How to Choose a Car Color

Not only do you have to decide which make and model of car, truck, SUV, or van is best for you, but also what color it should be. With a huge pallet of colors available, the possibilities are numerous. Use these tips to help decide which color is right for your next car purchase.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Check out the Colors Matter website. Scientific studies have shown that colors can make a psychological impact in your life. While some of this may seem cliché, it certainly is something to consider when making such a large investment. Although you will be inside of the car most of the time, its appearance from when you first see it on the showroom floor to the point of others viewing you as you drive down the interstate just might make a difference in certain circumstances.
2. Choose a safe color. There have been several studies done to show which is the "safest color" in a vehicle. Lime yellow was picked after one of these studies to paint on fire and rescue vehicles due to its visibility. This color is not widely available or esthetic for most cars. White is highly visible at night and an appealing look on most cars.
3. Choose a classic color. Style has always taught us that black is classic. This is true on cars as well. Black cars tend to get noticed and are easily visible in daylight, but they show dirt quickly and are far less noticeable at night or in the rain.
4. Go for a popular color. Silver has been the most popular car color for many years. This is a good color because it reflects the light at night and is visible like white, and also tends to look clean the longest as it is great at hiding dust. The bad thing is that due to its popularity, some people might shy away from the same color as everyone else and at dusk or in the fog it has been reported that the color tends to fade into the pavement and appear invisible to oncoming traffic.
5. Go for a color that hides dirt. Sand and beige colors hide dirt, but do not draw much attention and this can sometimes lead to danger when you are out in traffic.
6. Choose a color that stands out. Blue and green stand out more and are both well liked and calm colors. They can look really sharp when clean and shined up, but show dirt easily. You might get tired of these colors if you plan to own the car a long time.
7. Go for sexy red. This popular choice looks great on sports cars, but also can imply speed. Red attracts the notice of police and leads to tickets and accidents reportedly more than any other car color. Some insurance companies even increase your premium if you choose to drive a red vehicle, something to consider.

Tips & Warnings

• Something to keep in mind is that certain metallic sheens or specialty colors will have an additional cost to them and/or be more difficult to locate at purchase time.