There was once a time when car interiors could be ordered in just about any color under the rainbow. Peaking during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with luxury cars, one often could choose from as many as 10, 12, 15, or more interior color combinations. Over the next three decades, the amount of choice greatly decreased as a combination of cost-cutting as well as changing consumer tastes for more neutral colored interiors, to a point in the late-1990s and early-to-mid-2000s where many automakers offered just the choice of black or beige.
Cars like this 1994 Mercury Sable were among the last that offered once highly popular burgundy interiors for almost 20 years. In fact, 1994 was the very last year for “Garnet”, as it was officially called, and by this point it was largely limited to neutral exterior colors such as white and black. Thankfully Mercury Sable buyers had one more year to choose from Evergreen and Royal Blue interiors, if they could find one, as its likely that dealers seldom ordered them. On an important note, however, 1996 Sable buyers could choose from the even more exciting Grey-Violet and Willow Green.
Thankfully, things have rebounded a bit in the past decade, albeit largely exclusive to leather interiors. The mid-to-late 2000s saw a reemergence of natural brown shades, and more recently several automakers have gone bolder with shades of bright red, sumptuous burgundy, cool blue, and striking white.
Although many still prefer the understated, often easier to care for neutral color interior, these more vibrant color palates make for a greater statement and a generally more special-feeling interior. After all, the interior is where you spend most of your time with your car, so wouldn’t you rather a special interior versus exterior? Maybe I’m alone in feeling this, so I’m curious to know, what’s your preferred interior color?
Photographed in Hanover, Massachusetts – October 2019
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I really like some of the two-tone Audi and BMW interiors with caramel or brick red leather upholstery and black on all surfaces prone to reflecting into the windows, such as the dash pad and upper parts of the doors. Can’t say I really miss white, green and royal blue interiors, although navy can look very sharp. On my most recent purchase, I had a choice of black or grey leather; beige, which would be preferred in this hot climate, was not even available, regardless of the exterior color. I held my nose and went with the all-black interior, as the grey just looked cheap.
The dark blue in my Father’s 1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale company car always seemed to be an elegant place to spend time in.
Favorite interior color?
Anything other than black, grey, or tan. I can handle tan if it is leather and the exterior color is highly contrasting.
I did enjoy the button tufted velour in my Cutlass Supreme Brougham and the copper cloth of my 1982 Chevy Celebrity.
I actually used to like the “confetti” patterns of the cheap compacts of the 90s.
A good blue would be nice. I also like white with blue or red carpet.
Boring but black, but only real black. Too much of what the OEMs pass off for black today are actually a dark dull grey. As much as I’d like to appreciate the color in some new car interiors, it’s always a two tone affair in most instances, with the colors simply being used on seats and a few bits and pieces of an otherwise grab dark grey interior. Better than no choices I suppose, but I think it looks cheap.
No black upholstery for me, and no black paint jobs, either, not even with air-conditioning. The summer sun is harsh and relentless, outdoor daytime temperatures run up to 110 degrees in June, July and August (and it’s even worse in Phoenix). It doesn’t help that I have memories of black cars and/or black vinyl interiors when I was a kid.
Ha! I strongly suspect I’m in the minority here (or perhaps just a simple / boring soul) but I have nearly refused to buy anything except black on black cars for many years. I think the unadorned simplicity is what attracts me, although I could concede a potentially different conclusion in a desert climate (Washington DC area here). I recently gave in a bit on Better Half’s BMW X5… it’s Titanium Silver, albeit with a black interior. 🤔😂 (It’s a nice looking barge but too big for my tastes. I’ll stick with my 3, thanks.)
Incidentally, my father did have the identical (garnet) interior on his (fleet leased) 1994 Taurus which was silver outside – a pleasant enough combination. That had been preceded by a white over burgundy 1991 Caravan – it was lightly optioned and dull as dishwater but a serviceable/ comfortable enough conveyance. He also had what was said to be the first (1984) Caravan sold in Indiana, which was maroon red with a red interior. Maybe he just liked the red, although we had some blues and tans come and go as well. Mom at one time had a 1979 Thunderbird which was chocolate brown over chocolate leather.
It depends – some colours just go together like British Racing Green exterior and tan interior. A red interior looks good with a black or white exterior. Red seats as an accent like the two examples above look sharp as long as it isn’t overdone.
