black is probably the safest option, as it always seems to find a buyer no matter what make or model. The latest trend for white is in many ways similar to yellow or bright green; you either love or hate it, so take this into consideration. Some colours work well on sporty models, but are bad news on larger saloons or hatchbacks.”

Colours that find buyers:

Black – classic, timeless colour that suits all types of vehicle

Silvers – second only to black, but there are too many cars around in the market in this colour. Champagne is a good alternative on premium models

Blues – metallic is a must, with bright hues working well on sporty/Gti models but are not good news on MPVs, hatchbacks and saloons, where medium to dark shades work better. Solid blues are okay on small hatch and sports models, but dark blue is a real no-no

Reds – Solid red is fine on small hatches and sports/Gti models, but go for metallics on saloons and MPVs

White – hailed as the new silver, but not nearly as universal. Suits sporty models and coupes, but has limited appeal on larger saloons and MPVs

Greens – go for brighter shades on small hatchbacks and sporty/Gti models, but steer clear on everything else

Yellows, purples and the rest – experiment at your own risk. Fine on small hatchbacks and sporty/Gti models, but hard to pull off on other models

Senior concludes, “Many car owners don’t think about resale value when choosing the colour of their car. In our experience, the colour can have a huge impact on pulling buyers in, so we’d advise buyers to think carefully before making a statement in a cerise MPV.”