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One of the most important decisions that you have to make before buying a car is the color that you want. People consider many factors, such as their favorite colors or astrology.
But the color of your vehicle is not just important from an aesthetic standpoint. It also has far-reaching implications on its maintenance and resale value.
What Car Color is the Easiest to Maintain?
When it comes to colors that are easy to maintain, the consensus is that lighter colors like white, silver, or gray are easier to keep clean than darker colors. But a lot of it depends on the quality of the paint job, which can vary from one manufacturer to another.
The finish on the paint also plays a crucial role in its maintenance. Cars that have a metallic or pearlescent finish are harder to maintain compared to cars that have a solid paint job. They tend to emphasize the dust and minor scratches and swirl marks, which is also the case for darker paints.
5 of the easiest colors to maintain are:
1. White
White color does an excellent job of hiding light dust and most minor imperfections such as scratches and swirl marks. They are not as easy to keep clean compared to silver or gray cars, as mud and road grime that sticks to the bottom part of the car gets highlighted, and removing them is a painstaking process.
Additionally, the white color reflects most of the sunlight that falls on it, which means it does not heat up as much as darker colors. Therefore, it is most suitable in places with dry and hot climates, as opposed to wet weather and mud.
Also read: Are Black Cars Hard to Keep Clean? (No, if You do This!)
2. Gray
Gray color offers a middle ground between darker colors such as black and lighter colors. It looks beautiful on almost all cars, but it does not require half as much as maintenance required for a black car. As a result, it is a popular option for custom paint jobs. They do not heat up as much as black cars either, reducing the risk of water spots.
3. Orange
If you want something different and a bit flashy, orange is the best color for you. Most manufacturers offer some shade of orange for most of their models. It masks light dust on the car quite easily. This color is also suitable for hot climates as mud can be a problem.
4. Silver
Silver cars are one of the easiest colors to maintain. It does an impressive job of hiding light dust, while it is also dark enough to hide the mud and road grime. Scratches and swirl marks are not that visible either.
If you want a low-maintenance color that only requires you to take it to an automatic car wash once a month and still look good, then silver is ideal for you.
Also read: Does Car Color Affect Price? (+Most Expensive Colors)
5. Taupe
Taupe, Beige, and Tan are almost identical colors, and they share a slight resemblance with silver as well. Much like silver, they hide the dust well, and scratches are not that visible either.
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Is it True that Some Colors Depreciate Faster Than Others?
According to a study conducted in 2020 that compared the price of more than six million used cars between 2017 and 2020, it was determined that the color of the car has a significant effect on its resale value.
The study found that vehicles of certain colors can lose twice as much as the value lost by the same car in a different color.
| Color | Percentage of depreciation in three years |
| Yellow | 20.4% |
| Beige | 22.8% |
| Orange | 27.1% |
| Green | 31.3% |
| Gray | 36.4% |
| Red | 36.9% |
| Blue | 37.0% |
| Silver | 37.6% |
| White | 38.0% |
| Black | 38.4% |
| Purple | 41.2% |
| Brown | 42.1% |
| Gold | 45.6% |
Most of the cars that are being sold today are monochrome colors such as black, white, and gray. A huge portion of these buyers choose these colors as they feel that it might be a safe choice. But since there are a lot of monochrome colors already in the market, they end up depreciating much worse.
Colors such as yellow, orange, and green are not that popular and comprise only a minor percentage of the new cars bought every year. As a result, there are not many such cars in the used car market at the moment. But as it turns out, there are a lot of buyers for these cars, especially in the sports car segment, which drives up the price in turn reducing depreciation.
Also read: 15 Cars with a Beautiful Red Interior (with Photos)
What’s the Best Car Color for Long-Term?
There is no such thing as the best color for everybody. The color you choose should depend on your priorities and preferences. As you saw from the data mentioned above, monochrome colors are a safe bet, but since a lot of monochrome cars already exist in the market, their resale value is quite low.
If you are a petrol head, and love washing and detailing cars, and you do not mind doing it every 1-2 weeks, go ahead and buy a black car. The black color makes the car look more premium and classy. Nothing can beat the sleek look of a black car that has been detailed properly. The washing and detailing can almost be a zen experience for many.
On the other hand, if you want a color that requires the least maintenance, you should consider a gray, silver, or white car. Do not be afraid to go beyond that monochrome color palette either, buying a yellow, red, or green car might end up getting you a higher resale value after all.
What’s the Best Car Color to Hide Dirt and Scratches?
Lighter colors such as white, silver, and gray are the best at hiding minor scratches. It is because scratches become visible when it catches the sunlight and reflects it. On a dark car, this reflection of bright light stands out due to the contrast. Whereas, it blends with the lighter colors nicely.
But white and many lighter shades of gray do not do a great deal of hiding the dust and mud. On the other hand, Silver and Taupe cars hide the scratches as well as the dust.
What’s the Best Car Color for Outdoor Parking?
Lighter colors are better if you are parking outdoors, as it does not get as hot as darker shades. High heat and UV rays from the sun rays can quickly degrade the quality of any paint job, irrespective of the color.
To protect the paint from the sun, you might want to consider ceramic coating the car. It forms a strong bond with the paint job and offers some degree of protection against the elements.
Also read: 10 Cars with Red and Black Interior (with Photos)
Are Grey Cars Hard to Keep Clean?
Gray cars are relatively easy to keep clean. They do not show scratches as much as black cars, and they do a better job of hiding dust than white cars. You get the best of both worlds in a gray car.
Gray cars usually do not have a problem with automatic car washes either. So they are perfect if you want a low-maintenance color. If you put a bit more effort into it and detail it by hand, it can look gorgeous.
Are Red Cars Hard to Keep Clean?
Red cars are a bit harder to keep clean compared to other lighter colors but do not even come close to that of a black car. They show swirl marks and minor scratches pretty well. The red color gets dull when it gathers dust, so it is quite noticeable.
Red cars tend to catch people’s eye, so if you have a lot of scratches and dust, people will notice it. They are not automatic car wash-friendly either, so you will have to get it washed by hand and require proper and timely detailing to look good.
What Car Color last the longest?
How long the paint job lasts depends a lot on the quality of the paint job and the clear coat. For example, a paint job on a premium car from Mercedes might last twice as long compared to a more budget offering. But that said, white colors usually last longer compared to any other colors.
When the paint job starts to fade due to age, the pigment inside the paint that gives it the color is the component that is fading. White paint does not have any pigments, and as a result, they last longer.
You can increase the lifespan of the paint job on your car by parking it under shade and applying protective layers such as wax or ceramic coating.
What is the Ugliest Color on a Car?
It is quite a subjective matter, but there are a lot of colors that many people collectively hate on a car. Some of those colors are brown, purple, pink, pale yellow, and pale orange. There might be certain cars that can pull off these colors without looking ugly, but those are rare.
What Color Car is Best for Hot Weather?
The best color for hot weather is silver or white. The temperature difference compared to a black car can be as much as 6° Celsius inside the cabin. It will decrease the amount of energy required to cool down the cabin as well, increasing fuel efficiency.
