10 Best New Car Colors of 2023

A few guidelines first. We’re only going to be looking at colors that were unveiled this calendar year for 2024 and beyond model-year vehicles. Out of all these new colors, we’ll drop a few honorable mentions too, while the rest are going straight into a Top 10, which hopefully won’t be too subjective.

It won’t all just be about the color itself, but also its significance (if any) and how well it works on the specific vehicle on which it made its debut. In other words, several factors will be at play. That being said, let’s jump straight into the rankings, starting with the honorable mentions, then no. 10, and then we’ll work our way down to a definitive Top 3, before crowning the winner.

Almost made the list

Panther Black Matte (as seen on the Chevrolet Camaro ZL Collector's Edition)

Gradient Silver Metallic to Obsidian Black Metallic (as seen on the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Motorsport Collectors Edition)

BMW Individual Liquid Copper and Saphire Black two-tone (as seen on the BMW i7)

Now, on to the definitive Top 10!

10. Arancio Apodis (as seen on the 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto)

I know what you’re thinking. Bright orange on a brand-new Lamborghini – how can this only be the 10th best new car color of 2023? Well, it’s precisely for that reason, because it’s on a new Lamborghini. It’s basically cheating. You could paint the Revuelto in the most abhorrent hue ever conceived by mankind and it would still look good.

Therefore, it’s difficult to assess just how nice of a color this is in a vacuum. Would it look just as stunning on a four-door sedan or an SUV?

Of course, you can get the Revuelto in one of 400 available bodywork colors, offered together with several more personalization options. They can make it so that no two cars are alike. However, once you park two of these things side by side and they’re both wearing Arancio Apodis, well, they may come off as looking like “just another bunch of orange Lambos.”

This leads us to the main issue here – there's absolutely nothing new about seeing an orange Lamborghini. Arancio Apodis, while very nice to look at, doesn’t feel distinctive enough from the older Arancio Borealis (another Ad Personam hue), as seen on the Urus or the Huracan.

Not that you asked, but do you know which color is the rarest when it comes to Lamborghini in general? Purple. More on that later.

9. Artisan Red (as seen on the 2024 Mazda CX-90)

Full disclosure, Mazda did show off their new Artisan Red Premium colorway back in November of 2022, but we had to wait until January of 2023 to see it draped all over one of their vehicles – in this case, the all-new 2024 Mazda CX-90.

According to the Japanese carmaker, Artisan Red will be used as a “premium highlight” for models currently in their lineup, as well as upcoming releases pertaining to their so-called Large Product group. Basically, you’ll get it on the CX-90, not so much on something like the Mazda3 hatchback.

So, what’s the deal with Artisan Red? Well, it supposedly “conveys the connotation of a red color created by skilled artisans,” to the point where it would look more refined and sophisticated compared to previous special Mazda colors. It’s also meant to extend the range of how one might view red in general, this being a color that truly symbolizes Mazda.

Like with Soul Red Crystal (a popular Mazda color), Artisan Red also features three main layers: a clear layer, a translucent paint layer and a reflective/absorptive layer. The result is a colorway that, when hit by light, conveys a certain depth and richness for an overall high-contrast aesthetic.

This is definitely a color you could have on just about any type of elegant or dynamic-looking vehicle, regardless of segment.

8. Algarve Blue Metallic (as seen on the 2024 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT)

Algarve Blue Metallic is one of three new colors available on the 2024 Porsche Cayenne, together with Montego Blue Metallic and Arctic Gray.

The way Algarve Blue and Montego Blue differ is that the latter features a lighter shade of blue (almost green-ish), whereas the former allows for stronger contrast in relation to various other colorful exterior bits, such as wheels, calipers, decals and so on.

Both Algarve Blue and Montego Blue were featured heavily in the communication package for the 2024 Cayenne, with the Cayenne S seen wearing Montego Blue and the Turbo GT boasting this darker shade, which ultimately made it onto our list here at no. 8, making us forget all about Porsche's old Moonlight Blue Metallic.

If this hue looks somewhat familiar, that’s because you may have seen something similar to it on the Volkswagen Touareg – where it was called Meloe Blue Metallic. Not quite the same color, but reminiscent.

