Brighten up ‘Grey UK’! Renault urges Britain’s car buyers to embrace the joie de vivre and put grey in the shade by making yellow and green 2025’s must-have colours
Car buyers are being urged to add a dash of colour to Britain’s streets this January after it was revealed that grey was the most popular new car colour for a seventh year in a row in 2024.
The call for the new car buying public to be brighter and bolder in their car colour choices, and brighten up ‘Grey UK’, comes after a survey by car maker Renault* revealed that:
- 69% of Brits claim colour has a positive impact on their mood
- More than two-fifths (43%) of Brits associate bright colours with happiness
- The words most associated with bright colours according to respondents include happiness (43%), bold (35%) and joy (34%)
- A fifth (20%) of Brits say seeing a brightly coloured car on the road makes them smile
- 1 in 7 (14%) respondents think the drivers of a brightly coloured car must have a fun personality
The 2024 car colour data, complied by industry body the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), revealed that grey had topped the new car colour chart for an incredible seventh year in a row, confirming the majority of Brits prefer to stick to a monochrome colour when it comes to choosing their car.
But in a bid to break the greyscale’s stranglehold, the Renault 5 was put on sale last week, headlined by two eye-catching colour options, Yellow Pop! and Green Pop!
“Britons are famously conservative when it comes to choosing car colours, but with the launch of Renault 5 with the option of our two Pop! colours we plan to bring some joie de vivre to the UK’s roads, with our research showing that by adding some colour we will also bring joy and positivity to people,” said Adam Wood, Managing Director of Renault UK.
The all-electric R5 is a modern reimagining of the legendary original, which was produced between 1972 and 1985, with 5.5 million cars sold globally. Thanks to its combination of eye-catching design, latest technology and a keen price starting from just £22,995 it was recently voted Top Gear Car of the Year, Best Car of the Year and – just last week – Car of the Year 2025, judged by a jury of 60 leading automotive journalists from across 23 European countries.
Adding another dimension to the fun a brightly coloured car can bring to the public roads, across its four-year journey from concept car through to production car, R5 has been presented in Pop Yellow!, prompting many to eagerly anticipate the potential for the famous ‘Yellow Car’ game – which has its roots in the rapeseed oil trade from more than 400 years ago – to ramp up once cars start hitting the UK roads from April.
Renault’s survey also revealed that one in five (20%) of people play the game on a road trip, suggesting that the colour can be a great source of fun for other road users as well as the owner. Despite this, until now almost two-thirds (65%) of Brits say they have never owned a yellow car.
The Renault 5 is available to order now (and is also available in Artic White, Diamond Black and Midnight Blue for those preferring a more traditional colour palette), with more details available at Renault.co.uk.
