So, you’re in the Tesla design center and one of your first choices (after the model, of course) is what color you want the exterior of your car to be. Oh, decisions, decisions. Car color tends to be a very personal decision, and nobody should try to influence you or make it for you. That said, Tesla Model 3 comes in five different color options.
Tesla model 3 colors rated best to worst. There isn’t any sound data as far as which paint color is the most durable, but there is data regarding which colors are the most popular. You will most likely see more Midnight Silver Metallic (MSM) Tesla 3s on the road than any other color. You’re least likely to see Solid Black.
While Tesla’s palette may seem limited, the colors offered are actually the five most popular colors among all car consumers. Which color is “best” or “worst?” It’s largely a matter of personal choice. Let’s look at a few other things that may influence the color you choose for your Tesla Model 3.
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The Colors Available for the Tesla Model 3
As you are considering buying your Tesla Model 3, you should know that as of the writing of this article, the Tesla website indicated there are 5 different exterior color options, in order of popularity.
- Midnight Silver Metallic – Most popular
- Deep Blue Metallic – Second most popular
- Red Multi-Coat – Third most popular
- Pearl White Multi-Coat
- Solid Black
What is the Best Color for the Tesla Model 3
As we already discussed, the best color for your car is whatever you feel is best for you.
Various individuals in the Tesla forums have discussed many different reasons for their color choices. Some prefer how the color looks with the chrome on the car. Some just want something different than what they usually see on the road. Others simply didn’t want to pay a premium for a certain color.
The Midnight Silver Metallic seems to be the most popular because people felt it blends well with the chrome and gives depth to a darker color without having to choose Solid Black.
As far as your interior is concerned, the website says you have two options:
- Black – Most popular
- White – Not as popular, but still a lot of orders
Some people choose the black interior because they feel it looks classier and is easier to keep clean. Others choose white because they feel it helps keep the interior of the car cooler and is a different option that a lot of people choose.
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Which Tesla Model 3 Color Earns the Best Resale?
All Tesla Model 3s hold their value well. It’s a highly-coveted car and many people wait months, or years, to get their hands on the wheel.
Since the Model 3 is already offered in the most desirable and/or popular paint colors, there is not much discrepancy between resale value based on color.
When it comes to the luxury car market as a whole, there are solid statistics on most popular car color.
The 5 most popular Luxury Car colors are:
- Silver
- White Metallic
- White
- Blue
- Black
Notice any similarities? These colors are awfully close to the Tesla Model 3 color palette. If the only colors offered are the most popular among luxury car owners, you can’t go very wrong, right?
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The Psychology of Choosing a Car Color
There seems to be a pattern among the Tesla Model 3 owners – particularly those who custom ordered their car… they want to be different than the average driver on the road. They want to stand out and not see themselves coming and going.
There are many different thoughts as to why people choose certain colors over others and what messages they are sending by choosing those colors. Let’s take a minute to look at the general emotions or feelings that these colors may evoke.
Because the same colors mean different things in various cultures, we are going to approach this section from a Western World perspective.
Underlying Meaning of Color Choices
Most times, our color preferences (and interpretations) have to do with:
- Experiences we have had
- Family traditions
- Right brain versus left brain orientations
- The region in which we live
- Personal reaction to a color
We’ll stick to the five Tesla Model 3 color choices. Here is a consensus of thoughts that align with these colors:
Deep Blue Metallic
Blue tends to be known as a calming color because it is associated with both the sky and the sea. It also is used a lot in corporate logos because it represents confidence, loyalty, strength, trust, and wisdom.
Blue tends to reflect someone who likes to cultivate and build trusting and strong relationships – and expects the same of those to whom that trust is given.
Want to send a signal that you’re calm and faithful? Choose blue.
Midnight Silver Metallic
Silver (or gray) reflects someone who is known for being the one to bring compromise and calm to a situation. It is solid. Stable.
The individual who prefers silver may not be easily excited but prefers the more elegant things in life without being flashy or overly glamorous. It likes to blend in and observe.
Want to be seen as someone who is self-disciplined? Choose the Midnight Silver Metallic option.
Pearl White Multi-Coat
No surprise here…white is known as the color of purity. If you think about a perfectly groomed white sandy beach or undisturbed freshly fallen snow, it’s pristine. Peaceful. Clean.
White often represents a blank canvas that sees a world of possibilities waiting to be explored. It signifies light – nothing can be hidden on white.
If you want to be known as someone who protects others, brings a sense of tranquility, and is one who strives for perfection, the Pearl White Multi-Coat should be your choice.
Red Multi-Coat
Red is the ultimate power color. Strength. Power. Passion. Danger. Aggression. Intensity.
Red is an attention-grabbing color that stands out in its own right.
Red is an energizing color. Some people talk about feeling more energetic and confident when they are driving their red car. It also may make you feel bolder about taking off for the Model 3’s quick 3.2-second acceleration from 0-60 from the stoplight.
If you have a lot to say, like to motivate others to action (like police cars), and exude natural energy, the Red Multi-Coat probably represents your personality and will be your Tesla Model 3 color of choice.
Solid Black
Black is a mixed bag. There’s the stereotypical bad guy in the black suit, black hat, on the black horse. Then there’s also the classy, sophisticated, formal, stylish approach with black.
One commonality for black’s meaning is that is can be very mysterious. It places distance – a colorful barrier – between the individual and others. It’s a color of self-protection, power, and authority.
As much as white is the presence of light, black is the complete absence of light. Conversely, it’s also the presence of all color.
If you want to be perceived as someone who appreciates the classics, can’t be easily manipulated, and is success-oriented, the Solid Black car would fit you well.