Another reason why Algarve Blue Metallic made our list, besides the high-contrast thing, is because you don’t see that many Cayenne SUVs wearing special shades of blue. In fact, like with any other Porsche model in general, most Cayenne buyers will go for Jet Black Metallic, white and even Mahogany Metallic (a popular choice in China).

7. Panther Black Metallic Tintcoat (as seen on the 2024 Chevy Camaro SS Collector’s Edition)

In order to give the sixth-generation Camaro a proper sendoff, Chevrolet decided to create a final Collector’s Edition package for LT/RS, LT1, SS and ZL1 trims in North America.

While the flagship spec ZL1 Collector’s Edition model (limited to just 350 units) comes with this stealthy Panther Black Matte exterior paint, we’re more interested in the carmaker’s new Panther Black Metallic Tintcoat hue, working beautifully in tandem with the Satin Black accent stripes and the 20-inch Satin Black wheels (which you can also get as Polished Forged).

So, why Black Metallic Tintcoat and not Black Matte? Well, what’s special about a matte black color anymore? Everybody’s doing them and while the Camaro does look great when dressed for “stealth”, the hue we’ve chosen here at no. 7 on our list is a lot more interesting from a contrast standpoint.

It almost looks a little purple under artificial lighting conditions, so as you might imagine, we’re just dying to see one of these cars basking in the sunlight.

Colors aside, the ZL1 Collector’s Edition is obviously the most interesting spec here, and not just because owners will also receive a bespoke Shinola Canfield Sport 45 mm wristwatch – with an inscribed serial number matching the number on their car’s steering wheel badge.

6. Cyber Yellow Metallic (as seen on the 2024 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing)

Earlier this year, Cadillac announced that both of its high-end sports sedans will be available with four new hues in Velocity Red, Coastal Blue Metallic, Black Diamond Tricoat and this, the new Cyber Yellow Metallic, which really stands out from the rest.

You’ve seen the CT4-V and CT5-V (Blackwing and non-Blackwing) wearing red, blue and black before. You’ve even seen them wear orange, or Blaze Orange Metallic, to be precise. But yellow? You don’t see that every day, especially the glossy Mustard-type yellow that is Cyber Yellow. It stands out without begging for attention, which is not something you’ll often say about yellow cars.

As for familiarity, yes, Cyber Yellow Metallic does have the same color code as Nitro Yellow Metallic (Chevrolet Colorado/Blazer) or GMC’s Solar Flare Metallic (GMC Canyon), but the colorway looks a heck of a lot more impressive on a fast four-door Caddy.

As for which model is better suited to wear Cyber Yellow, it’s hard to pick sides because both the CT4-V and the CT5-V looks great in it. One easy way to choose would be to always go for the larger of the two vehicles, which in this case would be the CT5-V, simply because larger equals more imposing, so there’s “more car” for you to admire. It’s rudimentary but effective.

5. Terra (as seen on the 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro)

Most TRD enthusiasts are probably aware that Toyota has been offering one-year-only colorways on TRD Pro models for many years, colorways that just seem to be getting better with each iteration. For the 2024 model year, the Japanese carmaker came up with a bespoke paint dubbed Terra, which is an orange-like hue that works incredibly well not just with the Tacoma’s styling in general, but also its various dark contrasting elements.

Furthermore, it might not be a stretch to say that the 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is one of the best-looking trucks in the world – especially with this ‘Terra’ exterior. It looks like something out of a futuristic Denis Villeneuve or Luc Besson movie.

Generally speaking, pickup trucks and flamboyant colorways don’t mesh well, especially when we’re talking about your run-of-the-mill F-150 or Silverado. However, various specs have been known to break the norm, such as the Dodge Ram SRT-10, which looked tremendous in bright red or blue (with and without racing stripes).

More modern examples of flashy trucks include the Ford F-150 Raptor, Ranger Raptor, Ram 1500 TRX and to some extent, the Chevy Silverado ZR2 and Colorado ZR2. They all look good wearing bright colors, and it’s safe to say that the Tacoma TRD Pro, at least visually, is cut from the same cloth.

4. Podium Green (as seen on the Aston Martin DBX707 AMR23 Edition)

Aston Martin wanting to further profit off their (so far) successful season in Formula 1 is perfectly understandable. It’s not every day that a team outside of Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari gets to fight for Pole Position and race victories.

