Grey is the new black it seems when it comes to favourite car colours amongst UK drivers.

Black was the nation’s favourite up until 2017 but for the last two years, grey has edged it. The number of grey cars registered in the UK grew 5.3 per cent year-on-year in 2019 to 521,273 – meaning 22.6 per cent of all new cars registered last year were finished in the colour.

Black swaped places with grey in second, with 466,756 registrations last year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). White came third with 414,403. Registrations of cars in these two colours decreased 2.4 per cent and 4.1 per cent year-on-year respectively.

These three monochrome motor shades continue to dominate with the usual suspects such as blue and red remaining in the top ten in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Yellow made a return to the top ten car shades, replacing beige whereas silver saw a drop in popularity.

In terms of class, small cars were the most likely to be white, while executive saloons were most commonly bought in black. The most popular colour for electric cars was white.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “For most buyers, the colour is the first of many options they’ll select on their new car, and today there are more possibilities to personalise your car than ever before.

“Drivers can choose from many hundreds of models equipped with the latest low and zero emission powertrains, advanced safety and connected tech, and exciting comfort and convenience features. There really is something to suit every driving need – and colour taste – on the market in 2020.”