Colorful Paint Names on Black Friday
Whenever a refinishing company like Sherwin Williams or DuPont trots out a survey talking about the most popular vehicle colors for a particular year, the list is almost always awash with a bazillion shades of grey. Sure, these muted tones might have an advantage a trade in time compared to a polarizing color (to say nothing of the lead time required for production, at which point a color may have fallen out of fashion) but there’s no denying that our nation’s parkways and driveways are generally a festival of greyscale.
Still, there are some great options in the 2026 model year for those who want to color outside the lines. Be forewarned, though - not everyone in yer neighborhood might appreciate the pop of color. Take as an example the poor sod named Peter Maddox, a man in Bilbury, England who had his bright yellow Vauxhall Corsa vandalized because someone felt it ruined the look of the quaint village in which he resided.
[Images: GM, Stellantis, Toyota]
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Seriously. About ten years ago, certain corners of the internet were awash with complaints that his car was ‘photobombing’ anyone who wanted to take a picture of bucolic Bilbury. People are weird. One good thing to come out of it was a rallying of support and eventual donation to charity. Vauxhall is also said to have given the man a nod by recognizing the color as 'Maddox Yellow'.
As for new cars on sale in this model year, one can always rely on the entertaining lunatics at Stellantis to provide a dose of color on dealer lots - and some equally amusing names to go along with the hue. The new Charger (gas, not electric - hold yer pitchforks) can be had in Redeye, Peel Out, and Bludicrous to name just three.
The Jeep Wrangler and associated Gladiator are offered in Mojito, Reign (a purple nod to Prince), and Firecracker Red. And the Ram family is another conversation altogether.
Popping over to the Toyota dealer this year reveals a new color for 2026 on trucks and SUVs opted with the gritty TRD Pro package. The eye-popping shade of Wave Maker is even brighter in person than it appears on your digital screen, if that’s possible, meaning any Tacoma or 4Runner so equipped will be able to be seen from space. That goes double for full-size rigs like the Tundra or gargantuan Sequoia.
Far less mainstream but no less entertaining is the six-figure Corvette ZR1, showing up this year with the type of color palette generally reserved for art class. Roswell Green is a great alien shout out, Riptide Blue evokes the water, Hysteria Purple is neat, and Competition Yellow can be spotted from a mile away. Don’t tell Peter Maddox.
