There are the staple colours that you’ll find consistently throughout the lifecycle of any car – black, white, silver, red, blue being the most common – then there are the more interesting hues that come and go with each updated model or new vehicle.
The CarAdvice 2015 Best Price survey data shows that 77.6 per cent of buyers prefer monochromatic shades while blue is gaining traction and red is not as hot as it used to be.
Muted neutrals have made an appearance as well as an extended range of reds, almost pastel blues, golden tones and two-toned works of art.
At the other end of the spectrum we’ve seen yellows brighter than Big Bird and greens that would make Shrek and Kermit look ill.
It feels like there’s never been a brighter variety of colours to choose from, with something to suit every personality.
For that 22.4 per cent who like to stand out from the crowd here are my favourite colour trends for the 2015/16 season.
- Nature Calling
From the Australian coastline to the Red Centre, there are plenty of colour options reminiscent of the natural beauty of our great country… and also of a Colorbond roofing catalogue.
The Suzuki Vitara is now offered in three new colours – Atlantis Turquoise Pearl Metallic, Horizon Orange Metallic and Savannah Ivory Metallic.
Though all fit the Nature Calling theme, our pick is Savanna Ivory Metallic: it embodies both the sandy shoreline and plains of dry grass in one.
- Champagne Tastes
From gold to almost pink, champagne hues have been a popular flavour of late.
The 2016 Infiniti Q30 was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in a show-stopping colour called Liquid Copper, a pinky-orangey-gold that shone under the lights.
- Two-Faced
Personalisation is the new black. Suzuki, Range Rover, Citroen and more offer a range of choices including different body and roof colour combinations, livery and graphics features.
Few stood out as strongly this year as the two-tone Peugeot 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Edition. A textured, almost solid black at the front and a glossy, lacquered red at the rear.
- Feeling Blue
Blue has been one of the hottest trends, with manufacturers exploring deep yet bright shades like the Range Rover Sport SVR in Estoril Blue (BMW also had a blue by the same name, after the F1 circuit in Portugal), or the Lexus GS F in Ultrasonic Blue Mica, while the HSV Clubsport R8 LSA Tourer turned a few heads.
But the lighter, more solid colours have been interesting, too. There were so many to choose from.
The Porsche 911 Carrera S in Miami Blue channels clear skies and pristine beaches, it looks like a holiday on wheels.
5. Seeing Red
The most recognised red in the world would have to be Ferrari‘s Rosso Corsa.
There are a couple of other reds that are also instantly recognisable like the iconically Aussie Holden Commodore VFII SS-V Redline that looks fantastic in Some Like It Hot Red.
- Beautiful Browns
Personally, I’m not a fan of the various brown tones on offer. However it seems to be something a lot of manufacturers continue to push ahead with.
The Volkswagen Amarok in Toffee Brown Metallic looks like melted chocolate.
7. Greyer Than Gandalf
This is a trend that is quietly sticking around, not really taking off but unique enough to be a point of difference.
That elephant grey that seems to blend into both the city skyline and into the stormy sky.
Maybe that’s the point… given that the colour of the dark grey Ford Focus ST is called Stealth.
- Summer Sunshine
We were able to drive a lot of bright yellow cars throughout the year, the Hyundai Veloster and Honda S660 among them.
One that put a bit of a smile on our faces though was the Audi TT S Coupe in Vegas Yellow.
But I couldn’t go past the Mercedes-AMG GT S in AMG Solarbeam Metallic either.
And finally, here’s our picks for the standout bright colours that almost burned our retinas.
Lexus RC350 F Sport in Lava Mica.
Renault Trafic L1H1 in Bamboo Green.
Citroen C4 Cactus in Hero Yellow.
BMW 125i in Valencia Orange.
