Why Are Popular Car Colors So Boring? A Brief History of Car Paint

Car_Color

Car colors have historically been dictated by current events, the national mood, technology and cultural influences, resulting in decades of brilliant shades. More recent times, however, have seen muted tones become the most popular car colors.

A look back in history shows us how we got to the common car colors we have today.

The History of Car Paint Begins

Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.

Henry Ford

Automobiles in the late 1800s and early 1900s were essentially motorized carriages, and so they were painted just like their transportation predecessors. This meant using oil-based paint applied by hand. Most cars were painted black because the color was durable, cheap and dried quickly.

But there were problems with both the color and the application of early car paint. Even though it provided a luxurious, brilliant finish, painting a car took weeks to complete. In addition, the black paint would often fade or yellow. Since the paint had no binding agent, when discoloration occurred, the car had to be repainted, which cost money.

Despite Henry Ford’s famous words, not all Model Ts were painted black. In fact, from 1908 to 1914, the car came in several different colors. But when Ford implemented the assembly line manufacturing process, he needed a paint that dried quickly, thus the switch to black.

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Duco Paint

A major milestone in the evolution of car paint history occurred in the 1920s when the DuPont company developed a new type of automotive coating. DuPont scientists modified nitrocellulose, a substance used to make explosives and motion picture film, to create a low-viscosity lacquer that could be sprayed onto automobiles. This new paint, dubbed Duco, had numerous benefits over previous versions of car paint.

According to the Science History Institute, “Traditional varnishes chipped, cracked, crazed and faded; Duco lacquer was almost invincible. It tolerated air, sun, rain, mud, dampness, heat, cold, salt water, bacteria, perspiration, dirt, soaps and detergents. Most low-end finishes came in few colors, while Duco made available a rainbow of hues.”

General Motors was the first manufacturer to adopt Duco (at the time, GM and DuPont were under the same leadership). GM’s Oakland Motor Car Company painted its cars with two different shades of blue and a red or orange racing stripe, and debuted them at the 1923 New York Auto Show. The colors were an immediate hit with the public and by the mid-1920s all GM divisions were using Duco.

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Car Color in the Roaring ’20s

The economic boom of the 1920s saw the rise of automobile ownership, which invited a broader spectrum of car colors and a variety in shades. Although the Great Depression reduced the abundance of colorful vehicles, it didn’t deter the evolution of car paint.

In the 1930s, newly created metallic paint gave vehicles an improved sheen. (Automobiles were also becoming less box-like, and the new paint helped enhance the curved forms.) Metallic paint was first made using real fish scales. It took 40,000 herring to make one kilo of paint, according to Consumer Reports. Less expensive versions of the paint used aluminum flakes instead.

Post-War Car Paint

The end of World War II saw a boom in consumption and style, with automobiles at the forefront. By this time nearly all the large automakers had color advisory panels that surveyed consumers’ tastes and studied color trends in fashion and culture. Cars became flashier with features like tail fins, curved windshields and, of course, bright colors. In addition to the copious amounts of chrome, automobiles were painted in all shades of the rainbow. Two-tone arrangements, where a car’s body and roof were painted different colors, also became popular.

The color trend continued well into the 1960s with the emergence of muscle cars. These cars have always been more about performance than pragmatism, lending themselves as better canvases for brightly colored paints.

The color trend came to a quick halt during the fuel shortage of the 1970s. During this time, car owners became more concerned with fuel efficiency and car color took a back seat. Earth tones like brown, tan and dark green became popular.

The current color situation on United States’ roadways is not very colorful at all. “If you drove down an American street and looked only at the new vehicles, you might be forgiven for thinking you’re in a black-and-white movie,” described Volkswagen.

No one can argue with the truth. A recent study on popular car colors by iSeeCars found that 25.8% of the 6.1 millions vehicles analyzed were white and 22.3% were black. Even more sobering if you’re a fan of colorful hues is that the next two most popular paint colors, at 18.4% and 12.1%, were gray and silver. This isn’t an anomaly: These have been the most common car colors for a decade.

It wasn’t too long ago, from the 1950s through the 1970s, when U.S. roadways were filled with automobiles of all shades of the color spectrum. So why the change? “Color is always shifting, and our color perception is always evolving depending on what we see, what we observe and what we live with,” said Volkswagen Senior Color and Trim Designer Jung Lim “Limmy” Park. “Color preferences really reflect the unique social and cultural trends and even geography [of a region].”

There are a number of social and cultural theories as to the prevalence of more somber car colors in America. We are currently living through the second significant recession in about a decade. During times of economic uncertainty people tend to be conservative with their money. And while a different color on your car may not increase its cost, the mindset of keeping things simple and avoiding anything flashy has been known to carry over. A similar trend occurred following the Great Depression nearly a century ago.

As for cultural influences, there are some that suggest our car color choices are defined by our obsession with technology. Apple is the world’s most valuable company and its muted-color logo is recognized around the world. “Prior to Apple, white was associated with things like refrigerators or the tiles in your bathroom,” Sandy McGill, chief designer for BMW DesignWorks told Motoramic.com. “Apple made white valuable.”

duco paint

The Right Car Color for the Right Car

There’s also always been a belief that certain colors are right for certain cars. Pickup trucks are more utilitarian and don’t need a neon coating. Luxury sports car, meanwhile, are made to get people’s attention and are likely a more acceptable place for a bright-yellow coat of paint.

But sports cars haven’t been immune to the colorless trend. The Ford Mustang is a perfect example. In 1967, the muscle car was available nine shades of blue and two shades of pink. In the 1970s, brown was consistently among the top three most popular Mustang colors, but hasn’t been offered since 2000. Black, on the other hand, didn’t break into the top three until 1994 but has remained there ever since.

