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  • iSeeCars: The Best and Worst Car Colors For Resale Value

    iSeeCars: The Best and Worst Car Colors For Resale Value

    If you've ever wondered what's in a car color - the answer is, a lot.  The color of a vehicle can really impact its resale value - with some colors causing a larger drop in value than others.

    Car Colors and Value


    iSeeCars compared the prices of more than 650,000 recently sold three-year old used cars then determined the average three-year vehicle depreciation rate by car color.  Its researchers found that vehicles with the highest depreciating color lost nearly four times the value compared to the lowest.

    Bold colors - with a low market share - tend to hold their value best. Jewel tones also do fairly well because they stand out without being flashy.  Popular colors like Black, White and Silver depreciate at a rate close to average.   If resale value is important to you,  you'll probably want to steer clear of gold and brown, colors that depreciate far worse than average.

    Vehicle Depreciation by Car Color

     

    Vehicle Depreciation by Car Color (ranked by lowest to highest % depreciation) - iSeeCars

    Rank

    Color

    3-year % Depreciation

    $ Difference from MSRP

    Compared to Overall Avg

    1

    Yellow

    4.5%

    $3,155

    0.3x

    2

    Orange

    10.7%

    $3,825

    0.7x

    3

    Purple

    13.9%

    $5,461

    0.9x

    4

    Red

    14.0%

    $5,399

    0.9x

    5

    Green

    14.0%

    $5,596

    0.9x

    6

    Blue

    14.3%

    $5,582

    1x

    7

    Gray

    14.3%

    $5,635

    1x

    9

    Beige

    14.4%

    $5,960

    1x

    10

    Silver

    14.8%

    $5,499

    1x

    Overall Average

    15.0%

    $6,096

    1x

    11

    White

    15.5%

    $6,490

    1x

    12

    Black

    16.1%

    $6,993

    1.1x

    13

    Gold

    16.7%

    $6,719

    1.1x

    14

    Brown

    17.8%

    $7,642

    1.2x

     

    White, Black and Gray

    White, black, and gray, known as "greyscale colors", are the most popular car colors and researchers say they depreciate at a rate close to average. So they won't help or hurt resale value to any great degree.

    2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
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    2023 Hyundai Kona EV. Want to learn more? Click the image for our full review.
    Kia Stinger. Want to learn more? Click the image to read, "Kia Stinger Ends Production With A Tribute Edition."
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    2023 Dodge Hornet GT. Interested? Click the image to learn more.
    Nissan Aryia EV. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our full review. 

     

    Yellow, Orange 

    While it may be among the least popular color choices, yellow is the vehicle color that holds its value best overall, depreciating 70 percent less than the average vehicle. You'll typically find it on sports cars and low volume vehicles that typically hold their value relatively well.  Orange ranks second, for the same reason. iSeeCars says you often find it on special limited edition vehicles and muscle cars.  The color on the Mustang Mach-E you see below is technically called "Cyber Orange Metallic." The color on the Genesis GV60 (pictured in the image slider) is technically called "Sao Paulo Lime" but it looks yellow to us.

    Ford Mustang Mach-E in Cyber Orange Metallic. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our article, "Ford Boosts 2023 Mustang Mach-E Production And Lowers Prices".
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    Kia Seltos in Starbright Yellow. Did you know? The Seltos was awarded 2023's Best Subcompact by Kelley Blue Book. Click the image to read the full article. 
    2023 Genesis GV60 EV in Sao Paulo Lime. Want to learn more? Click the image to read our review of the 2023 Genesis GV60.

     

    Jewel Tones

    Aside from yellow and orange - if retaining value is important to you, look to jewel tones like purple, red, green and blue.  Researchers say they hold their value better than average.

    2023-dodge-Charger-scatPack Widebody- Plum Crazy-credit-stellantis
    2023 Dodge Charger ScatPack Widebody in Plum Crazy. Credit: Stellantis.
    lexus-lc-t00-red
     2023 Lexus LC 500 Convertible.
    maserati-bright-green
    bronco-everglades-green
    2023 Ford Bronco Everglades.
    ford-mach-e-yellow
    Ford Mustang Mach-E.
    2023 Kia EV6 GT Line in Runway Red.
    2023 Toyota Crown in Supersonic Red.

    The Many Shades of Blue

    Blue is the most popular color aside from greyscale hues, according to another iSeeCars study. As you can see below, blues range widely in color as evidenced by models we spotted at the recent 2023 North Texas Auto Show.

    camero-blue
    2023 Chevrolet Camero in Rapid Blue.
    Ram-1500-blue
    2023 Ram 1500 TRX in Hydro Blue Pearl-Coat
    honda-passport-blue
    2023 Honda Pilot Trailsport in Diffused Sky Blue Pearl.
    ford-ligthing-antimatter-blue
    Ford F-150 Lighning in Antimatter Blue Metallic.
    subaru-outback-wilderness-blue-2
    2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness in Geyser Blue.
    2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Edition in Robin's Next.
    Audi's Navarra Blue Metallic.
    2023 Kia Telluride in Midnight Lake Blue.
    2023-chevy-bolt-ev
    2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV in Ice Blue Metallic.

     

    Other Car Colors

    You won't see a lot of beige cars out there (beige defined as off-white to light brown),  which depreciate at a rate close to average.  We're not sure where Lexus' Copper Crest falls in terms of popularity and long-term value, but it's one of the unique hues out there right now.

    Lexus-RX-Fsport-copper-crest
    2023 Lexus RX 350 F Sport in Copper Crest.
    nissan-pathfiner-brown
    2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition in Baja Storm Metallic.

     

    Colors by Car Segment

    Car color depreciation varies by vehicle type.  iSeeCars analyzed the depreciation of each car color within the major vehicle segments.

    The colors that retain the BEST value by segment are:

    • Yellow- SUV
    • Beige - Truck
    • Purple - Sedan
    • Yellow - Convertible
    • Orange- Coupe
    • Green- Minivan

     

    Top 5 SUV Colors With The Least Depreciation

     

    SUV Depreciation by Color - iSeeCars

    Rank

    Color

    Average 3-year % Depreciation

    $ Difference from MSRP

    1

    Yellow

    -2.7%

    -$1,437

    2

    Orange

    11.5%

    $3,635

    3

    Green

    15.3%

    $5,695

    4

    Gray

    15.8%

    $6,366

    5

    Red

    15.8%

    $6,078

     

    Top 5 Truck Colors With The Least Depreciation

     

    Pickup Truck Depreciation by Color - iSeeCars

    Rank

    Color

    Average 3-year % Depreciation

    $5,628

    1

    Beige

    3.8%

    $5,628

    2

    Orange

    8.6%

    $5,628

    3

    Gray

    10.7%

    $5,628

    4

    Blue

    10.9%

    $5,628

    5

    Brown

    11.6%

    $5,628

     

    Top 5 Sedan Colors With The Least Depreciation

     

    Sedan Depreciation by Color - iSeeCars

    Rank

    Color

    Average 3-year % Depreciation

    $ Difference from MSRP

    1

    Purple

    10.7%

    $4,053

    2

    Red

    11.9%

    $3,565

    3

    Green

    12.8%

    $5,515

    4

    Orange

    12.9%

    $4,229

    5

    Silver

    13.1%

    $3,927

     

    The colors that DEPRECIATE the most by segment are:  

    • Brown - SUV
    • Green - Truck
    • Black -Sedan
    • Black- Convertible
    • White -Coupe
    • Red - Minivan

    For a complete breakdown of the data by segment visit iSeeCars.com. 

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