After analysing millions of searches on AutoTrader that used the colour filter (from March 2017 to March 2018), South Africa’s largest motoring marketplace for both used cars and new cars has revealed which car colours South African motorists most search for.
South Africans follow in the footsteps of their international counterparts when it comes to preferred car colours. Their favourite colour is white, with a whopping 55% of searches being for a white vehicle.
Silver and black are the second and third most popular car colours in South Africa, with fourth to ninth occupied by slate, grey, blue, red, orange and gold respectively.
While white, silver and black rule the colour popularity roost, local motorists are anything but staid and conservative when it comes to colours. According to George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, it is fascinating to see how yellow, gold and orange are gaining in popularity. “Interest in these three colours have grown by 40%!” he reveals. The 40% increase pertains to March 2016 to March 2017 versus March 2017 to March 2018.
The most searched for car in orange (March 2017 to March 2018) was the Ford Ranger. In the same period, the most searched for yellow car was the Volkswagen Golf while the Toyota Fortuner was the most desired gold vehicle over this time.
Mienie says that, based on AutoTrader statistics, South Africans actually appear to becoming bolder in their colour choices. “While the popularity of yellow, gold and orange is gaining, silver and grey are actually declining in popularity,” he reveals.
However he says it’s unlikely that the popularity of white cars will wane. “White remains a safe bet – and a white car is easier to sell than a car painted in a more unusual shade,” he adds.
South Africans follow in the footsteps of their international counterparts when it comes to preferred car colours with white topping the list. The 65th annual Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, published by Axalta Coating Systems, has been produced annually since 1953. It provides vehicle manufacturers with fascinating and relevant insights into consumer preferences to help them make informed colour decisions. According to the Color Popularity Report, white dominates especially in Asia, where it is the first choice on 52% of vehicles sold in the region. Significantly, China has the highest usage of white anywhere in the world, at 62%. This same report shows that black is the second most popular colour globally, followed by grey and silver, which tied in third spot.
Provided by AutoTrader