No one can predict the future, but we do know that trends change. As long as the demand for new colors is there, the supply will come with it.

There’s another reason to be hopeful for more vivid roadways. We view so much of our lives through the sharp, brightly colored images on our electric devices that it wouldn’t be surprising to see other shades pop up on cars in the near future. “We are all so impacted by our digital life through the pandemic, and the colors you mainly see are [on] your screen more than actual physical objects,” said Volkswagen’s Park. “The future is getting colorful, for sure.”

What color is your car? What colors would you like to see brought back? Let us know in the comments below.

If you want to try cars in all the colors of the rainbow, you can use your AAA membership to get a discount on Hertz car rentals.

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252 Thoughts on “Why Are Popular Car Colors So Boring? A Brief History of Car Paint

  1. I have said that we should not have a car the same color as the asphalt or snow. This is for safety reasons. Gray, black and white cars are not seen as easily, especially on cloudy days or on shady streets. Brightly colored cars are noticed more quickly. I drive a bright red car, but then I used to drive a bright red fire engine as well.

  2. I recently bought a 2020 Chyrsler Pacifica (have previously owned 5 Dodge or Chrysler vans). I waited several years for the AWD combined with Stow n Go seating to become available, but did not like ANY of the colors. The electric blue is way over the top for me! I settled for the dark red – ok on a very sunny day, but too dark and dull the rest of the time. The all black interior for every Pacifica makes anything inside difficult to see day or night. I do like the van and hope Chrysler will improve on both the exterior and interior colors for the future.

  3. My ford fusion is deep impact blue, and my previous cars was burgundy and red. Didn’t want to blend in with all the black, silver and white cars.

  4. My Vette is a metallic flaked royal blue called Elkhart Lake Blue and I get compliments on it all the time…. I chose it because I’ve never had blue, it looked awesome in photos, and variety is the spice of life!

  5. I hate the monotonous array of black, white, gray, silver. I used to play a game with my grandson…the first one of us to spot a different-colored car would get points, depending on the color…higher points for orange, yellow and purple if i remember right. I buy the best used Toyotas i can find so don’t choose by color. I’m comfortable in a black car though, hate white and loved my dark blues the most. I also suspect the reason for the monotony is money. ????

  6. My car is white, because I want it to show up in cloudy, rainy weather and not just blend in with the road like grey and black ones do. I really wanted a red car, but the only red available at the time for my Honda CRV was a dark “old lady” burgundy ????. I’d really love to see two toned colors come back like we used to see in the 60’s.

  7. Yellow Monte Carlo 2002-2017, Yellow Challenger 2017-date. Turquoise Edsel in the garage. I can’t stand living in a b/w movie.

  8. I bought a car last July. While shopping, I told every dealer that I didn’t want a white car or a black car. Every one of them replied, “That’s all we have.” I wound up getting a “gunmetal” grey vehicle with “espresso” interior. I don’t love the exterior color, but the combination is growing on me. I do, however, love the new car itself.

  9. My Versa is morning sky blue. I so miss colorful cars. I hate the boring cvolors so much. Please make some color choices like Aqua, seafoam green, peach or pink…Make us smile to see cars again.

  10. I have a 1960 T Bird convertible in Palm Springs Rose, and my 2021 Mazda CX5 in Soul Red. The color grabbed me as soon as I stepped foot in the showroom.

  11. Safety is important. Dark colored cars are not as visible on the road, especially after dark. That said, the popular color black and dark grey or charcoal are not great color choices, nor is maroon or brown. White might be boring but it’s the safest color on the road!

    1. White followed by Yellow, these are the safest as I recall from Consumer Reports magazine article some years ago

  12. I’ve never understood all these black/gray/silver cars. So dull, and impossible to see on a rainy, gray day, no leaves on trees, dark pavement. It used to be that white was preferred as most visible. I had thought article would explain these “colors” are due to technical concerns,, not personal choices! Sad. Current car is blue (2018 Subaru Forester); previous car (1996 Rav4) was bright blue. My earlier cars were red or white.

  13. I have had red and burgundy colors. But who knows what I would choose if more colors were available like dark green and others. You can’t predict what colors are popular if you don’t offer a full range of colors.

    1. In our last 2 car purchases, we were told there was an extra fee for ANY color other than white. Cars are expensive enough, so we went with white. Much prefer a snazzy red.

  14. Colors please. I am so sick & tired of boring gray, white, black. Horrible to try to find my car in a large parking lot. How about some pastels – I see a few colors now – light green or blue, or even light purple. Something different is very needed. Boring needs to be eliminated. Expand the palette.

    1. Talk about boring. It must have something to do with globalization. That’s why American manufacturers nolonger make vehicles with any distinction.

    1. My first car was gold. My last car was red. In between, I owned beige, black and white. Gold and red were my choice. Beige, black and white were not my choice but were the only colors available. My current car is a white Subaru – the dealership near me had a lot full of white, black, grey and silver. If I wanted color, I had to wait for them to order it special, and it was more money. I wanted the car and the price. White is not what I would have chosen if there were more options. There were no other options.

      It’s not that people are wanting white, black, silver or grey. Dealerships are limiting our choices to those colors OR forcing you to pay more.

      1. I wanted blue. The dealer said they had no blue, but they could order it special (for extra money) or I could wait until they got one. I told them I’d wait and I’d buy it whenever they got it. They got it in six months and I bought it.

  15. I wanted blue for my Subaru and went to many dealers to find one. My second choice was a burgandy and none were found. There were only about 6 color choices and the ones on the lot were black or white. I settled for black

    1. My favorite color is red, but when I go to the dealership and select the model I want and point at the red color in the brochure, I’m told, “We don’t sell those in this part of the country.” To which, I respond, “Then I won’t buy from you.”
      Why would they offer it if you can’t have it?

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