List: The colors that can lower the value of your car

Every other Swede would consider rejecting a car – just because of the car's color. The most discouraging of all? Pink. This is shown by our Sifo survey on Swedes' color preferences when buying a car.

The color of a car is more than just a detail – for many, it can determine the entire purchasing decision. According to the survey, a full 52 percent would refrain from buying a car if it was a certain color. Pink tops the list of colors most people would choose not to buy, closely followed by purple, orange and yellow.

“Color may seem like a superficial factor, but for many car buyers it is part of the car's identity. A car that stands out too much – or in the wrong way – can become an obstacle even if the price is right,” says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager at Kvdbil .

“This is also something to consider, even if you don't mind the color. It can affect the resale value and make it more difficult to resell the car in the future,” he continues.

Men are more color-conscious than women

The survey shows clear differences between the genders. Men are generally more color-conscious – only 28 percent say they are open to all colors, compared to 36 percent of women.

Men are also more negative about pink (57%) than women (46%), and significantly more men than women would avoid a car that is brown (26% vs. 18%) or beige (22% vs. 14%). Women are more skeptical about colors like orange, yellow, and two-tone or patterned cars.

Young people most sensitive to color – but also most flexible

In the 20-34 age group, pink (55%), purple (48%) and yellow (47%) are the most disliked. They are also the group that reacts most negatively to cars with unusual colors or patterns – a full 19 percent say it would make them give up, compared to just 7 percent among older people.

Despite this, younger people are the most color-flexible: 26 percent of 20-34-year-olds are open to all colors, compared to 34 percent in the older age groups.

Reality on the roads: the colors we actually drive

Statistics from the Swedish Transport Agency show that the most accepted colors among Swedes are also the most common on the roads. Among the more than five million passenger cars registered and in traffic in Sweden, the color choices are clearly conservative:

Colors such as green, brown and light blue are rare and account for only 0.6 to 2 percent of the car stock.

Top 5: Car colors we'd rather avoid...

…and the colors we are least bothered by

About the survey

The survey was conducted in Kantar Media's web panel (Sifopanelen) during the period 13–21 March 2025. A total of 1050 people aged 20–79 with access to a car were interviewed. The web panel is nationally representative and recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Kantar Media's web panel (Sifopanelen).