ALL RISE. Škoda bucks the UK trend as BLUE tops colour charts among a sea of grey

Škoda cars added a splash of colour to UK roads last year, as the brand revealed blue as its most popular shade in 2023, trending against the UK norm. In fact, one in three cars sold by Škoda in the UK was non-monochrome – with vivid options including Hyper Green, Phoenix Orange and Velvet Red – going against the grain as grey was ranked the nation’s top choice with UK buyers for the sixth year in a row, according to the latest data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Grey, black and white make up the majority of new car colours in the UK at 63.5% of the market, totalling 1.2 million cars. While the UK’s top choice (grey) proved popular for Škoda buyers in 2023, it was the second favourite Škoda colour last year, with 26% of total sales, ahead of black in third at 17%. Blue outsold both, accounting for 30% of all Škoda cars sold in the UK last year.  

Enyaq, Octavia, Fabia, Kamiq, Kodiaq and Scala buyers are the biggest blue fans, as it was the number one seller for each. Across the nation, blue was only the UK’s fourth favourite hue in 2023, with 287,000 cars registered.

For a sixth consecutive year, the fifth most popular colour for a new car in the UK was red, according to the SMMT, accounting for 7.5% the market – featuring in the nation’s top 10 every year bar one since 2001.

Red continues to be a popular choice for Škoda customers, with Velvet Red and Corrida Red available on the Enyaq. Expanding customer choice even further, the latest generation of Škoda Superb sees the introduction of a new colour, Carmine Red.

Generally, muted tones have not always dominated the charts. The prevailing colour choices in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s were blue and red, but greyscale began to grow massively in popularity¹.

Škoda UK cars by colour choice in 2023

¹Most Popular Car Colours Over Time, DailyInfographic: https://dailyinfographic.com/most-popular-car-colors