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Motor1

Business

Jeff Perez

Best Car Colors of 2025

Audi BMW Chevrolet Lexus Nissan Toyota Porsche Renault BASF Cadillac

Automakers weren’t shy about adding real colors back into their lineups in 2025—which is great news. Continuing a trend from recent years, blues, greens, and purples were back on the menu this year, with brands like Audi, BMW, and Chevrolet taking advantage of buyers’ newfound need for color.

That said, it wasn’t all bright and shiny everywhere. A handful of new neutral tones debuted in the US this year, like silvers, whites, and blacks. Earth tones like bronze and brown remain popular picks among consumers—and with the rise of rugged SUVs, they could become even more popular over the next few years.

As of 2024, at least 83 percent of car buyers still pick an achromatic hue like white or black over a brighter color, according to German chemical company BASF Coatings. And that's mostly true in 2025. Gray remains one of the most popular color options in America, while black is extremely popular in regions like Europe and the Asia Pacific.

That said, if you want an actual color on your next car, there are plenty of options to choose from. More than 15 new hues made their impact this year on vehicles around the globe, ranging from subtle blacks and beautiful blues to gorgeous greens, reds, and more. These are just some of our favorites.

Audi

Malpelo Blue

Audi has long offered The Good Colors on its vehicles—Ascari Blue, Kyalami Green, Python Yellow, the list goes on. This year is no different; Audi introduced the lovely Malpelo Blue atop its new A6 E-Tron electric sedan and Q3 crossover. And it fits in perfectly with the company’s other hues.

Even though Audi calls it "blue," Malpelo is actually closer to a shade of teal or turquoise in the right light. It’s nowhere near as blue as Ascari Blue, but certainly not nearly as vibrant green as Kyalami. In that respect, it finds a perfect middle ground between the two—arguably, the best of both worlds.

BMW

Avus Blue, Grigio Telesto

BMW is no stranger to bright colors and beautiful paint jobs. This year, the German luxury automaker rolled out a handful of "new" hues—including a few retro paint options that look particularly good atop models like the 3 Series.

Avus Blue isn't entirely new, but it returns to the lineup for the first time on a modern production car atop the M340i Jahre Edition. It's inspired by the same shade that debuted on the E36, and it looks great. Grigiio Telesto has been around for a bit within the BMW range for a bit, admittedly, but only recently has it become more popular on models like the M5 and M2. So, it's also worth including.

Cadillac

Drift Metallic

Coinciding with a mid-cycle refresh of the CT5 sedan, Cadillac introduced a new green option to its lineup for 2025: Drift Metallic. It joins the lineup alongside two new color options on the CT5 for 2025, Deep Space Metallic and Typhoon Metallic.

Of the three, though, Drift Metallic is our favorite new hue. It's a subtle, understated shade of light blue that looks lovely alongside the CT5's black accents and wheel options. It works best on the aggro CT5-V Blackwing, where it really shows off the vehicle's lines.

Chevrolet

Hysteria Purple, Roswell Green

Chevrolet offers some really exciting colors—especially on the Corvette. New for this year are two hues that make the mid-engined C8 that much more appealing: Hysteria Purple and Roswell Green. Hysteria Purple was introduced late in 2024 for the 2025 model year, specifically on the ZR1. Paired with the car’s bronze wheels, it borders on perfect.

Roswell Green is an interesting addition to the ZR1 and ZR1X lineups for 2026. It’s not as dark as some other shades of green we’ve seen on sports cars, like Aston Martin’s green or Jaguar’s British Racing Green. But the lighter green pairs especially well with the ZR1’s black accents and dark wheels.

Ford

Sinister Bronze

This one is interesting; Sinister Bronze isn’t an actual paint job you can get on the Bronco, Bronco Sport, or Mustang. Rather, this specific hue is part of an accent package for all three vehicles that gives Ford’s sportiest models an extra bit of flair.

Specifically on something like the Bronco Sport, the new Bronze package adds the Sinister hue to the badges, wheels, body accents, and even the interior. While the color itself may be too extreme to cover the entire car, it does look excellent when paired with black or white.

Kia

Terrain Brown

Brown isn’t a hue that gets its do. There are many great shades of brown, but the late 1980s and early 1970s ruined any appeal the color had. Thankfully, the last few years have seen a bit of a brown resurgence. When done right, it’s a great color for a car. Case in point: the 2027 Kia Telluride and its available Terrain Brown paint option.

