White is Whanganui's favourite car colour

More than a quarter of newly registered cars in Whanganui are white, according to new registration data from the NZTA.

The achromatic colour is also the most popular in the country, comprising 24.5 per cent of new vehicles registered in New Zealand in January.

Car dealers in the city have noticed the trend among new car buyers.

"White's the new black, definitely," Gareth Jones of David Jones Motors told the Wanganui Chronicle.

"Although, silvers and greys are still popular."

Silver was the second most popular car colour in Whanganui, with 17.1 per cent of new car buyers choosing the colour.

This is well below the national average of 21.2 per cent.

Silver is the most popular colour in some other parts of the country, such as Northland and the Bay of Plenty.

Mark Quirk, dealer principal at Wanganui Motors, said preferences vary between models, but there was an overall trend.

"Darker blues and reds are not as popular as they used to be 10 years ago."

Red remains more popular in Whanganui than most of the country, with 15 per cent of new car buyers opting for the bright hue.

Nationally, only 10.6 per cent of January's new car buyers chose red.

Black, blue and grey are the next most popular colours in Whanganui.

Mr Quirk says the shade the manufacturer calls soul red is particularly popular among Mazda buyers, despite being more expensive than other colours.

Black and white are most the common choices for commercial vehicles, he said, while sports cars often sell in brighter colours.

"Even the bright golds and oranges still sell, just not as much as other colours."

Yellow is Whanganui's least favourite car colour aside from pink and purple - there were no vehicles in these colours registered in Whanganui in January.