Jan 16 (Reuters) – British drivers turning to EVs are leading a change in colour preferences, as green-tinted cars sold in 2025 reached their highest volume in 20 years, industry body SMMT said on Friday.
Car colours rarely matter as a business metric, but they can reflect shifting tastes. In recent years those tastes have narrowed to plain shades of grey, prompting Fiat CEO Olivier Francois in 2023 to launch a campaign promoting more cheerful tones.
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The EV transition has put a new spin on the trend.
British motorists, associating the colour green with the country’s decarbonisation drive, bought 99,793 green cars in the year, 46.3% more than in 2024 and reaching almost 5% of total cars sold, the SMMT said on Friday.
That comes as electrified cars – either battery-electric, hybrid-electric or plugin-hybrid – reached last year a market share of over 48% in the UK, helped by a national scheme which aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2035.
Sales of green-tinted battery-electric vehicles almost doubled to 23,249 units, the SMMT added.
“Manufacturers are responding by expanding model ranges, colours and finishes,” SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said in a statement.
Grey, however, remained the most popular colour for the eighth consecutive year, followed by black – the top pick for executive cars – blue and white.
Reporting by Alessandro Parodi, Editing by Louise Heavens
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