If you have ever been dismayed at the blandness of car colors at the moment, then you certainly are not alone. A man recently took to TikTok to show his look of resignation at what was an incredibly muted color palette, mostly gray, on nearly every car in a parking lot.
TikTok user and Seattle-based content creator Alex (@alexcamrs) was looking at a row of cars in a parking lot and suddenly spotted how bland the colors were. It soon transpired to him that the automotive world seemed to be trending towards a “millennial grey” palette.
Car colors have become decidedly muted in recent years. Studies have shown that tamer colors like white, black, and gray are the most popular among consumers. Which is, of course, a shame, as there are some great cars out there that deserve to stand out and look the part.
Alex also said that he is part of the problem when it comes to the colors of cars. “I just realized that the Millennial grey movement went from homes to cars. And I’m guilty,” Alex said in his TikTok video. Alex’s video has over 86,000 views at the time of writing.
Alex Felt Deflated by the Boring Car Colors
@alexcamrs #millennialgrey #nardogrey ♬ original sound – alexcamrs
Alex admitted that, initially, he thought the slightly darker colors on the cars were a good thing. “At first I thought it was cool, but once I saw a Toyota minivan in the chalk grey color, I knew it was done for sure. I just got rid of my grey car,” he said in his video. He then panned the camera across the car park to reveal cars in gray, silver, or white, with no vibrant colors anywhere to be seen.
If you thought you had noticed something similar yourself, then you aren’t going crazy. A study by ISeeCars showed that white, black, silver, and gray make up more than 80 percent of the market at this moment in time. That is up from the 47 percent that it was in 1996. White remains the most popular color overall, taking 26 percent of the market share, with black and gray not too far behind.
In terms of colors that are more vibrant, it is sports car owners who make up most of that part of the market. They account for 36 percent of the market share when it comes to non-grayscale shades of color. A 2025 report from chemical company BASF showed that gray itself has gained two percentage points globally, although white did decline slightly. Go out and watch traffic for a while, and you will most likely notice the trend that Alex and others appear to have spotted.
Gray Is Becoming More Popular in America
In America, gray itself is actually becoming more popular. The BASF report stated that there are more gray cars on the road now than there were in 2023, even if its share in the market has dropped slightly. Red and blue are the leaders when it comes to non-grayscale colors, and colored car paints overall actually gained two percentage points over the last year. So there is some love for brighter colors still. Perhaps we are starting to see them becoming more popular.
TikTok users who watched Alex’s video realized that he may have had a point. “My God, he’s right! My last two cars have been slate grey,” one said. “Oops, same,” added another, realizing Alex was speaking the truth. Some did try to defend their color choices, saying that gray is a cool color. But in terms of variety, it does get quite boring seeing the same color palettes over and over again. But perhaps times are beginning to change.