Choosing the best car color is often an important decision when buying a car, and to some buyers, even as important as the specifications and features of the car. After all, you’ll be looking at the car for as long as you own it, so it makes sense to get one in a color that you like. However, many buyers often overlook one factor: what is the easiest car color to maintain?
Owning a car requires you to put in the time and effort to not only maintain the engine, tires, and suspension but also the paint job. To help you choose the right car color, here is a list of some of the car colors that are easiest to maintain.
5 Best Car Colors to Hide Dirt and Scratches
Silver or Gray
Silver and gray are two of the best car colors to choose if you want to minimize the time and effort spent on keeping your car clean. They both hide dust, dirt, and minor scratches very well and look clean even after a few weeks without washing. Lighter shades of silver and gray are better at hiding dirt and scratches while darker shades are better at hiding mud stains commonly found on the lower parts of cars. Depending on the road conditions where you live and the environment in which you park your car, different shades of silver or gray work best at hiding dirt and scratches, so keep them in mind when choosing the best color for your car.
Shades of Brown
Brown is also one of the easiest car colors to maintain. Like gray and silver, all shades of brown perform well at hiding dirt and scratches on your car’s surfaces but they’re especially good at masking mud stains. In general, lighter shades of brown such as beige, champagne, and gold are the easiest brown paints to maintain. These colors are also not as common as the current trend of white cars, so your car is more likely to stand out on the road. Plus, they have a naturally classy look. If you want your ride to have more of a personality and look cleaner for longer, brown is one of the best car colors to get.
White
White cars seem to be everywhere these days. From premium MPVs like the Toyota Vellfire to compact sedans like the Honda City, you can see white cars in all shapes and sizes when you’re on the road. And there’s a good reason for that – white is one of the best car colors to hide dirt, dust, and minor scratches. Compared to other car colors, white paint looks newer for longer when viewed in the daytime. And with a good wash, a white car can look especially bright and invigorating.
That said, white paint highlights mud and darker stains very easily which are common if you drive in the rain or through muddy roads. These stains often build up behind the wheel arches during the rainy season, so that’s something you should pay attention to if you have a white car. If you park indoors and generally avoid driving in the rain, a white car is a great option.
Green
Green is quite an uncommon color on cars, especially now when the trend for car colors is more conservative. However, green is also among the best car colors if you’re looking for something that’s easy to maintain. Like gray and brown, it hides dirt, scratches, and mud quite well making it a relatively easy color to keep clean and maintain. Just look at the Perodua Axia and Proton Iriz; the green variants of these cars are fairly common on Malaysian roads and you hardly see a dirty one.
With proper cleaning, waxing, and polishing, a green car just pops and grabs more attention on the road. Classic shades of green like Lime Green and British Racing Green are popular color options on luxury sports cars such as Lamborghinis and Jaguars. If you want a unique car color that stays cleaner for longer and hides mud stains fairly well, go for green.
Red
Although not as common as neutral colors like white and silver, red is a fairly popular car color, especially among younger drivers. Red is a striking and sporty color just like black and dark blue but is easier to clean and maintain. It doesn’t hide dust and dirt as well as white or silver but it can effectively mask scratches, mud, and darker stains. With just simple washing, you can easily keep a red car looking as good as new.
With manufacturers being able to experiment with different formulations for their car paint, you can more often see unique and eye-catching variations of red cars. On the other hand, white and silver paint on cars tend to look alike even when comparing cars from different manufacturers. An example of a red paint job that’s stunning on a car is Mazda’s signature Soul Red Crystal which is available across Mazda’s range from the Mazda 2 to the CX-5. If you want an exciting paint job that’s fairly easy to maintain, red is one of the best car color choices.
Read: How to Buy a Used Car
What Are the More Difficult Car Colors to Maintain?
Dark cars tend to get dirty very easily even when there’s a light coat of dust on the surface. So colors like black, dark blue, dark gray, and other dark colors require more frequent washing especially if you drive in the city center where there’s more smoke and dust. Black and other dark colors also show water spots on their surface easily.
Water spots are the unsightly spots that form on the surface of a car when the water droplets on the car evaporate and dry. The spots contain traces of minerals and other contaminants which are responsible for staining your car’s surface. Pollen and bird droppings also show more obviously on black and dark colors. With a black car, instead of washing it every two weeks or monthly, you might need to wash it weekly to keep it looking clean. If you’re looking for the best car color to hide dirt and scratches with minimal effort, avoid getting a black car.
Tips on Maintaining Difficult Car Colors
It can be challenging to keep a dark-colored car looking clean especially if you drive in a dusty area and have limited time to take care of your car. However, there are some things you can do to prevent your car from collecting dirt and scratches so it looks good.
- Avoid parking your car under direct sunlight especially for extended periods of time as it accelerates the fading of the paint.
- Avoid putting on a cover on your car as there’s a chance you’ll create small scratches every time you put on and take off the cover.
- Don’t place any solid objects on your car for extended periods. Hard items like cups or keys can scratch the surface. On a dark-colored car, these scratches are easier to spot.
- Wash your car regularly. First, use a high-pressure hose to get rid of any debris and mud before applying a car shampoo with a soft towel. After you wash your car, dry it with a soft, clean towel or a microfibre towel.
- Don’t wash a black or dark-colored car when it’s hot and sunny outside. Instead, wash it under a shade, in the morning, or in the afternoon when it’s not hot out. Since black paint absorbs heat faster, the hot surface will cause the water to evaporate faster which could leave ugly water spots on your car.
- Wax your car once every two months to protect the paint and finish. The wax seals your car’s exterior surface and protects it against salt, debris, and the sun’s ultraviolet rays, thus protecting it from damage.
Read: Tips on Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Car’s Cabin
We hope this list of the best car colors can help you choose the right car and take care of your car paint. In order to keep your car paint looking new, it’s always best to regularly wash your car and keep it away from harsh environments when possible. Of course, you can always pamper your car so don’t be afraid to take it for a proper wash and detailing at a professional car wash.
If you’re looking for used cars in excellent condition, check out CARSOME. At CARSOME, we screen all our cars through a 175-point inspection to ensure they are in good condition both inside and out. You can even filter your selection by color, to really make that dream car truly yours.
