Silver is now the colour of choice for nearly a third of new car buyers, latest SMMT figures reveal.

The number of new silver cars sold last year was up 119% on 1998, knocking blue off the top spot.

Neutral colours like blue, black and grey have increased in popularity in the last five years. But since 1998, red and green have fallen out of favour, while white has dropped out of the top six altogether with sales of less than 21,000 units last year.

Jeff Paterson, Glass's senior car editor says: "New and used car buyers are now much better informed about the desirability of certain colours and it's no surprise that in recent years many people have been opting for silver.

"These moves are not without merit as the resale price of cars can benefit substantially from the right choice. Our research shows that colours like metallic silver can add around £250 to the value of many of the most popular superminis, up to £450 to family saloons and more than £500 to many prestige executive models."