Which Color Car Gets Dirtiest the Fastest, Black or White?

Car owners love their ride clean and polished, even though there is a class that seems not to care about the outer appearance of their vehicle until a kid scribbles a “wash me, please!” on the windshield. The focus will remain on the 99.9 percent. Some of them clean and wax their car every weekend. There is the other class that only does this once in a month. Typical car owners fall into the latter category.

It is for this reason that the color becomes an important issue when buying a car. Aesthetics and appeal of a specific color may trigger emotions that may make you buy it. Unfortunately, emotions fade away, and the car starts to get dirty. Like most of us, you will still want the thrill of a clean, shiny car to get the emotional rush you felt when you saw it in the showroom. It is then that it dawns on you that it will take hard work to keep the car clean.

White versus black

The above situation has led to long debates on whether white or black is the best car color choice. The trend for choosing car colors has been white, silver, and black in that order. However, trends can be misleading. So, which color should you want for your next car, white or black?

White is the most common car color today, and most people believe that it shows dirt quickly, because it is white. Nothing can be further from the truth. Black cars have proven to be hardest to keep clean. Staying clean is a problem with all dark colored vehicles. Any small dirt on the vehicle will show. Rainstorms will leave just as ugly marks on the car as a ride through murky water.

Black cars also seem to attract all sorts of dirt, from bird droppings to dust and pollens. Besides this, there is the issue of overheating. Albert Einstein will tell you that black bodies absorb heat faster than white ones. Simply put, a black is bound to look ugly faster than a white one when exposed to the same high temperatures.

Even though white cars do not get dirty as fast as the black ones, they are not the best. It tends to get dirty quickly when you live in areas with red clay or volcanic soils. The same is true when you drive through dirt roads.

Conclusion

White is the clear winner between the two, but it is not the best. There are other colors that are easier to keep clean than these  two. They include light brown, tan, champagne, and taupe. Gray and silver colors also look nice even when dirty. Colors that are easy to keep clean save you maintenance cost in the long run