The current state of the automotive palette is a bit of a shocker. Look in any parking lot and there’ll be a sea of almost non-color, as black, white, gray, and silver dominate.
It’s not your imagination either: at least 70% of new car registrations in 2025 comprised those four colors in the USA and in the UK. Only blue gets into the top five on both sides of the Atlantic, adding up to a combined 85%.
New car buyers overwhelmingly opt to play it safe, it seems to save money on expensive paints and for wider appeal when it comes to selling it on, but they can also only buy what car brands offer. That becomes a vicious circle too: the brands don’t spend money developing interesting paint because it won’t sell, and it doesn’t sell in part because they don’t offer it.
It doesn’t have to be this way, as a press release from Bentley reminded us. The British brand recently celebrated its 80th anniversary at its Crewe HQ, and the opening of a new paint shop by Princess Anne, by launching a one-off Continental GTC in “Purple Supernova Ombre.”
Although few brands offer it these days, purple is the underrated automotive paint shade, and while marques like Bentley can come up with whatever paint they want for their six-figure luxury cars, there have been some pretty spectacular examples of purple cars in more mainstream stuff over the decades.
It’s a color that makes bad cars interesting and good cars even better, and I’ve pulled out some favorites to hopefully poke a few manufacturers into realising their designs deserve more than monochrome.
When Chrysler decided to build a literal hot rod in the late 1990s, it needed a bold color to match that whole vibe. Prowler Purple was a deep metallic shade that helped drive the message home when the Plymouth Prowler concept was revealed in 1993, and every single Prowler that rolled off the assembly line in its first year (1997) was finished in this vibrant violet hue. Its semi-sibling PT Cruiser later sported a very similar color.
While Bayside Blue was the default color choice for the R34-generation Skyline GT-R, it was Midnight Purple II that really showed off the car’s physical form.
There have been three generations of Nissan’s Midnight Purple, and although it started with the R33’s subtle, mostly black shade, it wasn’t until the II and III that the purple shone through. Nissan even leaned on the heritage of Midnight Purple for a new color for its run-out models of R35 GT-R, too.
The E36-generation BMW M3 is usually remembered for moving the M3 game on from its four-cylinder origins to the straight-six era, but it also birthed one of the M Division’s best paints and with one of the better names here: Techno Violet.
It was such a good color that BMW replicated it almost faithfully for a celebratory model as one of the five exterior options for the M3 50 Jahre – and left it off the corresponding M4 model.
For a brand usually known for its blues, Subaru sprang a bit of a surprise when it announced a limited-run variant of its rear-wheel drive sports coupe finished in Galaxy Purple Pearl. Although it only offered 500 cars (dubbed “Series.Purple”) painted in the hue, it was a pretty spectacular finish that complemented some of Subaru’s earlier “Series.[color]” cars.
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So far so good, if you want performance cars and coupes, but Honda was democratizing purple in the 1990s too with the absurdly named Royal Grape Purple Metallic. As far as we can tell, it was applied exclusively to the domestic four-door Honda Civic Ferio in admittedly upper-tier Vi-RS trim but again provided a fabulous splash of deep purple to the car parks of its native Japan.
The third-generation, five-door Volkswagen Golf wasn’t the most interesting car to look at – no hating here, I learned to drive in one – even in the more potent trims, but once again purple shows how very different a car can look in the good color. Dusty Mauve Pearl wasn’t a spectacular name, but the color itself was one of those that really pops in the daylight. Of course it helped that it was only available on the VR6 Highline …
Although the pun is almost enough to disqualify it, Jeep’s Prince-ly purple “Reign” shows that even off-roaders and trucks can get in on the game. Originally introduced in 2022, only a few years after its first-ever purple, Reign was initially only available on the Wrangler on a limited basis.
Stellantis brought it back “by popular demand” on the Wrangler and Gladiator for 2026, which at least shows that, even in the current grayscale automotive landscape, if brands make interesting colors, people will buy them.
Top graphic images: Stellantis; iOS
Friend of mine has a Techno Violet M3. Comes under the heading of “color I think is really cool but would never choose for myself”. I like colors, but that is a bit much.
MGB came in Black Tulip and Aconite.
And Triumph TR6 had that Damson plum
Let’s clarify. Purple is the best car color.
