Back to GuidesWhat Are the Most Dangerous Car Colors?
The most dangerous car colors tend to be the darkest ones. Just because you buy a black, gray, blue, or green car does not make you unsafe or accident-prone, but it does put you at a higher risk of getting into an accident, all things being equal.
The Monash University’s Accident Research Centre in Australia conducted a study on vehicle color and accident rates and found that darker colors like black, gray, and blue cars have a higher accident rate than lighter-colored vehicles.
What Are the Safest Car Colors?
With only a handful of exceptions, the safest car colors tend to be the lightest and brightest ones.
This is typically because they offer high contrast to their surroundings, increasing overall visibility. Just as in the case of the least safe car colors, just because you go buy a white car does not mean that the color alone will prevent you from getting into an accident. You should always exercise caution when driving any vehicle.
A Look at the Most Dangerous Car Colors:
Black:
Black is the most dangerous car color you can buy. In fact, black vehicles have a 12% higher risk of being involved in an accident than white vehicles. This number soars even higher during the low-light conditions presented at dusk, dawn, and in adverse weather conditions. Black cars are up to 47% more likely to be involved in an accident at dusk or dawn.
In addition to posing a higher crash risk, black cars are also more likely to be involved in a high-severity crash than other colors. These statistics are likely the result of overall visibility, or lack thereof, on the road. Darker colors have less of a contrast with their surroundings, including the road, the foliage in the surrounding terrain, the terrain itself, and even other motorists’ vehicles.
Black is the darkest color, so it makes sense that even the daylight, a black vehicle is much less likely to be seen than a brighter vehicle. It does not help that black is also a popular color. According to Kelley Blue Book, it is the third most popular color overall and the most popular color for convertibles and coupes.
Gray:
Gray cars are not quite as dangerous as black cars, but they still pose a significant visibility problem to motorists. They come with an 11% higher crash risk than white vehicles for many of the same reasons that black cars do. Gray is a lighter color than black, but the contrast they present compared to their surroundings is nearly as low. Shadows on the road can easily make us miss them, even in the daytime hours.
Like black vehicles, gray vehicles are far more likely to be involved in an accident during dawn or dusk with up to a 25% higher risk than the safest color. They also carry a higher risk of being in a more serious accident.
Silver:
You might think that silver and gray are the same color. They are similar, but silver tends to be a more dynamic, lighter color. Still, silver vehicles are 10% more likely to be involved in an accident and 15% more likely to be in a crash at dawn or dusk than white cars.
Unfortunately, both silver and gray are the most popular overall car colors, according to Kelley Blue Book. Even though they trail white’s popularity across several different types of vehicles, they are the most popular colors for SUVs, boosting their overall popularity.
Blue:
Blue is a beautiful color but is also the fourth most dangerous. The majority of blue vehicles on sale fall on the darker end of the spectrum. Blue shades like the Honda CR-V’s Canyon River Blue Metallic, the Chevrolet Silverado’s Lakeshore Blue Metallic, and the BMW 3-Series’ Portimao Blue Metallic are all darker shades that can present similar visibility issues to black vehicles.
Even brighter shades of blue like Ford’s Grabber Blue, Jeep’s Hydro Blue Pearl, and Subaru’s Oasis Blue can blend in with the horizon or sky on a sunny day. Blue cars are 7% more likely to be involved in an accident than white cars.
Purple is a similar color to blue, especially where the darker shades are concerned. The relative scarcity of purple cars helps keep them off of our list, but just like blue cars, purple cars tend to be involved in more serious accidents than brighter colors like white, yellow, and red.
Red:
You might be surprised to see that red cars have a higher accident rate than many other vehicle colors on this list. Like blue cars, red cars have a 7% higher accident rate than white cars. The reason for this is likely due to a combination of factors, though.
Even though red tends to be a bright color, there are only a handful of vehicles offered in a brilliant crimson or fiery red color. Mazda’s Soul Red is a good example of a vibrant red, but other shades of red like Kia’s Dawning Red, Chrysler’s Red Hot Pearl, or Honda’s Radiant Red Metallic are slightly more muted. Several manufacturers even offer deeper shades of red that border on maroon.
The same factors that can make black, gray, and dark blue cars harder to see than white and yellow cars can apply to red cars. The additional presence of red road signs and traffic lights can also play a role. It can be easy to see a flash of red in your peripheral vision as you turn your head to look down the road and dismiss it for a stop sign, brake lights, or a red light.
One more possible factor is that vehicle color choices can tell you much about the car buyer. Although not universally true, car buyers who buy red vehicles tend to have more aggressive and forthright personalities and therefore have more aggressive driving styles. This is one reason that red vehicles are ticketed more often than other vehicles. Despite this, it is untrue that insurance companies charge higher insurance rates for red vehicles.
