The color of a car's body is a significant factor in the car selection process, serving as a means of expressing the owner's personality and style. Depending on the color chosen, it may impact the purchase price, reflecting the owner's personality in their approach to selecting the car color, whether based on personal preference or considerations of resale value.
Japanese automotive media outlet Goonet conducted a survey on 2023 used car sales data, exploring car colors favored by different genders, age groups, and income levels. Let's delve into the preferred car colors among Japanese consumers.
1. Based On Used Car Sales | 2023 Color Trends Ranking
【Data Summary】
Survey Source: Contract data from the automotive portal site "Goonet"
Survey Period: January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023
The most popular color is "white"! Popularity becomes more dispersed beyond the third position.
Data from the first half of 2023 (January 1 to June 30) for used cars purchased on the "Goonet" automotive portal site reveals that the most favored car color is "white" (36%), followed by "black" (23%). The popularity of other colors is evenly distributed, with "silver/gold" at 9%, "blue" at 8%, "gray" at 5%, and "red" at 4%.
From the third position onward, the popularity becomes more dispersed, including colors like "silver/gold," "blue," "gray," and "red."
Surprising correlations between popular car models and colors!?
Goonet also investigated popular car models among used cars purchased in the first half of 2023 (January 1 to June 30) based on color.
The Toyota Prius stands out as the most popular vehicle among the four favored colors: white, black, silver, and gold. For the high-selling Prius, there's a trend toward selecting common and versatile colors. These commonplace colors help minimize the visibility of minor scratches and dirt, making it easier to maintain the car's value.
The MINI 3-door and 5-door models are popular in red and blue. MINI offers a variety of colors, and vibrant ones, in particular, are well-received in the 3-door and 5-door models.
The Suzuki Jimny, a popular four-wheel-drive compact car known for its compact body and robust driving capabilities, attracts attention. Due to its characteristics, Jimny is expected to be suitable for off-road driving, and people tend to choose green and gray colors, minimizing the visibility of dirt.
Additionally, in the yellow category, Suzuki's Hustler is also popular. Like the MINI, the Hustler comes in various colors, with yellow being a favorite due to its cute yet not overly flashy nature.
2. From the Survey Perspective | 2023 Color Trends Ranking
【Survey Overview】
Survey Method: Uvoice Research *Note: Some data in the text is not sourced from Goonet
Survey Participants: Men and women aged 20 and above nationwide in Japan
Survey Period: September 5, 2023, to September 8, 2023 Sample Size: 10,330 individuals
Sample Attributes: Gender Ratio: Male (49.9%), Female (50.1%) Age Groups: 20s (16.6%), 30s (18.9%); 40s (24.4%), 50s (21.6%), 60s (18.5%)
Residential Areas: Hokkaido (5.1%), Tohoku (9.5%), Kanto (27.0%), Chubu (23.3%), Kinki (13.3%), Chugoku (6.9%), Shikoku (3.7%), Kyushu (11.2%)
Car colors that stand out as the "top two": White and black! Any distinctions between men and women?
In September 2023, Goonet conducted an internet survey involving 10,330 individuals regarding car colors. According to the survey, the top choice is "white" (24%).
"Black" comes in second (17%), and "silver" is third (12.6%). Following the top three are "blue" (12%), "red" (6%), and "gray" (5%). It's evident that versatile white and black are highly favored.
Color data of holders by women and age groups
| Unit | White type | Black type | Silver type | Gray type | Red/Wine Red | Blue type | Green type | Yellow gold type | Orange type | Brown type | Purple type | Pink type | Beige | others |
| whole woman | 23.6 | 15.1 | 10.1 | 3.9 | 7.4 | 12.4 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 1.2 |
| Female_20s | 17.4 | 11.4 | 9.8 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 17.4 | 6.1 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 7.6 | 4.5 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 0.8 |
| Female_30s | 23.3 | 20.3 | 6.8 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 10.4 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 7.2 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 1.1 |
| Female_40s | 27.6 | 16.5 | 8.0 | 2.7 | 7.6 | 11.2 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 0.6 |
| Female_50s | 21.7 | 15.1 | 13.5 | 5.6 | 8.2 | 12.5 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 2.6 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 1.3 |
| Women_over 60s | 26.3 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 4.0 | 8.2 | 11.4 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
When examining the data on female car ownership, we observe that the top color is "White" (23.6%), followed by "Black" (15.1%), and "Blue" securing the third position (12.4%), which differs from the overall data. Especially notable is the fact that for women in their twenties, "Blue" and "White" are tied for the first place (17.4%).
Another characteristic of women in their twenties is that the proportion of white cars is the lowest among all age groups, while the proportions of green, brown, pink, and other colors are higher compared to other generations.
