nothard phil

Black has returned as the UK’s favourite used car colour, bumping white to second position after years of dominating the market.

Silver, blue and grey completed the top five, according to data released by Cox Automotive, which looked at the top selling used cars through its Manheim auction lanes and car sales website Motors.co.uk.

The move to black follows predictions made by the SMMT in January 2017 that darker colours would make a comeback, following years of white dominating the new and used market.

Philip Nothard, head of external relations at Cox Automotive, said 17% of all used vehicles sold through Manheim auction lanes in 2017 were black, while Motors.co.uk listed more than 906,999 cars in the colour, 7% more than white models.

According to the research, the Ford Fiesta continued its reign as the UK's favourite used car for both the wholesale and consumer side of the automotive market, followed by the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Corsa.

Cox Automotive's financing business, NextGear Capital, also recorded the Fiesta as the most funded model of the year.

Nothard added: “Looking ahead to 2018, dealers focusing on black Ford Fiestas will undoubtedly reap the rewards, but we shouldn't dismiss the rise of middle range SUVs.

“The Nissan Qashqai and Juke both made an impact on the top ten cars on Motors.co.uk in 2017, and dealers would be wise to invest."

NextGear Capital top 10 funded vehicles in 2017

 PosTop 10 colourTop 10 makesTop 10 models
1 Black Ford Ford Fiesta
2 Silver Vauxhall Ford Focus
3 White Volkswagen Vauxhall Corsa
4 Blue BMW VW Golf
5 Grey Audi BMW 3 Series
6 Red Mercedes-Benz Vauxhall Astra
7 Green Nissan Ford Transit
8 Yellow Peugeot Audi A3
9 Brown Citroen Vauxhall Insignia
10 Beige Renault Mercedes C Class

Manheim top 10 vehicles sold in 2017

 PosTop 10 colourTop 10 makesTop 10 models
1 Black Ford Ford Fiesta
2 White Vauxhall Ford Focus
3 Silver BMW Vauxhall Corsa
4 Blue Vokswagen BMW 3 Series
5 Grey Mercedes Volkswagen Golf
6 Red Peugeot Vauxhall Astra
7 Green Citroen BMW 1 Series
8 Yellow Audi Mercedes-Benz C Class
9 Orange Nissan Audi A3
10 Beige Renault Ford Mondeo

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