Green:
There are only a handful of truly vivid green car options on the market right now. More manufacturers tend to use darker, deeper green shades than brighter and shoutier shades since they suit more family-oriented vehicles. This leaves room for plenty of visibility issues, especially in shady and heavily wooded areas.
Even though green cars are not quite as likely to be in an accident as blue or red vehicles, they do tend to have more severe accidents than many other colors.
A Look at the Safest Car Colors:
White:
We have already alluded to the fact that white cars are typically the safest, and most studies back that up. White vehicles have a 12% lower accident rate than black cars. They offer high contrast compared to most of their surroundings, they are more easily visible in low-light conditions, and they stand out more when road conditions deteriorate because of poor weather.
Not only is white the safest color choice for vehicles, but it is also one of the most popular car colors. It loses out by a hair overall when compared to silver and gray, but Kelly Blue Book has found that white is the most popular vehicle color among minivans, pickup trucks, luxury cars, station wagons, family sedans, and hatchbacks.
Although not as popular as white, cream and off-white are also among the safest car colors one can buy. Nearly every car model on the market is available in some kind of white paint, and it is often the cheapest default option. Higher-end luxury cars often offer several variations of white paint including some darker off-white shades.
Yellow:
Yellow takes a close second to white when it comes to the safest car colors. Several studies have even shown yellow to be a safer color choice than white. Like the color white, yellow offers high contrast between it and most of its surroundings on the road, giving it typically higher visibility when seen against a backdrop.
Yellow has made a small resurgence as a color choice in recent years. There are several cars available with some kind of yellow paint including the Ford Mustang’s Yellow Splash Metallic, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer’s Nitro Yellow Metallic, and the Mitsubishi Mirage’s Sand Yellow.
Orange:
Orange is another safe color choice, but it is not a popular color. It is the most popular among sports car buyers as it is a more exciting and unusual color that fits the personality that a sporty vehicle brings to the table. As is the case with whites and yellows, orange offers high visibility compared to its surroundings, making that a large part of its high safety rating.
Orange color options currently on the market include the Acura Integra’s Tiger Eye Pearl, the Subaru Crosstrek’s Sun Blaze Pearl, the Toyota Tacoma’s Solar Octane, and the Chevrolet Corvette’s Amplify Orange Tintcoat.
Gold:
Gold is another color that falls closer to the bottom of the popularity totem pole, but it is one of the safest color choices you can make. There are not a ton of options on the current market, but a handful exist if you really want one. Land Rover offers the Range Rover in Batumi Gold, but it is easier to find vehicles in a beige or sand color than a true gold color.
Key Takeaways
Having gone over a ton of information, there are some key takeaways that we need to keep in the back of our minds.
Colors and Visibility
The color of your car is not the only thing that affects safety, but it does play a part in visibility, itself a key factor of safety. The darker the car color, the less visibility your vehicle has on the road. Dark colors present less contrast with their surroundings. Shadows, the pavement, forests, the horizon, and other surrounding features can all help a dark-colored vehicle blend in.
Gray and Silver are not as dark, but the shadows cast by the surrounding environments can easily play tricks on your eyes. Red is a surprisingly dangerous car color that has more contributing factors to its safety rating than just visibility.
One of the key reasons that vehicle manufacturers often equip vehicles with daytime running lights is to increase a vehicle’s visibility during the daytime. Bright colors increase visibility during both high and low light conditions, but headlights can go even further to help you see a vehicle in the day or night, regardless of its color.
DRLs are not true replacements for headlights, but they are one of the most overlooked safety features that manufacturers use to increase vehicle visibility.
Visibility is Only One Part of the Equation
So much of our time has been focused on car color and visibility, but safety and accident rates go far beyond the issue of visibility. Aggressive driving, distracted driving, drunk driving, or simply being careless while driving all contribute more to a vehicle’s overall safety than car color alone.
Someone who buys a white car may be the most reckless driver in the world and will likely have to suffer the consequences of that behavior. Likewise, you could have a spotless record while owning a black vehicle for your entire driving career. Be sure to love the car and the color you pick to go with it while you practice safe driving. Accidents may still happen, but they do not need to be your fault.
Beyond Safety
Beyond the visibility, safety features, and statistical safety risks involved with buying any car of a certain color, the car color you choose will have greater implications than safety. Yellow vehicles, for example, tend to have higher resale values than cars of different colors. They also tend to sit at the dealership for the longest time before being sold.
Paint maintenance is another big one. Gray and silver are the best car colors for which to care and two of the easiest colors to clean. White cars are also easy to clean, but trips to the car wash will be frequent as dirt cannot hide behind its brightness. Black cars tend to be hard to care for, and some even require special cleaning techniques.
Again, it is up to you what color car you buy since that color is one you will have to live with and one that tells other people a little about yourself. Just remember that it is up to you to drive safely and smartly, regardless of what color your car is.