Color data of holders by male and age group
| Unit | White type | Black type | Silver type | Gray type | Red/Wine Red | Blue type | Green type | Yellow gold type | Orange type | Brown type | Purple type | Pink type | Beige | others |
| whole male | 26.0 | 20.1 | 15.0 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 12.3 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| Male_20s | 21.6 | 18.7 | 12.2 | 7.9 | 5.0 | 18.0 | 2.9 | – | 3.6 | 2.9 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | – |
| Male_30s | 24.3 | 24.2 | 12.5 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 12.1 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| Male_40s | 26.5 | 23.7 | 14.5 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Male_50s | 27.4 | 18.9 | 17.4 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 10.3 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Male_Over 60s | 29.0 | 13.8 | 17.8 | 8.0 | 5.2 | 12.0 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.2 |
For men, the top four colors are the same as the overall data. In particular, the proportion of monochrome colors such as "white" (26.0%) and "black" (20.1%) tended to be higher than that of women.
Outside of monochrome, blue is the most popular color, ranking third among men in their 20s (18.0%).
The chart above categorizes the colors of cars owned in various regions of Japan. In the Kanto region, the usage rates of three colors, namely "Orange" (38%), "Blue" (34%), and "Yellow" (32%), are significantly higher than in other regions.
Furthermore, when we narrow down the classification to respondents with an annual income of over 20 million yen (sample size: 73 people), the results from top to bottom are "White" (24.2%), "Red" (18.0%), and "Gray" (17.6%). While the proportions of red and gray cars are notably prominent compared to other groups, the percentage of silver car owners is relatively low.
Are you satisfied with the color of your car? The result is...
Satisfaction with owned car
| Unit | White type | Black type | Silver type | Gray type | Red/Wine Red | Blue type | Green type | Yellow gold type | Orange type | Brown type | Purple type | Pink type | Beige | others |
| Very satisfied | 32.4 | 30.2 | 22.6 | 32.6 | 42.3 | 32.5 | 41.0 | 33.6 | 34.9 | 30.5 | 38.0 | 26.8 | 35.8 | – |
| Generally satisfied | 49.5 | 50.0 | 57.2 | 48.7 | 40.6 | 48.7 | 40.7 | 40.7 | 51.1 | 50.3 | 41.6 | 55.7 | 47.6 | – |
| Neither | 15.4 | 14.4 | 17.3 | 16.2 | 15.3 | 13.9 | 13.7 | 21.3 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 11.6 | – |
| Somewhat dissatisfied | 1.9 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | – | 3.2 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | – |
| Very dissatisfied | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 1.3 | – | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | – |
When we conducted a survey on a five-point scale regarding satisfaction with the color of the cars we own, over 70% of respondents answered "very satisfied" or "generally satisfied" for all colors. It seems that because the color was taken into consideration at the time of purchase, there was no significant difference in satisfaction between each color.
The category with the highest number of "very satisfied" responses was "red/wine red" (42.3%). While there were some opinions such as "It's bright and stands out," "It's for Hiroshima Carp fans," "I like Mazda's Soul Red because it's very pretty," and "It's a cool color," there were a few opinions that said, "It's bright and stands out when I go to a solemn place like a memorial service." There were also negative reviews such as "The color is different from the catalog" and "The color is different from the catalog."
Additionally, the color with the highest percentage of responses for the two items "very satisfied" and "satisfied" was "orange" (total 86.0%). Owners said, "It's a vitamin color that doesn't exist in other car models, and it makes you feel good," "It stands out at a glance, so it's easy to find your car," and "The color doesn't show dirt." I am.
On the other hand, the "brown color" was the worst, with a total of 6.0% of respondents saying "very dissatisfied" and "somewhat dissatisfied", with opinions such as "dirt stands out," "the paint peels off," and "I don't like the dull look." However, we have also received positive comments such as "I like the calming colors" and "I never get bored of it."
3. 5 Models with Significant Price Differences Based on Color
[Data Summary]
- Data Source: Winning bids from second-hand car auctions
- Survey Period: January 1, 2023, to July 31, 2023
- Summary Method: Aggregate of average prices across various car models, types, and colors in second-hand car auction data
As mentioned above, each car model has popular colors, but even for the same model, the purchase price may vary depending on the color.
Upon investigating auction data for cars, significant price differences were observed for five models: Premio, Hiace Van, Yaris, Hustler, and Demio.
Notably, Premio exhibited substantial disparities, with the wine-red variant priced at approximately 1.64 million yen, while the gold-silver variant differed by about 810,000 yen, representing a twofold difference. This could be attributed to Premio being a luxury sedan, and the use of wine-red color in its catalog has established an image that makes it more popular, thus influencing its pricing.
References: https://www.goo-net.com/magazine/contents/209812/
