These Are The Most Popular Cars In New York

A lot of car enthusiasts like to stand out from the crowd, and opting for a bright yellow sports car or chrome-clad classic is a great way of showing your interest off, as well as making for an interesting sight on today's often mundane and monochromatic roads. But if you'd rather just blend into the crowd, what would be the best choice?

Thanks to the State of New York Open Data, we know exactly how New York drivers can achieve this result. The report portrays exactly what cars are most popular in the state, and it's possible to break that answer down into a number of different categories. We can deduce not only the most popular brands, but also the most common segments you'll see out and about in New York, the most popular colors, and the average age of each style too. So, if you're looking to blend into the background while commuting in and around New York, this is how best to do it.

Overwhelmingly, the most popular cars of choice in New York are SUVs. Just over 60% of New York's drivers are choosing to go about their daily life at the helm of an SUV, with sedan owners coming in second, at 28.6%. Pickup drivers are third, and just 9.7% of drivers opting for a truck.

New York itself might be a vibrant and exciting space, but the drivers commuting in and around the state clearly aren't all that interested in portraying this excitement through the cars they drive. The data tells us that drivers in New York are following nationwide trends, favoring SUVs over other body styles, and New Yorkers aren't even particularly exciting with the specs they choose either. 

A sea of SUVs is anything but thrilling, and when they are all finished in gray, things take a turn for the duller. That's the most popular car color chosen by New York residents, with more than 3 million cars finished in it. White, black, blue, and red are the next most popular colors throughout New York, and in that order, too. The least popular single color highlighted by the survey is pink, with just 1,381 cars finished in the hue. Interestingly, 2,829 vehicles are shown as having no color at all, putting the scarcity of pink cars into perspective. 

The only segment of vehicle listed that isn't most popularly finished in gray is that of the van, as these are more frequently seen in white. Back to the popular choices, though, the most common brand of SUV in New York is Honda, although the most popular brand across all segments is Chevrolet, with Toyota also being popular throughout various different segments.

So, we know what most New Yorkers drive, but let's take a look at what some of the rarer spots in and around the bustling state are. For starters, only 1.7% of cars on the road are convertibles, which means seeing a drop-top is a pretty rare occurrence. Funnily enough though, even those who like to stand out with a convertible are still predominantly picking gray over other colors.

While gas-powered cars are the more popular choice, electric cars have a growing presence in New York too. There are five counties with more than 10,000 EVs currently registered, although Nassau has the most. Interestingly, Nassau is also the wealthiest county in the entirety of New York, which is perhaps why EVs are proving more popular, with a count of 32,251 on the roads. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price of a new EV in America in August was $57,245, whereas the average price of new cars in general was around $8,000 lower. 

Now, throughout the entire state, the average vehicle age is nine years old, but there are some real rarities that go back much further than this. In fact, the oldest car currently registered in New York is a 1901 Oldsmobile four-door sedan. Other forgotten car brands join the list, such as Pierce-Arrow, Franklin, and Rochester, in addition to a smattering of more recognizable names, like Ford and Cadillac. Clearly, New York has a small but dedicated band of veteran car enthusiasts who have a passion for the oldest car brands in the world, and classics like these are probably a great way to turn heads no matter where in the state you reside.