With that in mind, they came up with the DBX707 AMR23 Edition back in May to celebrate the success of their Formula 1 team - AMR23 being the name of their F1 car. According to the British manufacturer, the DBX707 AMR23 Edition is meant to identify not just with the race car, but also the official medical car of Formula 1.

So, what exactly is exclusive about this SUV? It all starts with the bespoke Podium Green paint, working alongside a unique Q by Aston Martin fender badge and the Aston Martin Racing Green calipers.

What I find curious is the fact that Podium Green seems to match the color of last year’s Aston Martin AMR22 race car more than that of the AMR23. The latter features a slightly glossier green, looking different than what we see on the SUV. On the flip side, I really like the lime accents and sculptured carbon fiber body kit.

Overall, regardless of how much or how little Podium Green resembles the actual color used on the Aston Martin AMR23, the simple fact that you can drive an SUV inspired by an F1 car is just really, really cool.

3. Anglesey Green Metallic (as seen on the 2024 BMW XM)

While the BMW XM was unveiled back in September of 2022, the Bavarian brand recently chose to make four additional colors available to order: Petrol Mica, Sepia, Urban Green and Anglesey Green. We want to focus on the latter, which is a custom BMW Individual color, the likes of which you’re unlikely to see on any other BMW products.

We’ve seen Bimmers wearing Urban Green and we’ve seen them in Sepia – there's really nothing special there novelty-wise. But Anglesey Green? That right there is unique, and it works brilliantly on the XM.

The only problem is that it might be too unique to the point where not a lot of XM buyers are going to want it – green in general is a hard sell, statistically. On the other hand, that’ll play nicely into the hands of those of you who do want their BMW XM to wear BMW Individual Anglesey Green Metallic. Might even help its resale value. This is common when it comes to SUVs, where models with “unusual” colors such as Green, Orange, Yellow, Purple tend to suffer less depreciation.

It’s also worth noting that dark green hues such as this one usually work well with gold accents (which you can get on the XM), although you can’t go wrong with the Shadowline trim either.

2. Verde Silver (as seen on the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class)

We’ve got another shade of ‘green’ here at no.2; except that when it comes to this new Verde Silver colorway from Mercedes-Benz, there’s definitely more to it than meets the eye.

For starters, the color is a complete mystery, as there’s not much info out there about it. Also, aside from a subtle “Hey there, it’s verde silver!” tweet from the carmaker back in April, they haven’t really acknowledged it through their social media.

Second, from certain angles the hue lives up to its ‘Silver’ moniker as it looks more gray than it does green, but in most lighting conditions, it seems to take on this fascinating mint-like aesthetic, it just looks incredibly fresh and dynamic at the same time. It suits the all-new E-Class perfectly and would probably suit just about any stylish German sedan equally well.

I’ll even say that this has the potential to become my 2nd favorite Mercedes-Benz color ever, which is quite something, seeing as how I haven’t even seen it up close and personal. What’s my absolute favorite Benz hue? That would be Selenite Gray Metallic, which also looks absolutely mesmerizing on the E-Class, especially during sunset lighting conditions.

Anyway, if you’re in the market for a 2024 E-Class and you’d like it in Verde Silver, keep in mind that you’ll also “need” the AMG Line specification. Take that to the bank.

1. Celestial Metallic (as seen on the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq)

I told you we’d be coming back to the color purple, eventually. In fact, it’s our no.1 choice here for ‘Best New Car Color of 2023’, courtesy of the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV.

Celestial Metallic is one of five new colors available on the 2024 Lyriq together with Argent Silver Metallic, Radiant Red Tintcoat, Nimbus Metallic and Emerald Lake Metallic – and one of eight colors total. Now, while some of these other hues can also be found on various GM products, Celestial Metallic is a Lyriq-only affair, at least for now.

Lyriq buyers can get Celestial Metallic as an extra-cost option ($625) on any trim level, and you can even get it with a Black roof (another $600). I’m not sure you’d want that though, because you’d be getting “less Celestial” and “more Black”, and you’ll probably want to see as much of this new color as possible. It’s a truly futuristic hue, fit for a truly futuristic (or let’s say modern) SUV.

Overall, purple is probably the hottest color around right now, and I don’t mean those bright, high-contrast shades of purple, but rather more subtle ones such as Celestial Metallic. This just oozes elegance, and that’s why it deserves to spearhead this list.