Why You Should Buy A Pink Car: Stop Choosing Boring Colors for Resale Value

A client in Colorado texted me just after closing a great lease deal on a Cadillac Optiq. "We never would have known about this model had you not done the work," he said. "I did end up driving the Honda [Prologue] Saturday morning, and we liked it, but this one is just on a different level, I think."

Cadillac wasn't on his radar as he shopped for a compact crossover EV, but the brand of our grandparents has been reborn in the electric age, and he found the Optiq to be a cut above other options in the segment, especially with very attractive year-end lease deals. I pushed him to close before December 31 as Colorado's in-state EV tax credit was dropping from $3,500 to $750 — and he did. "The math made me get off my ass to get it done."

But my favorite part of this deal came when he sent me a pic of the Optiq he chose. Its paint: "Celestial Metallic," a nearly indescribable hue shifting from purple to gray to pink depending on light and angle. Kind of like a dusky sunset with 300+ miles of range. "My wife thinks it's feminine, but I love it," he said.

I think it looks amazing, too. I'm a huge proponent of getting the color and trim you want — whatever puts a smile on your face every day when you approach your ride and climb into the driver's seat. When we put this much of our hard-earned income into a purchase, why not find as much love for the car as possible?

For years, conventional wisdom said stick to white, black, silver, or gray to protect resale value. Those four colors comprise 80% of new cars sold. But protecting your investment? Hogwash.

Want to know what color cars encounter the lowest percentage of depreciation across the board in this country, not just nationally, but in each individual state?

That's right. It was all yellow.

Important caveat: 31% of cars sold are white. Around 1% are yellow. So while yellow depreciates 6% less, it might take longer to find a buyer. But in the age of internet car shopping and affordable nationwide shipping, buyers can source exactly what they want — even if it's yellow, green, orange, beige, or Celestial Metallic.

With that in mind, I put together a list of my favorite examples of the top lowest-depreciating car colors, according to iSeeCars.com, in the EV category, and link to a great pre-owned example on the market today.

Number One: Yellow

If you follow the collector car scene, you're probably not surprised to see yellow atop this list. Yellow examples of exotic cars, especially Ferraris and Porsches, routinely snag many more dollars at auction than vastly more common red, black, or silver examples. Scarcity and uniqueness are major incentives for car collectors, and not just at the top 1% of the market.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally in the eye-popping but unfortunately named Grabber Yellow is my favorite yellow EV right now. The Rally trim lifts the car slightly for loose-surface racing (or on-street aesthetics), and the mods are appropriately boy-racer: massive rear spoiler, chunky hood stripes, amazing all-white wheels, and that Grabber Yellow. The sum total makes an unremarkable crossover look exciting and dynamic, and I think it'll be as much of a classic from this generation of Mach-E as anyone could hope for.

Since you can't even option Grabber Yellow on the 2026 Mach-E, you'd have to go pre-owned anyway. Here’s one for $20,000 off the nearly $60,000 original MSRP! 

Number Two: Orange

Thanks to the Bass Pro Shops-ification of American style — also called "gorpcore" — we've embraced hues once associated with game hunting and high visibility into mainstream culture. And while a certain orange muscle car emblazoned with questionable iconography did hold a place in pop culture during my childhood, it's only recently that orange has become much more common on pickups, SUVs, and exotics.

Genesis — Hyundai's luxury line, like Lexus is to Toyota — has adopted Magma as its performance color, and it's hot on the upcoming 2027 all-electric GV60 Magma (above).

Hyundai has also adorned its Ioniq 5N performance EV with a "Soultronic Orange" option, and this tasty one is lightly used and a nice bit of savings off a brand new MSRP:

Number Three: Green

Especially for trucks and SUVs, green is a strong choice, and Lexus stirs up the best green in the industry: Nori Green Pearl. (Their paint is exceptional across the board.) It's not offered on their sole EV, the RZ 450e, and doesn't seem slated for their upcoming electric EX sedan. But it sure looks spectacular on the rugged GX SUV — here’s a great-looking Overtrail trim, pre-owned:

Number Four: Beige/Tan

The color synonymous with "boring" is holding value. I think we have Toyota to thank for this trend, as their Tacoma pickups and 4Runner SUVs embraced "desert fatigues" vibes on their off-road trims. Like silver, these tones don't show dirt — great when you're regularly traversing trails or dusty driveways. In terms of EVs, Rivian released a limited edition California Dune paint job but those are hard to find. BMW, however, offers a chic Dune Grey Metallic as a no-cost option on its excellent iX electric SUV:

Number Five: Whatever color feels good to you!

Go Celestial. How about Northern Lights Metallic? Or a delicious Frozen Berry Metallic?

And if you're worried about the details and the fine print? That's what Lanekeep is here for. Let us help you through every aspect of your next car buying experience, from paint to purchase.