In a Crayola box there may be 20 different shades of the same color. This same variation can also be found at a car lot. At Laird Noller Hyundai in Lawrence, for example, silver is available in a surprising number of shades.

“We have models that range in color from diamond silver, liquid silver and silver stone to graphite gray, carbon gray and charcoal gray,” said David Bennett, sales manager at Laird Noller Hyundai.

Based on car color statistics, silver is the most popular car color in North America. Data from PPG Industries, the world’s leading automotive coatings company, show that silver increased in popularity from 20 percent in 2008 to 25 percent this past year. White, black and red made up the other majorities.

Nikki Wolf, an employee at Kansas University, drives a red Camry. Red and white were the only colors available when Wolf was choosing her car, but lucky for her, red is what she wanted.

“I wanted the cliché, middle-aged sports car and red seemed like a sporty color,” Wolf said.

The four top sellers, which account for well over two-thirds of sales, were not always the popular trend. Green was the “in” color of vehicles in North America just 15 years ago. And, silver accounted for only 8 percent of sales in 1994.

Factors of decision-making

A survey PPG conducted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last year showed more than 65 percent of consumers surveyed said they would select one vehicle over another if more color choices were available.

In Bennett’s experience, although customers have preferences in colors, if that particular color is not available at the dealership, they will often settle for something else. He said while the customer may have a certain color in mind, purchases are based on impulse and what is available.

“It’s unlikely for us to have really uncommon colors on the lot because people are usually looking for the silvers, whites and blacks,” Bennett said. “Sometimes I look at the lot and it looks a little dull, but when we do get colors like venetian red, they tend to sell fast.”

Bennett said the type of car plays a factor in the color as well. He said luxury vehicles tend to sell in shades of silver, black and white, while sports cars tend to have more variation such as blue or red and often come in specialty colors to fit the particular model.

Some experts say color trends in fashion and design may affect what car colors are popular as well.

Anna Vinson of Lawrence said black has always been her color. The Acura TL she purchased last month is her fourth black car in a row.

“I wear black a lot — either black or white– so I tend to stick with that color,” Vinson said. “I’m pretty conservative and I don’t like to be very flashy, so black is my color.”

Silver and black are not only popular domestically. The 2009 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report found silver to be the top vehicle color choice globally. Black and white were close behind.

Economy

Experts at DuPont said that during an economic downturn, people tend to choose safer colors when purchasing a new car and often avoid getting something too trendy that may not have a high resale value.

“Colors come and go,” said Laura Carbrey, sales manager at Dale Willey. “Earth tones tend to go, but who knows if a color like fusion green will be popular in a few years.”

Carbrey said typically 80 percent of what customers come in looking for or expecting they do not actually end up buying. However, in an economic downturn she notices people looking to get exactly what they want instead of just choosing.

Resale

As far as resale value goes, car buyers say that unless the color is iconic for that time period such as the wacky colors used for 1960s-era muscle cars, the color probably will not play a huge factor.

Carbrey said the dealership is happy to buy back uncommon colors and that vibrant colors are used on the lot for attraction as much as anything else. She said throwing an interesting color alongside the typical whites and silvers gives people something else to look at and at least draws their attention to the rest of the cars.

“It’s like having a strobe light,” Carbrey said. “People like to see something different and if they want a sports car, they want something that says, ‘Look at me.’ “