There's A Reason Some Chevy Bow Ties Are Black Instead Of Gold

Emblems and logos are often just as important as the names of the brands they represent. Just look at Nike's swoosh, perhaps the most iconic of them all, the Apple logo, or the Prancing Horse of Ferrari. These logos are so intrinsically linked to the brands that they don't even need to spell out a company's name. For Chevrolet, its bowtie logo is just as instantly recognizable as some of the brand's models, though it may not own the title of the coolest automotive logo ever. The history of the Chevy bowtie dates back roughly a century, although how exactly it came to be is still debated. 

One story says Chevrolet co-founder William Durant stayed at a Paris hotel in 1908 that had this emblem on the wallpaper. Another version says that Durant first saw the bowtie while flicking through a newspaper in 1912 during a family holiday in Virginia. Setting aside how it came into existence, Chevy bowties were historically finished in gold, with notable exceptions like a blue design in 1914 and red bowties in the 1950s and 1960s. Nowadays, fewer and fewer Chevrolet models have gold emblems. Instead, they wear black bowties to keep up with customer preferences.

Browse through Chevrolet's U.S. website, and you'll see every one of its passenger trucks is pictured with black bowties. Similarly, all of its EVs are shown with black badges, other than the Equinox EV, which has a gold emblem. It's largely the same story with Chevy's SUVs, as only the Suburban and Traverse have the historic gold badge, while all others have the black variant. Has Chevrolet been quietly phasing out the gold bowtie right under our noses? Not exactly.

The modern black bowtie first appeared a decade ago on the Chevrolet Camaro and has surged in popularity ever since. It doesn't have any historical meaning: Chevy customers simply like it as a styling option, so for many of the brand's models, it has become the go-to and is fitted as standard equipment. In fact, a poll from GM Authority reveals that 64% of readers prefer the black badge to the gold version. This doesn't come as a surprise, as black vehicle accessories for cars are very much in vogue at the moment and have been for years.

The Chevy bowtie saw a slight update in early 2026 in South America, where a tweaked design, which is slightly slimmer than before, debuted on the 2027 Chevrolet Sonic. This bowtie is also available with illumination. Chevy obviously sees demand in the so-called 'Glowtie,' selling it as a $355 accessory in the U.S.