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Black, white or silver? Which color is best for Model S?

Which color is best for Model S?


  • Total voters
    135
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I have a problem to decide which color is best for my Models S. I narrowed it down to 3 colors: black, white or silver.

Some sources say for a luxury car the most popular color is black.

According to this page in 2011 the most popular color was white. And here the silver is most popular.

What does your car color say about you
Silver – Elegant, loves futuristic looks, cool
White – Fastidious
Black – Empowered, not easily manipulated, loves elegance, appreciates classics

Assume there are just these 3 colors you can pick from. Now which one would you pick and why?

Please let me know. I will pick the color that wins this poll. Thanks.
 
White would be my choice. It doesn't show dirt like black does, (I have a black SLK), and I don't really care for silver. The black interior will also hide dirt and make a nice contrast with the white exterior.

For those choosing the performance package, the carbon fiber accents will look especially sharp against the white paint.
 
White would be my choice. It doesn't show dirt like black does, (I have a black SLK), and I don't really care for silver. The black interior will also hide dirt and make a nice contrast with the white exterior.

For those choosing the performance package, the carbon fiber accents will look especially sharp against the white paint.

You must be kidding. I just bought a white VW for my daughter and quickly remembered why I haven't bought a white car for 30 yrs. It shows dirt 30 seconds after you leave the car wash!

White and black are both hard to keep clean - but white looks worse dirty. Silver is the only rational choice for a daily driver out of those 3. :wink:
 
Had black (a VW Passat) and silver (an Acura TL) in the past and would never go back to either - dirt and grime show up easily, paint chips and scratches less so (on the black in particular).

Never had experience with white - if Bonnie's Roadster (in the foreground here: RSVP for pre-Tesla event meet-up) is anything to go by, as dsm said, with the black interior and carbon fiber accents, your Model S might look super sharp!
 
I voted 'white'.

My first car ('86 Audi 4000) was a metallic red. I was young, really liked the color.
Second car: ('93 Audi 90CS) was black. It looked great when clean, got dirty instantly (Massachusetts winter). Then I moved to California and vowed never to have black again... it was an oven inside.

For the next 12 years it's been silver minivans. I _tried_ to get other colors, but availability was never in my favor. Silver cars seem invisible to radar (or maybe just silver minivans).

Since I'm waiting for S#945 now, my choices are somewhat limited... I really like the white, I think it'd look really smart with a black or gray interior. White would have been my first choice.

But: my spending regulator/CEO/chairperson of the board/wife for the past 15 years (on Jan 2!) really likes the Signature red. I consider it to be a minor miracle that she bought in on the idea of a Tesla in the first place, so it'll most likely be Sig Red, Tan leather, Banana leaf accents.

The colors I'd like to see up close when they start making production cars are the Monterey Blue (I've never owned a blue car), and the Anza Brown (because I can't imagine ever painting a car brown). I would't/can't change, but those are the ones that I think I have to see to understand.

/Mitch.
 
@medved: have you had the chance to look at the paint samples at a Tesla store? If not, I suggest you hold off making your decision until you have.

Also consider that the silver is metallic, while the black and white are not. (I'm assuming that you're referring to the Catalina White rather than the Pearl White.) That means the silver will cost you $750 more than the other two but will have greater 'depth'.
 
I'm typically Silver, but broke the mold with my brown Q5... For the S, I'm really thinking white. On side note, I do feel like silver shows dirt the least, while black is the worst (on the east coast anywho)
 
Thank you guys for your votes so far. Really white? Doesn't the white look to plain for a luxury car? I always thought that a luxury car must be black. Even Elon has a black Model S already. Also this page shows the black as most popular for a luxury car. But i do believe the withe shows dirt less than the black one. White would be for sure more practical.

Other thing that concerns me on a white Model S is that the black "grille" seems to stand out too much. Doesn't the grille stands out too much on a white Model S? On a black one it blends in well.
 
Other thing that concerns me on a white Model S is that the black "grille" seems to stand out too much. Doesn't the grille stands out too much on a white Model S? On a black one it blends in well.

As I've said in another thread: I like contrasts. With that said, I think a white or silver Model S with black accents (grille, tint, markers, roof etc) will look great. Again though, this is your personal taste -- don't let a poll decide it for you.
 
Other thing that concerns me on a white Model S is that the black "grille" seems to stand out too much. Doesn't the grille stands out too much on a white Model S? On a black one it blends in well.
You would have to see it in person as it's tough to tell just looking at pictures on your screen. The Pearl White is what they have on the beta car and it looks great. I don't think the black grille looks bad on the white but as AnOutsider said, it's a personal preference and I also like the contrast with the lighter colors. The Pearl White is a $1,500 option though. If you can make it to one of the Tesla stores in CA, they have paint samples on the wall so you can at least look at each color.
 
@medved: have you had the chance to look at the paint samples at a Tesla store? If not, I suggest you hold off making your decision until you have.

Also consider that the silver is metallic, while the black and white are not. (I'm assuming that you're referring to the Catalina White rather than the Pearl White.) That means the silver will cost you $750 more than the other two but will have greater 'depth'.

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to see the car or paint samples in person. That is why I ask forum members for an opinion. Many of them have already seen even the car.
By white I mean white in general. But in case I go for white I would most likely pick the Pearl White.
 
I hate silver as a car color. It's waaaaay overdone, and it often ends up looking grubby after a few years. (IMHO a lot of silver cars look grubby coming out of the factory...)

Black is very popular for luxury cars. My G37 is black, but only because their color selection absolutely sucked. I would have gone for red but they discontinued it just before I bought. My black car hasn't looked completely clean since it first left the dealer's lot.

I've had white cars before, and it's really true - they don't show the dirt.
 
As I've said in another thread: I like contrasts. With that said, I think a white or silver Model S with black accents (grille, tint, markers, roof etc) will look great. Again though, this is your personal taste -- don't let a poll decide it for you.

OK. so you would choose a black roof for the white car? What about you dsm363? Or everybody else who voted for white? Would you guys use black for the roof? thanks.