The Best and Worst Car Colors for Resale Value

Summary

• The average car loses 22.5 percent of its value after 3 years, but yellow cars only lose 13.5 percent, which equates to saving more than $3,000 compared to the average vehicle

• Yellow, beige, orange and green cars all lose less than 20 percent of their value

• Gold, brown and black cars drop the most in value, losing over $10,000 after 3 years 

A vehicle’s color can impact its value by up to $5,000, according to new research by iSeeCars.com. This year’s study compared pricing data for over 1.3 million 3-year-old used cars to determine the impact of color on resale value. 

“Yellow cars continue to represent the greatest disparity between how many are produced and how many people want one,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “While not many people want a yellow car, there are clearly more people who want one than exist, which is why yellow performs so well on the secondary market. The same can be said of orange and green, colors you don’t see often but are obviously in higher demand than supply.”

Vehicle Depreciation by Car Color

Yellow cars hold their value best, depreciating 60 percent less than the average vehicle. The study found that the average vehicle loses 22.5 percent ($9,674) of its value after 3 years. But yellow cars only lose 13.5 percent ($6,588). This means a yellow car can save owners – or cost buyers – more than $3,000 versus the market average. Other above-average colors for value retention include beige, orange, green, red, white, and blue.

Yellow also led the iSeeCars’ 2022 Car Color Depreciation study. Orange ranked second last year, but slipped to position three in 2023, displaced by beige – which moved up from position 9 a year ago on the strength of its performance in the truck segment.

“Buyers looking for more mainstream colors that still perform well in retaining value should consider red and white,” said Brauer. “These colors aren’t as extreme as yellow or orange, likely making them more palatable to the average consumer.”

“Notice how two of the most popular colors, silver and black, rank near the bottom of the list,” said Brauer. “Many consumers and dealers likely consider these colors ‘safe’ in terms of widespread acceptance, but they're too common to help a car hold its value.”

Car Color Depreciation by Vehicle Segment 

The ranking of colors and resale shifts when broken down by major vehicle types. iSeeCars analyzed the impact across the six major vehicle categories. 

“It’s interesting to see how color rankings change across vehicle segments, reflecting the shift in preference based on the type of vehicle someone is buying,” said Brauer. “Even more interesting is the consistently low ranking of supposedly popular colors like black and silver.”

SUVs: Yellow Is the Best Color for SUV Resale Value

Yellow retains the top ranking for resale value in the SUV category, followed by green, orange, and purple. These are not common colors on SUVs, helping the few that are painted these shades be seen as rare and more valuable to buyers seeking them. Silver, black and gold remain at the bottom of the list, with blue tying the segment average at 24.8 percent in lost value. 

“SUVs make up the bulk of new vehicle sales, so it’s not surprising to see their color ranking closely match the overall market. But purple managed an upward move from 9 to 4, while blue fell below the segment average,” said Brauer.

Pickup Trucks: Beige Scores Big With Off-Road Truck Buyers

Beige isn’t the most exciting color, but it has been associated with special off-road trims on multiple truck models in recent years. These include the Jeep Gladiator Mojave and Toyota Tacoma TRD. Both of these trucks hold their value well in any color, with beige and tan models likely doing even better, pulling up the average for this color in the truck segment.

“Black and silver once again perform below average in the truck segment, but it’s surprising to see silver – one of today’s most popular colors – come in dead last,” said Brauer.