British drivers turning to EVs are leading a change in colour ‍preferences, as ‍green-tinted cars sold in 2025 reached their highest ​volume in 20 years, industry body SMMT said on Friday.

Car ⁠colours rarely matter as a business metric, but they can reflect ⁠shifting tastes. ‌In recent years those tastes have narrowed to plain shades of grey, prompting Fiat CEO ⁠Olivier Francois in 2023 to launch a campaign promoting more cheerful tones.

The EV transition has put a new spin on the trend.

British motorists, associating the ⁠colour green with the country's ​decarbonisation drive, bought 99,793 green cars in the year, 46.3% more than in ‍2024 and reaching almost 5% of total cars sold, the SMMT ​said on Friday.

That comes as electrified cars - either battery-electric, hybrid-electric or plugin-hybrid - reached last year a market share of over 48% in the UK, helped by a national scheme which aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2035.

Sales of green-tinted battery-electric vehicles almost doubled to 23,249 units, the SMMT added.

"Manufacturers are responding by expanding model ⁠ranges, colours and finishes," SMMT chief ‌executive Mike Hawes said in a statement.

Grey, however, remained the most popular colour for the eighth consecutive year, ‌followed by ⁠black - the top pick for executive cars - blue and white. (Reporting ⁠by Alessandro Parodi, Editing by Louise Heavens)