When the sun hits this specific brown just right, the vehicle takes on a damp sand-like tone. But as the light fades, you’re left with an almost muddy aesthetic. The vibe works either way. Terrain Brown looks equally at home parked at a valet stand as it does putting in work on a dusty fire road.

Lexus

Wind

It may not sound or look all that exciting, but Lexus’s new Wind hue is a lovely addition to the range. Available exclusively on the limited IS500 F Sport Ultimate Edition, the new shade adds a silvery white finish to the IS500’s sharp body, paired with black wheels and a Circuit Red leather interior.

Unfortunately, this color won’t be available on other Lexus models—and it won’t be around for very long. Lexus only plans to build 500 examples of the IS500 Ultimate Edition for the US, which means getting your hands on this special IS500 won’t be easy.

Morgan

Armeria Lilac

The Morgan Motor Company may not be all that popular in America, but the boutique British sports car maker does offer a lovely shade of pinkish purple on its high-performance Supersports model abroad. Dubbed Armeria Lilac, Morgan debuted the new hue this year.

It’s one of just a handful of color options available for the latest Supersport, alongside other excellent hues like Almond Green, Belfast Blue, Safari Yellow, and many more. If it were our money, though, Armeria Lilac is the one to get.

Nissan

Midnight Purple

If you had to rank iconic Japanese sports car colors, Midnight Purple lands in the top five. Nissan offers the color-changing paint option on the 2026 Nissan Z. You’ll need to opt for the mid-grade Performance trim to get this Heritage Edition treatment. That’s all well and good since it comes with a limited-slip differential, bronze wheels, and an excellent 'Twin Turbo' graphic on the lower edge of the doors.

Midnight Purple changes from nearly black to purple to green, depending on the light and how you’re looking at the car. Fans of the R34-generation GT-R are well aware of the color. Now Z-car fans can get in on the fun. Now, Nissan just needs to make Midnight Purple available on the Nismo trim, too. Oh, and the automaker still needs to make a manual gearbox available for that model as well.

Porsche

Olive Neo

Depending on the model and how you plan on customizing it (and how much money you plan on spending), Porsche’s color palette is seemingly endless. This year, though, the company introduced a new color atop a special 911 that fits neatly alongside Porsche’s many other greens: Olive Neo.

Designed exclusively for the 911 Spirit 70 that debuted at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, the Olive Neo exterior pairs with gold badges, black accents, and, importantly, a retro tartan interior with an Olive Neo and black checkered pattern. If you plan on getting your hands on this special 911—hurry. The 911 Spirit 70 is limited to just 1,500 examples.

Renault

Hauts-de-France Green, Pop Yellow

The French are no strangers to fun and exciting colors for their vehicles. Renault is no exception. The French automaker debuted two new hues for two of its cutest new models: Hauts-de-France Green and Pop Yellow.

Hauts-de-France Green debuted on the new Renault 4 E-Tech. The subtle shade mixes elements of blue, turquoise, and sage for a lovely green that works perfectly atop the tiny French hatchback. Pop Yellow, on the other hand, is a much brighter option that debuted on the larger Renault 5 E-Tech, and it looks lovely with the subtle red and black accents on certain trims.

Toyota

Everest, Karashi Yellow, Wave Maker

From the moment its first TRD Pro model debuted in 2015, Toyota has offered a range of excellent hues for its most rugged models. This year, Toyota dropped two new colors for its TRD range: Everest and Wave Maker. Everest showed up first on the 4Runner TRD Pro, while Wave Maker debuted later in the year for all TRD Pro models.

But even the Prius got in on the color fun for 2025. Toyota debuted the Prius Nightshade with a new Karashi Yellow that’s joined by darkened accents, inside and out. Of course, you can choose from more boring colors, like Midnight Black or Wind Chill White—but why would you?

What’s Next for 2026?

Experts at BASF expect more neutral tones to make their way into automaker lineups in 2026. With the ruggedization of so many crossovers and SUVs, that’s to be expected. Thankfully, they don’t expect real colors to go anywhere anytime soon, either.

BASF says that bright hues like yellow are on the rise, with more expected to debut next year. "Especially in electric vehicle design," BASF notes," those are reflecting a shift toward harmonious, optimistic color palettes."

We'll see what colors next year brings—hopefully, more than just brown and beige. Tell us what your favorite color is in the comments below.