Analysis Reveals Color Affects The Price Of Used Cars

2017 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE (Credit: Chevrolet)

You could have more equity in your new car after a few years just by choosing the right color. Or you can save money when shopping for a used vehicle by staying away from certain colors. Autolist crunched the numbers and came up with some interesting results.

First off, Autolist found the difference in price by color is greatest for convertibles, while hatchbacks have the smallest spread.

Even more interesting, price differences by color shifts from one model to the next. For example, there’s a larger price spread for the F-150 versus other full-size pickups, while people shopping for used Ram 1500s seem to care the least about color. Does this mean Ford shoppers are more into image?

Autolist price popularity variance by color (Credit: Autolist)

Autolist found a bigger difference in colors versus prices for the 5 Series and A6, versus the E-Class. It appears Cadillac shoppers are even less attached to color.

There’s a big difference among the American pony cars. Challenger and Mustang differentials were both just a tick above $100, while the Camaro stuck out at a whopping $390. Guess we know who the pretty boys are after all.

Autolist price popularity body type and models (Credit: Autolist)

An interesting spread exists for compact SUVs, too. The Nissan Rogue has a $125 differential, versus $154 for the RAV4 and $168 for the Escape. For reasons only Honda lovers might understand, the CR-V has a $246 differential.

The question that begs to be answered is if some automakers are using color to make a little extra cash? Whatever the cause, you might want to research colors before buying a new or used car.