Scream-worthy orange cars to light up Halloween

Orange is apparently not the new black.

At least when it comes to vehicle paint schemes.

While both may seem appropriate as we ready for Halloween 2024, black is by far more popular, with about 20% of car shoppers choosing it, according to a study by Edmunds.com.

And orange cars? Only .06% of car buyers – less than 1 percent – don’t find an orange vehicle scary. So, orange is limited to just a few models befitting its frightfully low popularity, right?

Surprise!

At this year’s North Texas Auto Show, we were thrilled to find several different orange-colored models. An October-fest of oranges, if you will.

These latest models follow in the fright steps of orange examples from current and previous years ranging from the aptly named Punk’n Metallic 2020 Jeep Gladiator, 2020 Pumpkin Orange Lamborghini Huracan and 2022 Lava Orange Porsche 911 Carrera.

The list also includes the Sunset Orange 2019 Hyundai Veloster, at one time the best-selling orange vehicle, based on CarMax sales.

That means the car color world may be changing – at least a little.

While shades of orange and black, not to mention pumpkin spice, are prominent across store shelves this time of year, the trend of orange-hued vehicles remained as pointed out by Chevrolet when relating to their Sonic model. “Inferno Orange is the second-most requested color for Chevrolet Sonic hatchbacks, accounting for nearly one in five dealer orders and signaling a new color trend in the subcompact market. Its popularity trails only the ever-popular black hatchback.”

“Chevy design experts predict orange will remain a color trend in the future, transitioning from the bright, chic tint of today to a more burnt, coppery finish in the years to come.”

The orange advantage

While buying an orange vehicle may be on trend, there could be another advantage for owners.

“The more unusual colors such as orange, yellow and green are not as readily available, yet they are popular with enough car buyers to create a demand that directly affects their resale value,” iSeeCars.com reported in the most recent study we could find.

Orange vehicles, in fact, depreciated an average of 21.6% over the first three years of ownership, according to iSeeCars.com, making it the color that held its value best.

The analysis of 1.6 million vehicles by the website revealed an average depreciation of 29.8%.

Wildest, craziest, hottest

In a recent article, Car and Driver identified several vehicles among The Wildest, Craziest Paint Colors Available in 2024. An earlier version of this article included the Thermal Orange Pearl Acura NSX, which was, “in our humble opinion, the best-looking orange offered today.”

Others making the C&D online list were the Dragon Orange Metallic Audi Q8, Pulse Orange Audi Q3, Sunset Orange Metallic BMW M2, 8-series, Autumn Metallic Cadillac XT4, Sebring Orange Tintcoat Chevrolet Corvette, Go Mango Dodge Challenger and Charger, Orange Fury Honda Fit, Madagascar Orange Jaguar F-type and the aforementioned Punk’n Metallic Gladiator.

Ford may offer the most orange models with at least nine – depending on how you count the trucks – perhaps the most outrageous being the 2020 Twister Orange Metallic Ford Shelby Mustang GT500.

And the hottest orange?

How about the Lava Orange Hyundai Santa Fe, Fire Orange Kia Forte, Classic Ignition Orange Ram 1500 … or the Habanero Orange Metallic Volkswagen Tiguan.

Decorating your car for Halloween

With Halloween happening this month, you may be wondering about decorating your own vehicle for the holiday, orange-colored car or not.

One easy, homemade way to turn your car into a ghost is to use a white sheet or car cover and draw or use stickers to create eyes. Having a vehicle like this in the driveway greeting trick-or-treaters is sure to add to the festivities of the season.
There are also additions you can make to the front of your vehicle, like vampire teeth that attach to your front grille or bumper to make for a scary scene as your car approaches.

Decorating a steering wheel or car seat cover can also provide extra festive accents to get you and your passengers in the Halloween spirit when driving. If you’re attending a trunk-or-treat event, parking with your trunk open and decorating the inside, maybe adding a few cobwebs with a fake spider along for the ride, can make for a creepy car decoration as well.

In the end, orange or black vehicle, decorated or not, we hope you enjoy the fall season and have a fun and safe Halloween.