Small cars in Europe predominantly white – Black and gray still near the top of the list

The color white is still among the most popular car colors in Europe (29%), followed by black (19%) and gray (18%). Nearly 80% of car paints in 2016 come from the achromatic scale, as shown by the new BASF report on OEM coatings in the European market.

The document provides a detailed insight into the paints used for cars in Europe.

Blue is the most popular one among the chromatic paints (10%), followed by red and brown. Looking by vehicle size, small cars are usually white or feature a chromatic finish, whereas SUVs are predominantly gray.

Although the distribution more or less remained unchanged in 2016, there was an increase in the diversity of the colors themselves.

The reason is that new hues are constantly being developed, as well as that there’s an increasing demand for special effects outside the palette. By mixing existing paints with various particles producing diverse effects, unique pearl or metallic effects are achieved.

A wide range of potential combinations allows for numerous hues.

– This wide range of possibilities for car colors also goes hand in hand with the social megatrend toward individualization. Nowadays, end customers are able to select unique, personalized colors for their cars – said Stefan Sickert, head of Project Management Basecoat at BASF.

Aside from helping individualize the look of a car, the effects also emphasize the car body line and with that its character. Blue, with over 100 hues, is the leading color when it comes to diversity, followed by gray, with around 90 hues.

BASF Srbija d.o.o. Beograd

BASF

most popular car paints in Europe

car paints

car colors

achromatic paints

chromatic paints

white

black

gray

OEM coatings

red

brown

metallic

Stefan Sickert