If you look around parking lots and traffic, purple isn’t as uncommon as it seems, it’s just that it’s often purple that doesn’t have the guts to own being purple. Too many look black in anything but direct sunlight or are almost brown or dark maroon. I thought the Subaru one was a disappointment, especially when I saw someone wrap a GR86 in bright violet similar to that Bentley and it looked phenomenal.
I have an e-bike I was building that I’m finally getting back to and it’s to be painted Plum Crazy purple. I’ve also been working on a book for a long time by that title about a clown with confabulation that gets mixed up in a cold civil war within a criminal organization and there’s a ’70 440 ‘Cuda in it. Plymouth called their color “In Violet” rather than “Plum Crazy”, but that name is terrible, doesn’t have a double meaning with the protagonist’s estimation of himself, Dodges are overrepresented in entertainment, and I much prefer the ‘Cudas.
Best? The Bentley, Skyline and Jeep.
These shades remind me of Goofy Grape, one of the Funny Face instant drink mix flavors/characters, Pillsbury’s competitor to Kool-Aid back in the 60s.
I wasn’t around in the 60’s, but I remember Goofy Grape. It must have lived at least into the 70’s.
According to Wikipedia, it survived well belong that.
Funny Face (drink mix) – Wikipedia
Some of the flavor/character names were rightfully deemed politically incorrect and they did a half-hearted reset around 1994.
Thank you for that link. Holy Shit!
Every now and then I get on a 70s/80s movie kick and it’s always shocking what was just casually thrown out as dialog.
Twenty years ago, I had the chance to buy my neighbor’s low-mileage ’99 purple Tacoma. He was the original owner, completely stock, maintained, 4WD, manual, regular cab—everything I wanted—for just $5,000. Today, I’d jump on it in a heartbeat, but back then I was too worried about what others might think.
Even though it was my decision, and I actually liked the color, there were still traces of anti-Barney and anti-purple feelings lingering from a few years before and the idiots I was working with at the time would have had an ongoing source of entertainment!
Just looked it up, Mystic Purple, ’98 and ’99 only… Sigh…
My friend had a purple jacked-up Bronco II that he called ‘Evil Barney.’
My wife and I went mudding with him one night. He got stuck. I had to buy her new shoes.
Yes, purple is a fine option, and it also was further back: in the 1950s, ’60s, and 70s. Oh for the days when shoppers ordered their cars to be built at the factory, choosing from a palette of a dozen, two dozen, or more colors. The buyers chose, and the dealers didn’t necessarily have to stock them all. This gradually faded away with the rise of the import brands.
If there’s any justice in the world, the official color of 2026 will be Statutory Grape.
G, I see what you did there.
Only after Plymouth comes back.
Reminds me of a Ricky Gervais joke.
“I’d like to report a grape”
“I think you mean ‘r'”
“No, there were a bunch of them.”
Mazda’s going with a deep purple as the main colour for the CX-6e. Not a fan of the front fascia or the giga screen inside, but in person it definitely pairs well with the overall silhouette. Looks great from the rear IMHO
I know it’s a reskin of a Chinese EV, but this car is really striking in person for what it is.
Same with my 6e, I know it’s a heavily tweaked Changan underneath, but Mazda is really playing with their strengths here. The Chinese deal with the powertrain and EV bits, the Japanese work their magic on styling and handling.
Purple is the LORDTs color. Every car looks better in a shade of purple. As someone with a violet chromaflair porsche, it wouldn’t hit the same in a boring tone.
Purple is – for me – the color of Mopar muscle cars in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Purple and Sub-lime.
Plum crazy
Plum Crazy?
I would have definitely paid extra to get my new Charger in Plum Crazy. Still happy enough with After Dark that I wont be shopping for a respray right away, but someday…
Dodge just recently announced that they’ll be offering a “purple haze” color for the Charger next year.
I’ve been strongly considering a Midnight Purple Nissan Z as my next car, but I need to see it in person. From what I’ve seen online, it appears to be a very, very dark color that practically looks black in anything but the brightest lighting. It has a fantastic color change from purple to green, but I would be very disappointed if you can almost never see it. Also, it is only available with a black interior. I am also waiting to see what the new green will look like that comes out on the 2027s, I think it can be optioned with a tan interior for the classic combo.
I am so tired of black interiors.