Even orange can work if done well.
Any color as long as it’s not black or grey.
I still have a ’90s Cadillac Fleetwood with blue on blue. Ironically, it’s the default color from the factory ( when nothing is ordered as a limousine, commercial chassis ) any other color would have a color code in parts number.
These days Chrysler offers indigo and tan on 300, usually combined with many other options and often those Chrysler 300 models are 40k-55k in price tag.
Chrysler Highlander plaid floats my boat.
Something that already looks like it has been pooped, peed, burped, and spilled upon. Extra points go to smudged interior windows and dog hair. Ground-in Goldfish crackers and embalmed fries between the seats is always a popular look as well. Last week’s Sunday School class crafts should be lodged under seats. And there’s always a small sock that no one says is theirs. Peanuts, dog treats, a map of Door County Wisconsin, and four half-drank water bottles, and four empty juice boxes should be on the carpeting. Used Kleenex should be stuffed in the opening of each door’s arm rest. The dashboard should be the color of dust and it should be covered with smudges. There should be two cardboard car deodorizers and a dead fly laying tits-up on the dash too.
I must prefer that, because it is what I always get until I remove all the van seats, shampoo the carpeting and fill the trash can at the car wash.
Exactly, the answer depends on whether you would be transporting responsible adults or some little wildlings
Note to everyone: your car is a lot dirtier than you think. Rent a “steam” carpet cleaner from the local hardware store or supermarket and pay the extra $3 for the upholstery tool. You will be dumping shockingly black water, particularly if you have cloth seats. Unless your head liner is perforated vinyl (remember those?) do that too. It will also smell really nice in there.
If it’s a used car that was formerly driven by smokers, X10.
Lots of colours to choose from however there is exactly one of these Sable over here according to the owner of the local one imported used and its green inside and out, I havent seen it for a while so it may have been sold on the guy has a lot of cars scattered around his property lots of Holdens, whale type Chevies, Camaros and others some under tarps some exposed, he seems to prefer GM cars both local and used import.
Still holding out for a ’97-98 F-150 in Cordovan!
Blue. I find it soothing, visually appealing, and not distracting.
My very first car, a 1981 Audi, had a blue interior (blue dashboard, door trim, etc., along with plaid seats). After that, I’ve had nothing but gray interiors.
Agreed on the blue. I had a blue interior on a Chev, and my buddy’s Cutlass was blue. Easy to clean, and a nice colour, often matches the exterior.
I’ll second that. My old Corolla FX/16 had a nice blue/black interior as well. White exterior with red stripes, but somehow it all worked together.
Mid Century Modern
(I had one of these in the 1990’s, but a sedan)
What is that?
Early 60’s Lincoln Continental.
Thank you.
I guess I thought everyone would know somehow. Note the real wood (OK, thin veneers, and some of these have brushed stainless steel instead) and matching steering wheel. The steering wheel isn’t wood but marbley brown plastic. If it was a version with stainless steel panels the wheel would be color matched to the interior.
Automobile design doesn’t generally specifically relate to other design trends. It wasn’t until some time after I had one of these that I realized that the interior design was really consistent with Mid Century Modern and maybe the most MidMod design ever. I just thought it was awesome, like the whole design.
So long as it is a complimentary color, I’m ok with it. With both of the black cars I’ve owned, the “RetroStang” and the ’88 T-Bird LX, I was perfectly fine with the oh-so-boring medium to light grey interior.
But if I have to pick a favorite, I really like a blue interior. My ’79 Futura had a light blue cloth, and my (ex’s) ’94 T-Bird had a dark blue interior. I even think her ’88 Turbo Coupe may’ve also been blue inside. The outside was Sapphire, so a blue interior would’ve made sense. Oddly, I can’t recall if it was blue, charcoal, or some combination thereof.
Most of my cars however were in some sort of boring grey, even though another color would’ve been very nice if it was offered. For instance, my ’97 T-Bird and ’97 Grand Prix GTP were both teal colored, so a complimentary color would have been nicer than the light grey and dark grey each had, respectively.
My Civic has a visually pleasing interior, although it does not really go with the Rallye Red exterior. Its interior is a combination of black and tan, which although boring colors, together they make for some visual interest.
A 1994 Ford Taurus (bought used, driven 20 years, donated to charity in 2018, sold to a new owner and recently resmogged) was our last car with a non-grey interior…Royal Blue. Already it had become difficult to find blue floor mats for it as the originals wore out. Since then, all grey.
