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We all want our cars to look good. Unfortunately, no matter how careful you are, your car is going to get dirty at some point. But there’s no need to resign yourself to endless car-cleaning – the color of your car can hide dirt, scratches, and even let you leave it longer between washes!

This article will look at the best car colors for hiding dirt, ranging from light dust to heavy mud. We’ll also go over the best colors for hiding scratches, and even the easiest colors to clean. So if you want to keep your car looking great without having to worry about constant upkeep, let’s take a look at the best choices for you.

Best For Light Dirt

Lighter colors such as white, silver, and gray are great for hiding light dirt. Dirt doesn’t show up as much on these colors, even further down the car where dirt builds up the most. On top of that, these colors are some of the easiest to clean.

Another option for hiding light dirt is a matte paint job. Unlike glossy paint jobs like metallic and pearlescent finishes, matte colors stay cleaner for longer and won’t suffer from having light dirt on them. If you’re getting a matte finish on your car, something to bear in mind is that you’ll need specialist products to maintain it when it comes to cleaning.

Best For Heavy Dirt

But what if you live in an area that’s more prone to rain and mud? While light colors are good for hiding light dirt, when it comes to heavy mud your white paint job won’t cut it.

Because mud will build up mostly around the lower panels and wheel arches, you’ll need something that will still look even after a long drive through mud. But there’s no need to worry – other paint colors are able to hide mud and heavy dirt better.

While blue and red will show dust and light dirt more, colors like light blue and dark red can hide dirt more, particularly on lower parts of the body.

Other dark shades are also better for wetter, muddier climates. While black cars are still going to suffer from any dirt or scratches, shades like dark gray or silver will still mask heavy dirt and mud. Again, silver and gray have the added benefit of being easy to clean. Even if mud builds up, you won’t have much trouble getting your car looking pristine again.

Best For Dust

If you live in drier areas you’ll know how quickly dust can build up on your car, especially in summer. Dark colors are definitely the wrong choice here – black particularly will show every speck of dust on your car.

Once again, silver and gray are your best bet. The lighter color will mask dirt effectively without changing the color as dramatically as on a white car. This means that you won’t need to worry about cleaning your car for a while. And when the dust builds up too much, these lighter colors will clean up in no time.

If you don’t fancy a gray or silver car, however, there are other options you can go for. Yellow and green cars don’t show light dust as much as other colors. Lighter shades of green and yellow are preferable to darker shades, as these also have the benefit of hiding scratches, as well as swirling left over from cleaning.

Best For Scratches

Scratches can be a pain to get rid of. If you want to avoid the hassle and get a car color that masks scratching, light and pale colors are the best way to do this. Scratches barely show up on colors like silver and light gray, while they are nearly invisible on white cars.

The paint beneath scratches is camouflaged against these shades, meaning that a white car can make large scratches almost invisible.

As mentioned before, other colors like light green and yellow also hide scratches. This is because the bright color paired with their reflectivity makes scratches less noticeable, particularly in sunny weather. Contrastingly, dark colors and matte finishes will highlight even small scratches.

Easiest To Clean

While there are plenty of great colors that will hide dirt, eventually the dirt will build up too much and you’ll need to clean your car. Some car colors are easier to clean than others, so consider the practicality of your color if you’re more likely to get your car dirty.

Grey and silver cars are the easiest to clean. As well as this, they absorb less heat so cleaning in hot weather is easier to do and won’t leave streaks when you’re finished. Colors like black and other dark shades tend to be harder to clean, and are prone to streaks. You’re better off getting a lighter shade on your car.

Matte colors are hardest to clean and maintain – you’ll need to get specialist products to maintain the finish on them. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, if you want to hide dirt on your car, you’re best off looking for colors like gray, silver and white. These are the best colors for concealing dirt, dust and scratches, as well as being easier to clean. However, these colors aren’t always the best choice for wet and muddy areas.

If you’re in a muddier area, darker colors are what you need. Heavy dirt and mud show up less on darker shades. Blues and reds can also be a good choice for this, as mud isn’t as noticeable and these colors are easier to keep clean.

Lighter colors are better for light dirt and dust, for instance if you live in a drier area. You could also use a matte color – these are good for hiding dirt. However, you should bear in mind that matte cars are harder to clean.

If you’re looking to hide scratches, white and silver are the choice for you. Scratches are barely noticeable against these colors.

Now you know the best choices for your car color, the only thing left to do is find your dream car. Good luck, and happy driving!