Most cars lose a lot of their value in their first few years on the road, but some vehicles see an even steeper decline simply because of their color.
In fact, some colors lead to huge dollar losses in a mere three years, according to recent research from iSeeCars.
The average vehicle loses 31% of its value after three years on the road, iSeeCars found. While some colors fare better, others see their value drop by an average of more than $15,000.
For the analysis, iSeeCars looked at pricing data for more than 1.2 million used cars from the 2022 model year and calculated how a vehicle’s color affected how fast it lost value in the vehicle’s first three years.
The website says cars of the following colors fall in value the fastest during the first three years of a car’s lifespan.
Gold
The three-year depreciation rate for cars of this color: 34.4%
The average three-year depreciation rate among all cars (for comparison): 31%
Gold cars lose a whopping $16,679 in value over three years, on average. So, if you plan to drive a gold car, you might want to hold on to it until it falls apart on you.
White
The three-year depreciation rate for cars of this color: 32.1%
The average three-year depreciation rate among all cars (for comparison): 31%
White is the most popular car color among drivers today. But that doesn’t change the fact that the color depreciates by an average of $15,557 over three years.
Black
The three-year depreciation rate for cars of this color: 31.9%
The average three-year depreciation rate among all cars (for comparison): 31%
Like white cars, black vehicles are very popular. But that fact is partially responsible for why black cars do not hold their value. As iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer notes in a summary of the iSeeCars findings:
“White and black are the two most common car colors, which suggests plenty of people want them. But it also means those colors provide zero distinction in the used market, reducing their value and making it easy for buyers to shop around for the lowest-priced model in these shades.”
Car colors that hold their resale value
Here are the car colors that result in a loss of value that’s less than the market average of 31%, along with their three-year depreciation rate:
- Yellow: 24%
- Orange: 24.4%
- Green: 26.3%
- Beige: 29.5%
- Red: 29.8%
- Silver: 29.8%
- Brown: 30.4%
- Gray: 30.5%
- Blue: 30.9%
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