Can paint color affect the value of a used car? Can I sell my car for more after repainting? Which color holds the most value? Such questions are popular among those looking to sell their vehicles. People associate colors with unique meanings; white is pristine, red is bold, black is class, and blue is calming. But does paint color influence the value of a car?
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What Studies Say
Replacing the paint on an antique car can reduce its resale value. Covering a scrappy vehicle with new paint usually doesn’t increase its value. Most new cars are black, white or silver. People prefer these colors because they’re sleek and subtle, but the high production translates to abundant options.
Black, white and silver cars are easier to find than yellow, bright green, and orange shades. The latter makes up less than 2% of the used car market, so buyers looking for a specific hue will find fewer options and might pay more. Sellers can list a higher asking price if their cars have unique fluorescent paint colors.
Cars with new-like paint jobs will fetch higher resale value than those needing stripping down for new paint. A combination of the model, make, and color can also influence resale value. Used blue trucks sell for less on average than identical trucks in black. For minivans and SUVs, light green is the color likely to fetch the highest asking price.
Can Paint Color Affect Resale Price?
Paint color, per se, has little significance in the car’s value. Most buyers consider how well the vehicle is maintained, the paintwork’s condition, and its originality. The rarest paint color is no good if the buyer has to strip down everything to apply new paint. Some colors sell faster than others. Medium blue and bright red sell faster for sports cars, while dark blue and dark red work for luxury cars. A quick sale doesn’t necessarily translate to better value.
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A new paint job can elevate the aesthetics of an old car or devalue the vehicle, especially when handled with non-professionals. Manufacturing-grade paint services are expensive, so most people opt for the cheap paintwork of auto shops. Stripping down the original paint and replacing it with affordable alternatives will instantly drop the car’s resale value. Buyers primarily purchase well-maintained cars with original paintwork.
Which Paint Colors Hold Value Better?
Cars in black, silver, and white are more likely to hold their value than other options. Yellow, orange, and bold colors are also appealing and can hold value better because they’re harder to find. According to existing car data, bold colors like orange, yellow and beige depreciate between 20% and 27%. Blue, white, silver, and black cars have a depreciation of around 38%, while Purple, brown, and gold are the worst performers at 46%.
Paint color isn’t a factor in determining how much a car will retain its original value. The car color, model, and production year have a better influence on resale value. According to The New York Times, a gray paint Mazda MX-5 Miata RF went for $1000 less than a similar make in red color. The value difference is partly because the red paint was the more desirable, and people perceive it as the original make.
Cars depreciate by up to 29.8% over three years. Beige-painted SUVs can lose up to 46% of their value within the same three-year duration, while similarly painted pick-up trucks will only drop by 18%. The difference is because beige works better for utility cars like pick-up trucks, where hiding dirt matters. Paint color is easy to overlook, but such stats offer enough reason to rethink how much it impacts resale value.
Should I Change My Car’s Paint Color?
One of the popular questions car owners ask when looking to sell is whether changing color can increase the resale value. If the red Mazda sells for $1000 more than the gray shade, changing the color might seem like a solution for fetching top dollar. New paint color won’t increase value unless the manufacturer does it. Auto shops provide quick, cheap paint jobs but don’t result in the original color.
Disguising a car as the original can result in liability issues after the transaction. Sending an old vehicle to the manufacturer for a new original paint job is also more expensive than selling it as-is. Repairing worn-out paint color is the only reasonable improvement car owners can perform when looking for better value. Changing the paint color alone will cost more without affecting the average asking price. Find out more about car air con servicing by visiting Natrad
How Do I Sell My Car For Top Dollar?
Car paint color has little impact on the resale value. Engine health, make, model, mileage, and overall conditions are more important than the choice of color. Sellers can improve car performance, change the interior, or repair and repaint worn-out surfaces.
Buyers also purchase the car as-is, so there’s no pressure to achieve any repair work. When searching where to sell my car for top dollar, remember to work with reputable buyers and dealers committed to providing the best experience.