I was looking at GV70s the last time I shopped and loved the interior in general (seriously, that is the interior of a much more expensive vehicle), but especially loved that there were several color options other than black or charcoal.
Saw one zoom by me on a country highway in full sun and it was so surprising I had to watch in the rearview.
I think it’s silly how many people buy Wranglers and never even see a dirt road. But ya know, more often than not they choose SOME color at least, and I’m thankful for that.
Like big trucks, a certain segment of the population buys them for image and projection. The rest of us look at it as a gender affirming care purchase, to make up for some ‘shortcomings’ and project an overly manly image.
It helps my view of the owners in that I rarely see them driving like assholes. Granted, that’s partially due to Wranglers being slow, but I’ll stand by that statement.
I’ve seen quite a few with “go around, I’m flooring it” stickers and I appreciate that sense of humor. And a lot of owners are women, so I don’t think the projection argument applies to them (unless it’s to project an outdoorsy predilection, which is gender-neutral).
Around here there is so much traffic that you’re rarely paying a penalty for the off-road suspension. May as well buy something fun or silly.
It’s fun to hate on silver/gray metallics, but I have a nearly 30-year-old Jeep that still has its original Bright Platinum paint. There are plenty of scratches and marks if you look closely, but that color does an outstanding job of masking them when viewed from a distance.
I like seeing any color on a car! I wonder if manufacturers could do more to make it known when they offer actual colors…I have a coworker who didn’t understand that the nice blue paint on the Wrangler was a factory-offered color, not a custom job.
It’s mostly up to the dealers, who go out of their way to order monochromatic paints that are easier to sell to John & Jane Doe because they don’t cost extra and aren’t as subject to personal taste as colors.
Most buyers take what’s on the lot, rather than place a custom order, and it goes without saying that dealers don’t apply discounts and incentives to custom-order cars, because they have a motivation to shift what inventory they have, plus in a recession it’s unlikely that people will drop a few hundred extra on a paint color and ignore available discounts/incentives.
There isn’t much leverage auto OEMs can do, but one thing is that dealers can be pressured to order a certain amount of the launch color to qualify for the “cool” stuff. Think Ford and their performance cars. Even still, it’s pulling teeth when all dealers care about is flipping cars as fast as possible.
My old WJ was champagne gold – God that color hid everything!
Yes! I never needed to wash my 1999 Saturn SL.
Had an Isuzu Impulse in light topaz metallic. Nice color and hid dirt better than any I’ve ever owned.
100%, purple is great, toyota has/had a nice purple they don’t use nearly often enough too, Black Currant Metallic. it’s a deep purple with a silver and gold metallic flake depending on how the light hits it.
I’ve bought my mom’s previous car in that color and we got a ton of compliments on it.
the closest to greyscale on any car I’ve bought was deep blue. my other two vehicles were/are bright blue.
I own a silver Forester in a Subaru-heavy area and I’m often stopped at a traffic light with a silver Forester in front of me and in the rearview mirror.
We lost a car in a crash and had to buy from inventory at the end of one model year but before the next model year hit dealers.
Purple is my favorite as well – although I do like a good teal/turquoise – and I’ve had a few blue cars and no more than one of any other color, at least.
I smiled as I scrolled down because I was thinking “hey, that era of Rav4 had at least two good colors” about Electric Storm Blue. Oh, there’s Hot Lava too.
I’d take this even further and say that purple is an underrated everything color.
Doesn’t it seem most strip clubs signs are purple neon?
Purple IS a great color. But that Continental screams “Drug Lord”
Funny – I was getting “Second-Year Pro Athlete”
Why not both?
Purple is the official color of A Pimp Named Slickback, so that’s where my mind went.
More like that guy on the street corner in National Lampoon’s Vacation.
Ford has a pretty long history of *occasionally* offering the mustang in purple. They should do that more often.
https://www.cjponyparts.com/media/images/resource-center/articles/body/best-purple-lavender-mustang.jpg
https://images.hgmsites.net/hug/classic-recreations-shelby-gt500cr_100558915_h.jpg
https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/to-heck-with-the-50-this-mercedes-diesel-swap-is-the-best-restomod-fox-body-mustang-246023_1.jpg
https://www.mustangspecs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/16970550-1996-ford-mustang-cobra-std-1.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/73/6f/bc/736fbc6c6f0979cccf1fe178827d99f8.jpg
https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Ford-Mustang-SEMA-4b.jpg
https://images.jazelc.com/uploads/garycrossleyford-m2en/Macrh-Incentive-Image-35.png
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b2/43/8c/b2438c57166ffce9ed954184c3b4b1dd.jpg
Purple for some, green for others. Had two green cars, now only one. The other is silver, yuck! But beggars can’t…
I’ve been thinking about a partial wrap of some sort of blue. I need to spiff up my photo editing skills to try to get an image before taking the plunge.
