Blue cars lose their value the most over time, with a $12.4K decrease in price, according to a new market assessment. Despite being common, black cars rank 2nd and are affected by a 23.3% decrease in price. In contrast, white cars lose their value the slowest, with only an 18% value drop in 5 years.
The average five-year car depreciation has jumped to 45.6% in 2025, up from 38.8% in 2023, with electric vehicles losing nearly 60% of their value, highlighting how rapidly vehicle values decline in today’s market.
A recent study by NexusMedia, using insights from EasySearch, identified the car colours that lose the most value over time. The research compared the price drop across 10 best-selling car models, including sedans, SUVs, trucks, and electric vehicles. The final rank compares five widely available colours, calculating the average depreciation between MSRP and current price.
Car color psychology suggests that different car colors can be linked to specific personality traits. Here are some associations:
- Black: Dangerous, rebellious.
- White: Modern and tasteful.
- Red: Extrovert drivers choose a red car.
- Blue: Happy and confident.
- Silver: Safer, more mature.
- Brown: Dull, introverted, doesn’t want to stand out from the crowd.
- Green: Unfashionable, don’t care what people think.
- Blue and white: You’re a police officer.
Car colours by depreciation
| Color | Average Depreciation % | Average Value Lost |
| Blue | 27.11% | $12.4K |
| Black | 23.30% | $10.8K |
| Red | 21.68% | $8.7K |
| Silver | 21.32% | $8.2K |
| White | 18.02% | $7K |
From the above table, the car colour that loses the most value over time is blue, with an average depreciation of 27.1%. Blue electric vehicles lose significantly more in price than the same models of different colours, with the Tesla Model Y losing 50.4%, half of its initial price.
Black ranks 2nd among the car colours that lose the most value, with a 23.4% loss in price. Despite being a very common colour, black vehicles lose $10.8K on average, over $2K more than red or silver cars.
Red takes third place, with a value depreciation of 21.6%. The decrease in price of red vehicles stands out in half of the models analysed, with the Honda CR-V losing 24.2% and Ford F-150 losing 43.2%.
Silver is fourth, losing 21.3% and closely following red vehicle colour. The average lost value for silver cars is $8.2K. The price depreciation depends on the car model, with the silver Tesla Model Y losing 50.9% of the original price, compared to only 3.2% lost by red Teslas and 0.8% lost by white Tesla vehicles.
White closes the ranking of the most popular car colours that lose the most value over time, with fifth place and 18% depreciation. It is the most financially ‘stable’ colour in the ranking, with an average loss of only $7K.
Car depreciation has evolved from a predictable financial reality into a complex interplay of psychology, technology, and market perception.