Have had A spectrum of interior colors. since my first car at age 16 in 1967. White, Black, Green, Grey, Red, Burgundy Light, Medium, and Dark Blue. All went well with exterior colors. There was once a day when one could purposely order odd color combinations. A 69 Cadillac DeVille Convertible, for instance, in Dark Blue with scarlet interior and a white roof. And i remember a friend had a special ordered early 70s Firebird, Silver, with a forest green interior. The reason for the lack of color is far fewer cars or ordered. most are bought off the lot and the Dealer likes to play it safe, if excruciatingly boring.
Green is fav. But also blue, red, orange, purple, yellow, pink, brown and white Not all at same time.
55 years on and I am still haunted by the tobacco brown vinyl in my grandfather’s Audax Hillman Minx. As he couldn’t drive without a pipe clamped between his teeth (and a trilby hat on his head, but that’s another matter), the upholstery colour was appropriate.
Off white/cream/latte can look very elegant with dark chocolate brown. Wish more makers would break free of too common austere looking design.
I’ve enjoyed the various times manufacturers have tried to add subtle texture and shade differences to interiors. Grey can work well in mixes of light and medium grey with charcoal.
Not something I think about much anymore. My first car, a Volvo 122S had bluish-gray vinyl that was pretty close to the exterior color, with the usual black dash top. The rest of the dash was of course painted steel, matching the exterior. My next car, a Vega had complementary green upholstery and paint. My Fiesta was the first of just a few tan interiors, then red cloth in my Civic, blue vinyl in my Ranger (with a blue leather steering wheel cover even in my fairly low trim model), red leather in our 1981 528i, I could go on.
But the most practical color was the dark brown fabric in our 1993 Land Cruiser. After a dozen years with two kids (one very prone to car sickness), lots of off-roading and snow trips, it looked about the same when we sold it as when we bought it. Coupled with the nearly dirt-colored gold exterior, it was far from my favorite aesthetically, but very practical.
Our current fleet is black inside; cloth with orange accents in my Tacoma, and vinyl, I mean leatherette, in our Golf. I’ll sign off with this memory from the seventies
https://youtu.be/S5QErPDNcj4
A white Sable or Taurus of this generation could also have a dark green interior.
Brown – since it won’t get as hot as black but gives a nicer ambiance than lighter colors.
Today’s LACK of color both interior and exterior is very boring, IMhO. Almost all interiors seem to be black or mouse fur grey today; with a “palette” ranging from white thru greys to black on the exterior. Oh wow……….:( If one likes the achromatic (NO color) look, the choices are magnificent.
There used to be beautiful exterior AND interior color schemes on virtually all brands. The rise of Japanese imports helped trim both interior and exterior colors…..largely to contain costs. U.S. manufacturers followed suit for the same reason$!
CMG not withstanding, I wonder when U.S. consumers will rebel….if ever? 🙁 DFO
I dearly loved the turquoise interior in my 66 Fury III (inside of a white car). This picture is from the Chrysler New Yorker brochure that year, but that’s the color.
The funny thing is that back when interiors were all the colors of the rainbow in the 70s I had a thing for gray interior – a staple of the 40s that had gone extinct after the very early 60s. I was thrilled when it came back, but hit my saturation level after awhile.
^^^^^^
I can put up with black as long as there’s a white or very pale gray headliner. Too often now anything even slightly vaguely sporty-ish (looking at you, Corolla Hatchback) is stuck with a black headliner for a complete coal-hole effect. Ugh.
Can’t go wrong with a blue interior, particularly late-70s GM light, ’80s Mopar/Honda two-tone or ’60s Chevy pool blue. Gotta be cloth upholstery though, whether ’60s shiny nylon brocade or ’80s mouse-fur velour. The late ’70s yellowy tan would be a good second choice if the car looks best in a color that isn’t blue or grayscale.
My mini has a red/white interior, which I probably wouldn’t have chosen myself, but I absolutely love. I assume manufacturers avoid white because it’s hard to keep white plastic clean, but white paint is super-easy. And it wears in a relatively pleasing way, unlike plastic
The last car I owned that I loved the interior colour in was a 93 topaz in the same shade of Claret as the sable shown.
Bring back interiors that don’t look like 50 very boring shades of Gray!
