These are the best and worst colors for car value retention, according to new study

A car’s color can affect how quickly it loses value, with the highest depreciating color losing almost four times the value as the lowest. After comparing the prices of more than 650,000 recently sold cars, the latest iSeeCars study determined which colors help, hurt, or have minimal impact on a vehicle’s resale value for Houston drivers.

Here are some highlights from the study:

  • A vehicle’s color can have a substantial impact on how quickly it loses value, with the highest depreciating color losing nearly four times the value compared to the lowest
  • Popular colors, including white, black, and silver, have minimal impact, meaning they won’t hurt resale value but they also won’t help a vehicle maintain its value
  • Some of the most beneficial colors for retaining value, including yellow and orange, may surprise consumers

Here’s the ranking of each car color’s average three-year depreciation:

RankColor3-year % Depreciation$ Difference from MSRPCompared to Overall Avg
1Yellow4.5%$3,1550.3x
2Orange10.7%$3,8250.7x
3Purple13.9%$5,4610.9x
4Red14.0%$5,3990.9x
5Green14.0%$5,5960.9x
6Blue14.3%$5,5821x
7Gray14.3%$5,6351x
8Beige14.4%$5,9601x
9Silver14.8%$5,4991x
Overall average15.0%$6,0961x
10White15.5%$6,4901x
11Black16.1%$6,9931.1x
12Gold16.7%$6,7191.1x
13Brown17.8%$7,6421.2x

The study also includes an analysis by car type: (SUVs, pickup trucks, convertibles, coupes, sedans, and minivans). The full study can be found here.

iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer appeared on KPRC 2+ to discuss the study. For his insights, watch the video at the top of the page.

You can stream KPRC 2+ weekdays at 7 a.m. on click2houston.com and the KPRC 2 app.