Oman motorists show growing taste for orange, purple vehicles

Muscat: Orange and purple vehicles are gaining popularity among motorists in Oman, with the two colours recording the fastest year-on-year growth, according to the latest vehicle registration statistics.

The number of orange vehicles increased by 23.4%, rising from 17,694 in July 2025 to 19,357 in July 2026, according to National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Purple vehicles, meanwhile, increased by 19.5%, from 235 to 263 during the same period.

Dark blue vehicles recorded the third-highest growth, rising 14.2% to 2,060, while grey vehicles increased by around 12% to 204,952.

For some motorists, the growing appeal of brighter colours reflects a desire to move away from traditional choices. “People are becoming more willing to choose colours that stand out. Orange gives a vehicle a more energetic and distinctive look, especially compared with the traditional white, silver and black,” said Indian expat, K Ravi.

Another driver said colour has increasingly become part of personal choice when buying a vehicle. “White and silver are practical and common, but younger buyers in particular seem more interested in colours that reflect their personality. Purple and orange can make a car look different without changing anything else about it,” the motorist said.

Despite the growth of these less common colours, white remains overwhelmingly dominant on Oman’s roads.

There were 802,190 white vehicles registered in Oman at the end of July 2026, accounting for 42.1% of the country’s total 1,904,534 registered vehicles.

The number of white vehicles itself grew 4.9% year-on-year, increasing by 20,215 vehicles, from 781,975 in July 2025 to 802,190 in July 2026.

Silver was the second-most popular colour, with 243,782 vehicles (12.8%), followed by grey with 204,952 vehicles (10.8%). Black and blue accounted for about 5.5% each, with 104,269 black vehicles and 104,880 blue vehicles.

Pearl-coloured vehicles numbered 87,724 (4.6%), while red accounted for 76,804 (4%) and gold for 67,773 (3.6%).

Overall, Oman’s registered vehicle fleet increased 5.4% year-on-year, from 1,851,469 vehicles in July 2025 to 1,904,534 in July 2026.