Silver's position as the dominant metallic shade of choice looks set to continue, with 285 different varieties available in today's new car market, reports CAP New Vehicle Data. The proportion of silver cars built around Europe has reached around 40%.

Of the 3,084 currently available different paintwork specifications recorded by CAP NVD metallic shades outnumber every other type of finish added together, with the breakdown revealing how solid paints have lost favour among new car choosers.

CAP NVD reveals the breakdown of finishes available on today's new cars as metallic,1,552; solid, 551; pearlescent, 544; and mica, 194.