Colour can be an important element of finding the right car. Motoring editor Andy Russell finds out what people in Norfolk and Suffolk search for on Motors.co.uk which powers Archant's Drive24 motoring site.

Buying a used car is very much a black and white experience for Norfolk and Suffolk motorists.

Four out of 10 people, who are searching for a specific colour of used car in these two counties, are in the market for a black or white one, at 21% and 18% respectively, according to Motors.co.uk, which powers Archant media group's Drive24 car search website.

Nationally, white has been the UK's top new car colour three years running. Last year, one in five new cars was white – more than half a million, and a far cry from just 1% a decade earlier – again pipping black in second.

Hardly surprising then that this trend is also reflected across the UK, but in the opposite order to Norfolk and Suffolk when it comes to used cars, with 23% of those stipulating a colour on a Motors.co.uk search going for white and 20% for black.

When it comes to football club allegiance, Ipswich Town fans are more likely to show their true colours than Norwich City supporters.

Across the UK, blue is the fourth most chosen colour in a search, but motoring Tractor Boys supporting Ipswich Town are more likely to follow the Blues with their car choice, with 15% of Suffolk motorists selecting it as their preferred, colour compared to 13% nationally.

But in Norfolk, where those Norwich City Canaries are the team to follow, 3% of searches actually wants a green car, in line with the national figure, but just 1% actively seeks a yellow car – half the national figure.

In Manchester, out of interest, the blue of City is the choice for 13% of searches, compared to 9% for the red of United.

Dermot Kelleher, director of marketing and business intelligence at Motors.co.uk, said: 'We all have our favourite colours, but when it comes to choosing a car and selling in on, colour plays an important part in making your car more attractive, rather than standing out for the wrong reason.

'Pink may be your favourite colour, but with 0.1% of motorists stipulating that colour for a used car on Motors.co.uk, it may not be the safest choice, unless you know it is likely to appeal to a reasonably large set of future buyers.

'Simple shades and colours with common appeal are unlikely to colour people's judgment about your car and help you sell your car quicker when you are next in market

The Motors.co.uk Network, which includes Drive24, features around 350,000 vehicles for sale and reaches more than 4.2 million unique users each month.