diff --git a/src/components/color/index.js b/src/components/color/index.js
index fe22aca72aa..35ac2a0552e 100644
--- a/src/components/color/index.js
+++ b/src/components/color/index.js
@@ -57,6 +57,16 @@ color.combine = function(front, back) {
     return tinycolor(fcflat).toRgbString();
 };
 
+color.contrast = function(cstr, lightAmount, darkAmount) {
+    var tc = tinycolor(cstr);
+
+    var newColor = tc.isLight() ?
+        tc.darken(darkAmount) :
+        tc.lighten(lightAmount);
+
+    return newColor.toString();
+};
+
 color.stroke = function(s, c) {
     var tc = tinycolor(c);
     s.style({'stroke': color.tinyRGB(tc), 'stroke-opacity': tc.getAlpha()});
diff --git a/src/components/rangeselector/attributes.js b/src/components/rangeselector/attributes.js
index c0c58429bd9..4c4bb88128f 100644
--- a/src/components/rangeselector/attributes.js
+++ b/src/components/rangeselector/attributes.js
@@ -81,6 +81,11 @@ module.exports = {
         role: 'style',
         description: 'Sets the background color of the range selector buttons.'
     },
+    activecolor: {
+        valType: 'color',
+        role: 'style',
+        description: 'Sets the background color of the active range selector button.'
+    },
     bordercolor: {
         valType: 'color',
         dflt: colorAttrs.defaultLine,
diff --git a/src/components/rangeselector/constants.js b/src/components/rangeselector/constants.js
index e598ab45d69..6e2818a9c3c 100644
--- a/src/components/rangeselector/constants.js
+++ b/src/components/rangeselector/constants.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ module.exports = {
     rx: 3,
     ry: 3,
 
-    // color given to active and hovered buttons
-    activeColor: '#d3d3d3'
+    // light fraction used to compute the 'activecolor' default
+    lightAmount: 25,
+    darkAmount: 10
 };
diff --git a/src/components/rangeselector/defaults.js b/src/components/rangeselector/defaults.js
index 108b888c8eb..c616d41d261 100644
--- a/src/components/rangeselector/defaults.js
+++ b/src/components/rangeselector/defaults.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 var Lib = require('../../lib');
+var Color = require('../color');
 
 var attributes = require('./attributes');
 var buttonAttrs = require('./button_attributes');
@@ -38,7 +39,8 @@ module.exports = function rangeSelectorDefaults(containerIn, containerOut, layou
 
     Lib.coerceFont(coerce, 'font', layout.font);
 
-    coerce('bgcolor');
+    var bgColor = coerce('bgcolor');
+    coerce('activecolor', Color.contrast(bgColor, constants.lightAmount, constants.darkAmount));
     coerce('bordercolor');
     coerce('borderwidth');
 };
diff --git a/src/components/rangeselector/draw.js b/src/components/rangeselector/draw.js
index 2eef35a05c6..53c499781cd 100644
--- a/src/components/rangeselector/draw.js
+++ b/src/components/rangeselector/draw.js
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ function drawButtonRect(button, selectorLayout, d) {
 
 function getFillColor(selectorLayout, d) {
     return (d.isActive || d.isHovered) ?
-        constants.activeColor :
+        selectorLayout.activecolor :
         selectorLayout.bgcolor;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/range_selector_style.json b/test/image/mocks/range_selector_style.json
index cbb3bc50a91..101620a4ed0 100644
--- a/test/image/mocks/range_selector_style.json
+++ b/test/image/mocks/range_selector_style.json
@@ -1025,6 +1025,7 @@
                 "y": 0.2,
                 "yanchor": "bottom",
                 "bgcolor": "#d3d3d3",
+                "activecolor": "#d3d3d3",
                 "borderwidth": 2,
                 "bordercolor": "#ff7f0e"
             },
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/color_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/color_test.js
index aef74e24a78..3f776337bcb 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/color_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/color_test.js
@@ -175,4 +175,25 @@ describe('Test color:', function() {
         });
 
     });
+
+    describe('contrast', function() {
+
+        it('should darken light colors', function() {
+            var out = Color.contrast('#eee', 10, 20);
+
+            expect(out).toEqual('#bbbbbb');
+        });
+
+        it('should darken light colors (2)', function() {
+            var out = Color.contrast('#fdae61', 10, 20);
+
+            expect(out).toEqual('#f57a03');
+        });
+
+        it('should lighten dark colors', function() {
+            var out = Color.contrast('#2b83ba', 10, 20);
+
+            expect(out).toEqual('#449dd4');
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/range_selector_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/range_selector_test.js
index c48a3e36f0f..a88b05738a2 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/range_selector_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/range_selector_test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 var RangeSelector = require('@src/components/rangeselector');
 var getUpdateObject = require('@src/components/rangeselector/get_update_object');
-var constants = require('@src/components/rangeselector/constants');
 
 var d3 = require('d3');
 var Plotly = require('@lib');
@@ -427,6 +426,16 @@ describe('range selector interactions:', function() {
         });
     }
 
+    function checkButtonColor(bgColor, activeColor) {
+        d3.selectAll('.button').each(function(d) {
+            var rect = d3.select(this).select('rect');
+
+            expect(rect.style('fill')).toEqual(
+                d.isActive ? activeColor : bgColor
+            );
+        });
+    }
+
     it('should display the correct nodes', function() {
         assertNodeCount('.rangeselector', 1);
         assertNodeCount('.button', mockCopy.layout.xaxis.rangeselector.buttons.length);
@@ -457,6 +466,22 @@ describe('range selector interactions:', function() {
         });
     });
 
+    it('should be able to change its style on `relayout`', function(done) {
+        var prefix = 'xaxis.rangeselector.';
+
+        checkButtonColor('rgb(238, 238, 238)', 'rgb(212, 212, 212)');
+
+        Plotly.relayout(gd, prefix + 'bgcolor', 'red').then(function() {
+            checkButtonColor('rgb(255, 0, 0)', 'rgb(255, 128, 128)');
+
+            return Plotly.relayout(gd, prefix + 'activecolor', 'blue');
+        }).then(function() {
+            checkButtonColor('rgb(255, 0, 0)', 'rgb(0, 0, 255)');
+
+            done();
+        });
+    });
+
     it('should update range and active button when clicked', function() {
         var range0 = gd.layout.xaxis.range[0];
         var buttons = d3.selectAll('.button').select('rect');
@@ -482,7 +507,7 @@ describe('range selector interactions:', function() {
         var pos = getRectCenter(button.node());
 
         var fillColor = Color.rgb(gd._fullLayout.xaxis.rangeselector.bgcolor);
-        var activeColor = Color.rgb(constants.activeColor);
+        var activeColor = 'rgb(212, 212, 212)';
 
         expect(button.style('fill')).toEqual(fillColor);