• Cool, classless white has overtaken silver as the most popular car colour
• One explanation, dubbed ‘Apple effect’, refers to white-coloured gadgets
• Black is second top colour, followed by grey, with silver and blue in a tie
• Sales of new cars rose to their highest monthly level for decade in March

White has overtaken silver as the most popular colour choice of car buyers, sales figures reveal.

After more than a decade at the top, prestigious and upwardly mobile silver has given way to cool, classless white.

One explanation for the colour’s resurgence has been dubbed the ‘Apple effect’ – referring to iPhones and other gadgets which come in the minimalist colour.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that a decade ago, more than a third of new cars (36 per cent) were silver.

Last month, however, white was the biggest selling colour – accounting for 22 per cent of new cars – while silver was down the list at 13 per cent, in a tie with blue.

Black (19 per cent) was the second most popular colour, followed by grey at 14  per cent. Red – once favoured by boy racers – fails to register in the new figures, despite accounting for 9 per cent of sales in March 2004. 

Buyers may be considering the resale value of their purchase. Research by car pricing experts CAP Automotive found that white cars typically hold about 5 per cent more of their value than the market average for a typical used car.

Sales of new cars accelerated to their highest monthly level for a decade in March, giving Chancellor George Osborne another high-octane reason to smile. Sales were 18 per cent higher than in March last year.

Sales were also boosted by demand for the new ‘14’ plate, low interest  rates, competitive finance deals, and windfall PPI payouts to householders who were victims of the banks’ mis- selling scandal.

Sales of commercial  vehicles to ‘white van man’ – the small-trader backbone of the economy – are also soaring. 

The Treasury said the figures were ‘further evidence that the Government’s long-term economic plan is working’.

A total of 464,824 new cars were registered last month – the best return since March 2004, when 466,954 sales were  registered. 

An SMMT spokesman said: ‘People are feeling more confident and deciding to splash out on a new car.’  

The top-selling models last month included the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Astra, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Polo, Fiat 500, BMW 3 Series and Toyota Yaris.

Market leader Ford said it had chalked up its highest monthly sales since 2008.