The year of my birth, Chevrolet offered a beautiful color called “Evening Orchid”. Pontiac called it “Mist”
Sadly it was a one-year only offering.
Porsche has had some very good purples – both light and dark metallics – and as I recall, the Audi Ur-Quattro was available in a stunning plum.
Even as a kid in the early 80s, I thought that a purple metallic would be the perfect color for a 911.
The upcoming C class has a silvery lavender color… but those GM cars are beautiful!
I agree, our family finances would have been transformed by a purple car.
The first gas crunch of 73-74 happened when I was small. I remember dad going shopping to get rid of our big station wagon with a big engine to get something that was better on gas. I remember vividly that dad went a place that had a lot of nearly new cars and one was purple and I loved it. Dad refused to get it because it had an even bigger engine than his wagon and needing very hard to find gas. I remember crying bitterly that we didn’t even try the purple car.
Doing the math, a nearly new purple car in 73 or 74 would have been a 69-71. The purple tells me it was a Mopar, and the engine being bigger than the 390 in our station wagon plus needing very high octane gas… points to this car being worth a LOT more than the 68 F-100 with the 360 that did ended up getting.
It could have been a 1969 Mercury Marquis or Monterey with a 429 –
“Dark Orchid” was a one-year only paint color.
Just about everything ran better on “High Octane” in the mid-70’s as lead was phased out starting in ’73.
I’m pretty sure it was a Charger or the like with the Elephant. But I was young then, I just loved purple because it reminded me of grape juice.
The second gas crunch had a bigger miss. Dad wanted a small car that got close to 20 mpg and hated Japanese cars (he was shot at by them and held a grudge). We went to dealerships and they had Pintos and Vega, which he rejected. He did find a Corvair to fix up, but it wasn’t driveable (ever as it ends up).
Then he found it. A dealership had a small German car, It was old, but ran well and had a 3L. Dad instantly fell in love with it, but it wasn’t cheap and it didn’t have a backseat. He saved money by getting a Maverick.. instead of a 57 300SL Gullwing. Logic said that a guy with a 3 person family needed a car with a backseat and that getting a 20 year old rare German car was going to be a nightmare to daily. But his heart so wanted that car. Mom actively encouraged him to buy the car, but dad just couldn’t get past the being a dad and getting the more logical vehicle for less money.
I like purple, but not all purples are great. For example, I once owned a mid-80s GMC Suburban painted in the late-90s Toyota blue that had a hint of purple when the sun hit it just right. Unfortunately, the previous owner didn’t do the prep work right before having some cheap paint shop lay down that Toyota paint, so the Suburban ended up being a bright purple with hints of blue when the sun hit it just right. My friends nicknamed it “The Barney-mobile”, or “Barney” for short. The purple made it almost unsellable for the owner, so I picked it up for dirt cheap. It later made almost unsellable for me too, though in hindsight I should have never sold it…
I agree purple is underrated, although most shades of purple used on cars are not particularly bold. Like the cars above, they are all darker and don’t stand out. These shades of purple are a small step away from greyscale colors and, in many lighting conditions, look like a greyscale color. Dark purple is only interesting now that 98% of cars are drab, greyscale domestic appliances.
If I wanted a color that was unique and stood out in a good way, I would go for light green (like the one used on a Chevrolet Spark) or orange (like the one currently available in the Jeep Wrangler).
I’ve been considering, as my black CX-7 was apparently used by a previous owner to test out hedge-tunnels for width and height and will need respraying at some point but changing the colour of a car here can be an insurance nightmare, going for a blowover in Infiniti Malbec Black, exactly for the reason that it’s black unless in direct sunlight (which is rare).
It’s not on the list here because, even though it’s perfect for my purposes, it’s just not very purple. In the US the CX-7 was available in a more purple Black Cherry, but I wouldn’t get away with it.