For the 9th year in a row, silver has bested all other colors for most popular car color. Silver is the color of choice for North American buyers, with 1 in 4 buyers opting for some shade of the hue.

According to PPG – top automotive paint maker – confirmed that 25 percent of all new cars bought in North America for the last year were in some shade of silver, that is actually higher than the 20 percent silver got in 2008. White continued its popularity with 18 percent, followed by black (16 percent) and red (12 percent). Just 15 years ago, only 8 percent of the cars on the roads were silver.

“What helps drive silver’s popularity are all of the innovative effects that really make silver shine … much more than just a simple gray,” said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager, color styling, automotive coatings. “Silver tones work well with today’s tinted metallic textural looks. The diversity of silver, from subtle hue shifts to dimensional metallic flake appearances, works with a variety of vehicle styles.”