What People Really Think Of You When They See The Color Of Your Car

For many people, the color of their vehicle was an important consideration when they chose to make the purchase. Personality theorists say the color people choose for their vehicle is an important indicator of certain personality traits. Their studies have shown that automobile colors are also linked to the behaviors people display while driving. From attractive to adventurous, here is what a car's color says about its owner.

Black

Black vehicles are generally considered to be the most attractive and can give the perceived attractiveness of its driver a quick boost. Although black vehicles and drivers of black vehicles were perceived as most attractive in a study on perceptions of vehicle colors, when participants were asked what color vehicle the happiest drivers drove, drivers of black vehicles did not make the cut. Tied with drivers of green vehicles and following drivers of grey vehicles, drivers of black vehicles were considered to be sad. They were also viewed as ambitious, intelligent, selfish, and charming. In addition, drivers of black vehicles were among the top five drivers to be involved in a major accident and receive speeding tickets. Drivers of black vehicles were not, however, as likely to experience road rage.

Red

In the study, the color red was the third most favorite vehicle color among participants, following black and blue. Drivers of red vehicles were considered to be the second most attractive drivers, closely following drivers of black vehicles. Men generally perceived drivers of red vehicles to be most attractive whereas women perceived drivers of black vehicles to be most attractive. Drivers of red vehicles were considered to be the happiest drivers and also viewed as adventurous and angry. They were not among the top five drivers to receive speeding tickets or experience road rage. Drivers of red vehicles were also not among the top five drivers to get into minor or major accidents.

Silver

Silver was among the top five favorite vehicle colors, coming in fourth place after red. Drivers of silver vehicles were considered to be very attractive, tied with red and trumping blue. While they were not perceived as happy people, they were not the saddest either. Among the top five sad colors, silver vehicles came in third place after beige. People perceived drivers of silver vehicles to be boring; they did not associate them with any other common traits. Drivers of silver vehicles were not among the top five to receive speeding tickets, nor were they likely to experience road rage. They were, however, in the top five colors that were most likely to get into a major accident.

Blue

Blue was the second most favorite vehicle color following black. Nonetheless, drivers of blue cars ranked only fourth in attractiveness, following drivers of black, red, and silver cars. Blue vehicle drivers were also considered to be happy people, coming in fourth place after red, yellow, and pink. People associated many positive personality traits, including loyalty, kindness, and consideration, with them. The only other color to be associated with similar good qualities was white. Drivers of blue vehicles were not among the top five colors to receive tickets for speeding or experience road rage, but they were in the top five most likely to have a major accident.

White

White vehicles were among participants' top five favorite colors, ranking fifth after black, blue, red, and silver. Drivers of white vehicles were considered to be attractive but not as much as drivers of black, red, silver, and blue vehicles. People also perceived drivers of white vehicles to be decent and trustworthy. White vehicle drivers were among the top drivers to receive speeding tickets, tied with drivers of black vehicles, and were among the top drivers to experience road rage, closely following drivers of grey and green vehicles. They were also among the top five drivers to have a major accident. However, in this category, they were the least likely to experience road rage.

Brown

Brown was, by far, not a favorite car color, and drivers of brown vehicles were considered to be the most unattractive, closely followed by drivers of grey vehicles. They were also perceived to be the saddest drivers. Personality traits associated with brown vehicles included grumpy and unkind. Drivers of brown vehicles seem to err on the safe side when it comes to driving speed because they were not among the top colors to receive speeding tickets. That said, they were among the drivers who were most likely to experience road rage, closely followed by drivers of gold and beige vehicles. They were also most likely to have a minor accident and a major accident.

Grey

The color grey was not among participants' favorite car colors. Drivers of grey vehicles were considered to be the second most unattractive drivers, following drivers of brown vehicles. Drivers of grey vehicles were not perceived as happy people and ranked in the middle range for sadness, sandwiched between drivers of beige and black vehicles. They were also viewed as boring people. Drivers of grey vehicles were not among the top five drivers to receive speeding tickets. They were the fourth most likely to experience road rage, following drivers of gold, beige, and brown vehicles. In addition, they were among the most likely to have a minor accident.

Orange

Orange was not a vehicle color participants preferred, perhaps because it is an unusual car color. Drivers of orange vehicles were not considered to be attractive and were instead perceived to be moderately unattractive, following drivers of yellow and pink vehicles. They were perceived to be neither happy nor sad and were viewed as individualistic, artsy, and complex. These drivers were not among those who were most likely to receive speeding tickets, nor were they among the drivers who were most likely to experience road rage. They were, however, among the drivers most likely to be involved in a minor accident.

Yellow

Like orange, participants did not rank yellow as one of their favorite car colors. They also perceived drivers of yellow vehicles to be as unattractive as drivers of pink vehicles but more attractive than drivers of brown, grey, and orange vehicles. Drivers of yellow vehicles were considered to be some of the happiest drivers, closely following drivers of red vehicles. The personality traits people associated with drivers of yellow vehicles included wealthy and greedy. These drivers were among the top five most likely to receive speeding tickets but not among the most likely to experience road rage. They were also among the most likely to be involved in a minor accident.

Pink

Participants did not identify pink as one of their favorite car colors. Drivers of pink vehicles were not considered to be attractive and were instead perceived to be as unattractive as drivers of yellow vehicles but more attractive than drivers of orange, grey, and brown vehicles. Drivers of pink vehicles were viewed as happy people, more so than drivers of blue and silver vehicles but less so than drivers of red and yellow vehicles. They were also viewed as humorous people. Drivers of pink vehicles were the most likely to receive speeding tickets and have a minor accident. However, they were not among the drivers who were most likely to experience road rage.