3 Reasons Why Most Car Interiors Are Black

If you’re shopping around for a new car, chances are you might notice a pattern in the way most interiors look nowadays. In most cases, they are black.

So why are most car interiors black? There are a few reasons that most cars have black interiors, but the most important is that black is the safest choice for car manufacturers and their customers. It goes with every exterior color and won’t scare away potential buyers on the used car market.

As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of black interiors. I have become increasingly frustrated over the years about the limited options when it comes to car interiors. 

Sure, if you go online to a car manufacturer’s website, they usually have multiple different interior color options to choose from. However, if you go to an actual dealership you will most likely be presented with mostly black interiors.

Still, if you dig a little deeper, there are some simple reasons why car companies choose black over every other color.

Why Are Most Car Interiors Black?

As I mentioned before, there are plenty of reasons that manufacturers continue to choose to put black interiors in their cars, including that they are easy to sell, black matches with other colors easily, and they tend to look cleaner. 

They Are Easy To Sell

Probably the biggest reason that most car interiors are black nowadays is that cars with black interiors are easy to sell, both for the dealership and the customer who might one day want to sell their vehicle on the used car market.

In general, car manufacturers want to make cars that people want to buy, and cars that have exotically colored interiors are a lot harder for them to sell than those with a plain color interior like black. 

Dealers don’t want to get stuck with inventory that’s impossible for them to sell and keeping the interior black is the safest bet.

This is even more true in the used car market. If you buy a car with some exotic colored interior, you may like it a lot, but finding someone else to buy the car when you want to sell might be a lot harder. 

Buying a car with a black interior is again the safest bet if you want to ensure that you can sell it later.

They Match Every Color

Another big reason that most car interiors are black nowadays is that a black interior goes well with pretty much every exterior color. 

It is really easy and a lot cheaper for car companies to produce lots of black interiors to put in all of the cars because they can order or produce the parts in bulk and know that they can go into any one of their many different colored cars. 

Again this is the easiest and safest bet for them to make. They know that the interiors will look good with the exterior color, people will buy them, and, overall, it is much cheaper for them to produce lots of one thing that they know will sell well.

They Look Cleaner

Another huge advantage of cars with black interiors is that they appear cleaner than lighter-colored ones, even if they aren’t.

Black interiors tend to hide dirt and other marks of wear and tear better than their lighter-colored counterparts. 

This is especially good if you have small children or dogs that ride in the car on a regular basis, as dirt, hair and any mess they make won’t appear nearly as noticeable in a car with a black interior.

This is also great for consumers that plan to sell their car later, as wear and tear in the interior of a vehicle can be a huge deal breaker for anyone looking to potentially buy your vehicle used. The less visible wear and tear the better.

What Are Some Disadvantages Of Black Interiors?

While there are many advantages to having a car with a black interior there are still some disadvantages that may play a big role in your not wanting one.

Leather vs. Cloth

While black cloth does fair much better when it comes to dirt, wear and tear, the opposite is true if you want a leather interior. 

While black leather is still incredibly common to see in many vehicles, it actually fairs much worse in the long term than lighter leather.

You’ve probably seen this up close in person too. If you or someone you know has an older car with a black leather interior, you’ve most likely noticed tons of small scratches, cracks, and discolorations in their seats. 

While this still happens with lighter-colored leathers, overall, it is much less noticeable than when the leather is black. Again this is huge if you eventually plan to sell your car to someone else on the used car market.

It Absorbs Heat

If you live in a place where it is hot most of the year, you might want to steer clear of black interiors as well.

This is because black absorbs heat a lot more effectively than lighter colors do. While this may be good in the winter when it’s really cold, if you live somewhere where it is hot all year round, you will no doubt end up burning your legs on the seats at some point, especially if the interior is leather.

Black interiors can get extremely hot when left out in the sun, so be cautious of this if you don’t live somewhere that stays cool most of the year.

Key Takeaways

• Most cars have black interiors because they are easy to sell on both the new and used markets.
• Black interiors look good with every exterior color.
• Black interiors tend to look cleaner than lighter-colored interiors do.
• Overall, investing in a car with a black interior is the safest bet for both car manufacturers and consumers.
• Disadvantages of black cars include excessive absorption of heat and increased wear and tear if made from leather.