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The Best Color for Different Climates
The science behind which color is best for a particular climate is inconclusive, so we’ll discuss the common-sense approaches that those who live in hot and cold climates take.
Hot
When we think of hot places, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque quickly come to mind. But it’s a dryheat, right? The South has a completely different kind of hot – it’s humid and muggy, but hot is hot.
Darker colors are known to absorb light more rapidly than lighter colors, but the fact of the matter is that when a vehicle sits in the heat for a period of time, it gets hot. Exterior paint color doesn’t make a difference.
Similarly, white leather is going to burn your legs just as much as black leather will. It is a complete myth that leather gets neither hot nor cold.
Cold
Just as any colored exterior on your automobile will get hot, if it’s sitting in the frigid temperatures for a while, it’s going to get cold too.
Can you psych yourself out and try to convince yourself that your dark-colored car heated your car better than the lighter colored car would have? Sure. The mind is incredibly strong and can lead us to believe things are true that aren’t really factual.
Intense Sunlight
Exterior car paint has come a long way in the past 50 years. It may be true that in the past, red and black faded faster than lighter or less intense colors did, but that isn’t the case any longer.
Historically, the paint was lacquer-based. Because automobile exterior paint is now covered with several layers of clear coat, that issue has been mostly eliminated. Your car still needs care and appropriate occasional waxing, but your vehicle’s color will last regardless of the color you choose.
Cloudy, Dark Days, Dusk, and Twilight
There are some colors that just naturally blend into the asphalt and concrete during certain conditions. Silver is one of those. If you want to appear invisible on the horizon of a two-lane road, silver will get it done.
Of course, that’s very facetious. In certain driving conditions, the silver car will not be very visible to the naked eye. These are the times when you will want to make sure your lights are on regardless of whether or not the automatic setting has activated yet.
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Color Options for Other Tesla Models
You may be vacillating between a few different Tesla models, so let’s look at what your color options are within those choices:
- Model S
- Pearl White Multi-Coat
- Solid Black
- Midnight Silver Metallic
- Deep Blue Metallic
- Red Multi-Coat
- Model X
- Pearl White Multi-Coat
- Solid Black
- Midnight Silver Metallic
- Deep Blue Metallic
- Red Multi-Coat
- Model Y
- Pearl White Multi-Coat
- Solid Black
- Midnight Silver Metallic
- Deep Blue Metallic
- Red Multi-Coat
- CyberTruck
- Stainless-Steel (Standard). Additional colors are not indicated as available.
- SemiTruck
- Stainless-Steel (Standard). Additional colors are not shown on the website.
- Roadster
- Shown in Red Multi-Coat on the website, but specific colors and premiums are not listed.
Automobile Color Popularity Nation-wide (Regardless of Manufacturer)
Does some of this information see counter-intuitive based on what feel you generally see on the road? Well, here’s some data that indicates vehicle color popularity (in order):
Black
Of all the automobiles on the road, over 22% of them are black. So, if you want to put that in perspective, almost one out of every four cars, trucks, SUVs, and mini-vans you will be black.
White
Slightly more than 19% of the vehicles on the roads these days are white. It’s easy to assume that these are mostly in the states that tend toward hotter climates, but as we already discussed, that’s not necessarily the case.
Gray and Silver
These are numbers 3 and 4 in people’s preferences and come in at 17% and 14% respectively. Since the Midnight Silver Metallic is really a combination of these two, it follows that they would be combined on this list. At the least, we’re still talking about one in every six or seven cars fall in this color group.
Blue
Although it slightly edged out red (by about six one-hundredths of a percent), it is more popular at just under 10% of the cars on the road. So, 1 in 10 cars will probably be in one of the shades of blue.
Red
Ok. It was given away above, but it is still the fifth most popular color for car buyers. Again, you’ll see about 1 in every 10 or 11 cars will be red. Think they’ll all be convertibles? It would seem that would make sense, but guess again. Trucks are a very popular choice for red.
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Most Popular Vehicle Color by State
Of the available five Tesla Model 3 colors, as of a 2016 analysis of the cars on the road, these states tend toward the following color:
Pearl White Multi-Coat
Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Utah.
Solid Black
Illinois and New Jersey
Midnight Silver Metallic
California, Hawaii, New York, and Rhode Island
Deep Blue Metallic
Alaska and Maryland
Red Multi-Coat
Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
As we saw with the national preference between blue and red, the preferences can come down to hundredths of a percentage point. Not having the data for the second and third choices, we can only infer that those tend to be black and white in the states where they weren’t the number one choice.
The Impact of Automobile Color on Your Insurance Rates
Do you get suspicious when your local insurance agent asks you what color your new vehicle is? Well, you can relax. That is simply for identification purposes.
The color of your car doesn’t impact your insurance rate. The model of your car, your age, your driving record – these all definitely impact your insurance rates. All other things being equal, your red or black sedan doesn’t cost you any more in insurance money than your white or beige one.
Are you more likely to attract the attention of a police officer hoping to write a ticket in a red car than in a beige one? Probably…unless the beige car is tearing up the road significantly above the speed limit.
When the Vehicle Color Hits the Road
There are Tesla owners that talk about adding after-market paint jobs to their cars to make them more unique. That’s always an option. However, as we’ve discussed, it may seem that Tesla is very limiting in their color selection, but the reality is that they are offering each of the five most popular automobile color options.
In essence, this means they have limited the color selection to those that will hold their value best over time. No matter which color you choose, you cant go wrong.
The reality of color choice is that you’ll naturally gravitate in a certain direction that fits you best. You are in charge of your color choice and have the ability to choose the color that will make you smile each time you look at your car.
Nobody should tell you what color to choose. It’s too personal. Have fun with it!