Turquoise!
I used to like black interiors along with black exteriors, like my ’92 Seville. Now I don’t want either. Most of my cars have different shades of grey inside, I really like it in my forest green F150. I used to think that a white vehicle looked cheap, but now that is my preferred color for a luxury vehicle. Especially with a tan leather interior. My Jag XJ has a combination of white outside with a light taupe, called oatmeal, inside. Sounds kind of strange but I really like it.
I’m old enough to have owned several cars with “color keyed” interiors, starting with the blue ’71 Cutlass with blue interior, a hand me down from my sister that I had for about 15 days before it was totaled in a spectacular wreck. I really liked it, except for that blue interior. Next came my mom’s ’72 Cutlass with a black interior and awful white vinyl top. That was a troublesome car from day one, and I soon ordered a ’74 Roadrunner, with black interior. Next came a ’77 Power Wagon with black interior. Then I finally dumped the PW for a ’79 Trans Am, a bright red car I lioved, with a “burgandy” interior, which I really really hated. Then came a Chevy K5 Blazer with an interior almost the same color as the T/A. Yuck. An ’85 Caravan with an awful blue interior came and went, and then IMO, the worst interior color ever, “Camel”, in my ’86 Iroc-Z Camaro. I just hated that damn interior color. After that, everything thankfully had black or at least dark grey, which is tolerable. I HATE two toned, beige, camel, tan, brown, etc interiors. Black is best, black is the only color I want inside a car/truck/SUV. But I don’t really want a black car again, it looks bad unless washed all the time. So as far as colors of interiors go, now is a very good time for me, as almost anything I look at that I might want to buy has black interior. I hate “weak” exterior paint colors as many of my parent’s cars were back when I was a kid.Make my stuff bright yellow, red, orange, blue, etc.
Before my father’s passing, he was looking at a 1978 Mercury Cougar with the dark blue exterior and that chamois colored interior that Ford was promoting back then. It was definitely different, but I thought it worked well.
I’m not terribly inventive when it comes to interiors, but I think the reds are my favorite colors for interiors. I had a 1979 Pinto with a silver exterior and a red plaid interior. Combined with the relatively big windows in that car it was a bright interior year round. My 1987 Dodge Lancer had a black exterior and a bright red pinstripe with a red velour interior.
Our current car, a 2009 Pontiac G6 has a dark blue exterior with the dreaded black leather interior. It is something of a pit of darkness, but the combination works for me. It’s been super low maintenance and definitely no glare… ever.
Yeah, that midnight blue and chamois combo really popped. The more common combo of that period was the dark brown and chamois, which I recall my sister picked as the color of her 1978 Fairmont Futura. At the time, it was really popular, as I recall it being used by other manufacturers as well as Ford.
As many have noted, most of the rare times you can get real colors in new car interiors, the color is just used in a few select places and most trim is still black. There are a few glorious exceptions though: I love the fully color-keyed mahogany interior in the current Lincoln Navigator which is gorgeous; I do wish I could get this interior in something that wasn’t a gargantuan SUV. You have to pony up for the top line Black Label trim-and-perks package to get it too, but at least it’s available. The Continental has a similar option in dark blue.
The second-gen Sable interior is too cheap, plasticy, and boring for even red (or green or blue or brown) to save it, but the first generation Sable interior looked great in brown and quite good in red or blue, especially after the 1990 refresh.
I loved the Regatta Blue interior of my ’88 Mustang. It was easy to keep clean (looking) and was a calming color to be surrounded by when I was behind the wheel.
Red or Burgundy, ideally bordello red. Velour or even better brocade cloth. Purple could also work too, as will gold. A green and gold brocade is cool too. I’d take blue or turquoise over gray or black, I am so over gray and black, beige and white at least have practical benefits in keeping the interior cooler. Would be nice to see heavily patterned cloth interiors and woodgrain making a return
But I’ll take anything as long as it isnt leather. Leather may wear well but I find it unpleasant and uncomfortable to sit on, only thing worse is vinyl. That Lincoln Navigator interior above is a really nice colour, it looks smart but I’d get sick of the leather though
75 Cadillac Talisman? interior with red Monticello velour – perfect. A Leaf, Ioniq or Tesla with an interior like this would have me going electric tommorow
That’s easily answered. Anything other than black tan or grey with a preference on blue.