Lined up right outside the front door of the Ellis Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep dealership in Glendale, California, are four 2014 Jeeps in a range of colors meant to tempt as many buyers as possible.
There's a Jeep Cherokee in Bright White, a Jeep Wrangler in a smoky gray called Anvil, another new Jeep Wrangler in Flame Red and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit in a rich brown known as Deep Auburn Pearl.
This colorful lineup would get a big thumbs-up from car color experts. By offering that palette of hues, the dealer may lasso the play-it-safe buyers as well as the more adventuresome types who seek a car color that says, "Notice me!"
Fact is, most of us are play-it-safe types. In 2013, white was the world's most popular car color — again. After white, buyers like black, silver and gray, according to reports from PPG Industries and Axalta Coating Systems.
But times may be changing. Color experts predict we're about to become more daring.
So while we know what we want (or think we do) when it comes to the color of the vehicle we're buying, there are lots of questions about colors that most of us consider before making that final decision.
Should we really follow the crowd, or is this the year to break out? Is one color safer than another when it comes to avoiding an accident? Are there colors that are likely to get a car stolen? Is a white car really cooler in the desert? Does a red car beg for a speeding ticket? What about higher insurance premiums for scarlet cars? Is that myth or reality? What color requires the least maintenance?
To separate car color facts from fiction, Edmunds turned to the experts.