iSeeCars: The Best and Worst Car Colors For Resale Value

If color is an important consideration for you when shopping for a car, you're not alone.  It's a factor for a lot of folks, and choice matters when it comes to resale.  According to its new iSeeCars research, a vehicle’s color can impact its used value by more than $5,000 after just 3 years.  Researchers say this year’s study compared pricing data for over 1.2 million 3-year-old used cars to determine the impact of color on resale value.  iSeeCars notes a 12.4% point difference in depreciation across colors in June of 2023, but now that range has dropped to 10.4% points this year.  

Here are other study highlights:

• Yellow, orange and green are the top three colors that will bring the most money when time to sell, only losing between $9,951 and $13,667 in value after 3 years
• The average car loses 31.0% of its value after 3 years, but yellow cars only lose 24.0%, while gold cars lose 34.4% of their value
• Gold, white, and black cars drop the most in value, losing over $15,000 after 3 years 
• Used car depreciation is much higher compared to a few years ago, with a much narrower range of depreciation between colors 

Vehicle Depreciation by Car Color

In the new iSeeCars study, yellow cars hold their value best. The study found the average vehicle loses 31% ($14,360) of its value after 3 years. But yellow cars only lose 24.0% ($13,667), followed by orange cars at 24.4% ($9,951), and green cars at 26.3% ($13,152). This means a yellow car can save owners $693 versus the market average, while a gold car costs an owner $2,319. Other above-average colors for value retention include beige, red, silver, brown, gray, and blue.

Here is a look at car colors and their 3-year depreciation rate: 

1. Yellow - 24%
2. Orange - 24.4%
3. Green - 26.3%
4. Beige- 29.5%
5. Red- 29.8%
6. Silver - 29.8%
7. Brown- 30.4%
8. Gray-30.5%
9. Blue- 30.9%
10. Black- 31.9%
11. White- 32.1%
12. Gold- 34.4%

Car Color Depreciation by Vehicle Segment

• When it comes to trucks,  orange, green and gray hold their value the best. 
• When it comes to SUVs, orange, green and yellow hold their value the best.
• When it comes to sedans, orange, yellow and beige hold their value the best.
• For minivans, the top three colors that hold their value the best are green, brown and silver.
• For coupes, it's yellow, orange, and blue; convertibles orange, yellow and green.

For the full report visit iSeeCars.com.

File Photo: McLaren North American Headquarters in Coppell, TX. (2022). CarPro.