A lot of car buyers ask the question “Are white cars hard to keep clean or easy,” If you’d ask a detailer like me, I would say there is no difference really in terms of cleaning.
However, white cars would require special lights for detailing to keep track of swirls (easy to spot on a colored vehicle, especially on darker-colored cars), not easy to see on white cars.
So, to answer your question, White cars are neither hard to keep clean nor any easier.
The hard part is to see those swirl marks as it’s white on white, which also makes them look comparatively cleaner when compared to other car colors.
Now you know the reason why white cars appear cleaner, which also means you don’t have to wax them often.
However, white paint brings its own problems to the table, which I will address in detail and give you tips to maintain its shine for an extended period of time.
What are the advantages of a white car?
- Light dust is not super visible on white cars. With the same amount of surface dust on black cars vs white cars — white cars would look cleaner.
- White car color tends to hide scratches and hide dust on top of hiding the imperfections on a paint job.
- White paint job takes the minimum damage from the harmful UV rays on a hot summer day whereas blue color, red color, and black color take much more damage thus fading over time.
- White cars don’t require regular wax treatment which by the way is a necessity on black or other dark-colored vehicles. Red car color tends to fade a lot more from what I have noticed in my career, maybe it’s because it’s not given as much care as you would to a black car.
- White color tends to reflect the heat whereas black or other dark colors absorb the heat, which means you would have a cooler cabin in the summer if you have a white color car.
What are the disadvantages of a white car?
- The clear coat turning yellow is much more visible on white color cars as compared to dark-colored vehicles.
- Imperfections are not easy to spot when detailing as white is the color to hide small dirt and light scratches.
- Not easy to find in a big parking lot.
- Rock chips are super visible on white cars (especially the front bumpers)
- Road presence is not as good as other colors.
- Water spots are not easy to identify, and often become a problem later on if not pointed out by a professional detailer.
So it’s best to have a ceramic coating or PPF, especially if you are traveling on dirt roads so you can avoid those ugly marks called rock chips.
These coatings not only protect your new car from rock chipping, but you would also get the following benefits
- Protection from bright sunlight
- Clean car
- Rust protection in rainy weather
- Shield against water spots
Do you recommend choosing white color?
I would highly recommend white color over other colors since white cars require less upkeep (you don’t have to use a lot of wax and polish to hide imperfections, the white color itself does the trick).
Darker colors such as black cars would require high maintenance to protect their shine. Whereas colors like white or silver can maintain the shine for longer.
And personally, I just love white cars especially when they are blacked out, meaning you get all the chrome bits blacked out, the wheels blacked out and the roof blacked out as well.
As a detailer, I have a lot of different methods and products which I can recommend, and for white, I would highly recommend using Adam’s waterless wash, it’s my absolute favorite for wiping surface dust, it’s best to wipe on a wet surface with a waterless wash as apposed to dry surfaces without any spray wax or waterless car wash, as dry wiping can cause swirl marks.
An important thing to note is that waterless car wash is not usually compatible with ceramic coating, including my favorite one, so make sure to check if your product is ceramic coating safe or not when you have spent a good amount on that ceramic coating.
Why do people prefer white cars?
There are a number of reasons why people prefer white color, which I have listed below
- White cars are simply more readily available at dealerships.
- White color doesn’t fade as much over time thanks to its reflective properties, which means you are also reflecting the harmful UV rays.
- White car color and silver car colors are usually sold as standard colors on almost every other vehicle sold in the US and by extension, throughout the world. Other colors are mostly given as an option which would cost you extra.
- White doesn’t appear dirty if covered with light surface dust.
- Color matching white is usually easy.
- White vehicles usually require less wax treatment which makes them easier to keep clean.
White Paint VS Black Paint
White is the color to hide in when you are facing scorching heat and UV radiation as white paint tends to work like light reflectors, which means you get a cooler and safer cabin with white paint, which further means that you will face less color fading. White paint also tends to look less dirty with light surface dust compared to other dark colors.
- In simple words, AC on a white car will work much better (than on a Black car) and its color won’t fade because of heat and UV, which means, you don’t have to put wax every now and then. Therefore, it’s one of the easiest car colors to keep clean, and honestly who doesn’t like a clean car.
Black is not the color to hide in when you have like 120 degrees out, plus UV that damages the paint tends to get absorbed by the black paint along with the heat, increasing the cabin temperature, meaning you will have a hotter cabin compared to other lighter colors. and you will see the paint fading after some time.
- In simple words, Black paint fades easily if not treated with protective coatings, and the AC will have a hard time cooling the cabin in summer, making it one of the hardest car colors to keep clean compared to the rest of the spectrum, including red paint.
Are white cars cheaper than colored cars?
There are some standard colors offered by the manufacturer and then there are some special colors that are optional (you pay more for the optional colors).
White is often a standard color which is why you may think that it’s cheaper, but in reality, the non-standard colors are the ones fetching a little extra $$$ compared to the standard white.
This standard and optional stuff then translates to the used market as well. If a person paid extra for the optional stuff (i.e a special red color), he or she would most definitely sell it for a higher price, which means you may find the same car for less $$$ when it’s in standard white.
Now there is no difference in the price for the pigments, but when it comes to black cars, you have to spend extra to get a good finish as any remaining imperfection on a black car would be super visible.
To give you an idea, even brands like Mercedes can lack when it comes to perfect finish.
Topaz did a signature detail and color correction on a brand-new Mercedes Maybach which is insane. It also gives us an idea of how even a brand new vehicle rolling out of the production lines can have imperfections, especially if it’s in black color.
Overall, the prices are not color dependent for regular cars. I have looked at multiple models listed for sale and have compared these models with different colors as well, keeping everything almost the same, and the color does not affect the price of regular cars.
FAQ
Do white cars get dirty faster?
No, white cars do not get dirty any faster compared to other car colors. All cars get dirty the same amount, it’s perspective of how much dirt is visible on a particular color. White color actually tends to look cleaner even with light surface dust as opposed to a darker color.
Do white cars look less dirty?
Yes, white cars look less dirty because they reflect all visible light wavelengths. The reflection of all visible light would mask the small number of particles such as bird droppings (i.e., surface dust or light scratches in the form of swirls)
The exception to this rule where white can get dirty quickly and shows dirt is where red clay or volcanic soils are abundant.
Do white cars scratch easily?
No, white cars scratch just like any other color. There’s no difference in the basic makeover of your standard paint job, however, white tends to hide scratches a lot more when compared to the darker colors available thanks to the reflective nature of the white color that tends to hide dirt.
Do all white cars turn yellow?
No, not the ones that have been properly maintained. The turning yellow is not specific to white car color, it happens to all car colors, however, it’s more visible on white.
Why you may ask?
It’s the clear coat that turns yellow due to environmental damage and is present on every other vehicle.
Conclusion
White is the best and most common car color today whether you are driving in rainy climate with murky water or on a hot sunny day.
Most people (enthusiasts and car owners) have a favorite color like light brown, or maybe red cars tend to catch their eyes, or it might even be Silver with dark blue accents (referring to the BMW M3 GTR of NFS), or it might be the Satin Black or the matte finish.
When choosing car colors, no matter what color car owners may like, it might even be one of the popular car colors, chances are you are tilting towards white, because most people see that the advantages are way more than the disadvantages, making white the best color period.
The white pigments hide dirt and keep the car clean looking. You don’t have to worry about the time-consuming process of waxing, you can simply wash it and protect it by giving it the ceramic coat treatment, and you will be good to go.
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