When shopping for a car, drivers often have a variety of vehicle colors to choose from. Recently, muted earth tones have become incredibly popular. In years prior, popular car colors included everything from gold to green.
While there are stereotypes associated with certain colors—for example, the infamous “arrest me red”—most car color decisions are simply a matter of personal preference.
However, there’s one car color choice that’s left this woman scratching her head. In a video with over 299,000 views, TikTok user Shay (@shaymarie9830) asks why anyone would pick a white car. She soon finds out why so many people opt for the basic color.
Why do people buy white cars?
In her video, Shay offers what she says is her “unpopular opinion.”
“Why do people choose white vehicles?” she asks. “If you’re given the choice of any color on the lot, why do people choose to buy a white vehicle? White or black for that matter, but I’m seeing a trend that white vehicles are a thing.”
As for herself, Shay says that she’s a “colorful girl,” opting for a red car as it’s “always [her] color if [she’s] given a choice.”
“But why do people pick white? Please explain this to me,” she concludes. “White?”
Experts and commenters weigh in
Although many pick their car color simply because they enjoy the car’s hue, commenters were quick to note that white cars offer other benefits that cars of other tones may not.
“Retains less heat, the difference is huge,” explained a commenter. “I don’t like white cars either, they look like big refrigerators to me, but they get less hot and that makes a huge difference in many ways…not only [does] it keep cooler, but it cools faster, paint gets less damaged, even the engine doesn’t get overheated ao easily.”
It’s true that white cars heat up significantly slower than cars of a darker color.
As detailed by Febiac, laboratory tests with UV light simulated a European summer day at an ambient temperature of 25°C, or 77°F. In these conditions, the surface temperature of a white car increased from 25°C (77°F) to 55°C (131°F) under direct sunlight within 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the surface temperature of a black car reached 70°C (158°F) over the same period.
However, it should be noted that these are only surface temperatures, and that “in the most extreme and rarest cases, a difference of 5 degrees [Celsius, or about 9 degrees Fahrenheit] can be measured in the passenger compartment depending on the body colour.”
Others noted further benefits of white cars.
“White is sharp looking, always looks clean, very classy, ageless, cooler in summer and hold its resale value,” stated a commenter.
Do white cars hold their value the best?
As reported by Chase, white cars tend to hold their value better than cars of other colors, though rarer colors like yellow and orange hold their value the best.
Finally, some said that white cars were simply safer. “Other drivers see white better,” wrote a user, with another adding, “White is easier to see at night.”
@shaymarie9830 Why do people PICK white cars? #unpopularopinion #whiteisboring #colorful#jeep#donthate ♬ original sound – Shay
AAA Living states that this is true. “Studies suggest that white is one of the safest colors for a car,” the site reads. “This is because white tends to be the most visible at night and in other weather conditions (except for snow), unlike darker car colors. Silver is a close second, but it does become harder to see in foggy conditions and at dusk.”
However, most of these differences are minor—so if a different car color is calling your name, you’re risking very little by going with it.
The Daily Dot reached out to Shay via TikTok DM and comment.
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