What colour is my car?
If your car needs a paintwork repair, you may need to locate the colour code of your car. While some might consider black to be a universal colour, each manufacturer has specific paint codes. Even if two colours look the same, car manufacturers make many different paint colours each year, so you need to know the exact colour code for your vehicle based on the make and model of your car, as well as when it was manufactured.
Why should I check my car colour?
There are several reasons you might want to know the colour of your car. You may have found a car ad, but the seller didn’t specify the colour or provide clear photos. Or perhaps you need to get some damage repaired, but you need the specific colour to match the paintwork. Whatever the reason, if you need to find out the colour of a UK-registered car, you can use a couple of different ways to find your car colour code.
How to Find the Colour of your Car
When trying to find out the precise colour of your car, it all comes down to the colour code. This specific code, which may take the form of a number and/or letter combination, correlates with a specific paint formula and name that will perfectly match your vehicle. This code is known as a VIN number.
Luckily, finding your car’s colour code isn’t the hardest task in the world, and there are several ways to locate your paint code within the vehicle. Such methods include looking inside the driver’s door frame, under the bonnet, in the glove box or in the spare wheel well for the elusive number. There are various points where your car’s colour code could be listed, but the image below shows the most common locations.
There are also a few online guides that will tell you the location of your colour code. This guide from Car Colour Services, or your car handbook may be able to help.
Finding the precise colour code of your car can become more difficult with classic cars, but it’s not impossible. The number of places where the code can be found is greater and varies according to the year of manufacture. With older cars, the code will be somewhere in the engine bay.
Check the Vehicle Registration Document (V5C Logbook)
In the UK, the most reliable and straightforward way to find your car’s colour is by referring to the V5C registration certificate, often known as the “logbook.” This document is issued by the DVLA and includes a range of essential details about your vehicle. To identify the colour, look at Section D.3 of the V5C. This section lists the colour of the vehicle as recorded by the DVLA. It typically represents the dominant exterior colour of the car and is the colour recognised during MOT tests and by insurance providers. Keep in mind that if your vehicle has a two-tone or custom finish, only the primary colour will usually be listed.
Look for the Paint Code on the Car
For an exact colour match (especially if you need touch-up paint), use the paint code:
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Most manufacturers place a paint code label somewhere on the car body. Common locations include:
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Inside the driver-side door frame
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Under the bonnet (near the engine)
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Inside the boot
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It might say something like “Paint” or “Colour Code,” followed by a sequence of numbers/letters
If you’re trying to locate the exact paint code for your car, the position of the label can vary depending on the manufacturer—below is a list of popular car makes in the UK and where you can typically find their paint codes.
Ford
Label location: Inside the driver-side door frame (on the B-pillar).
Label Type: A black and white sticker marked “Paint” or “Exterior Paint” with a 2-character code.
Vauxhall
Label Location: Inside the driver’s door or passenger door frame.
Label Type: Look for a sticker that may say “Paint” or “Z-code,”
Volkswagen
Label Location: In the boot area, often under the carpet near the spare wheel well, or inside the service book.
Label Type: It’s a long alphanumeric code starting with “L”
Audi
Label Location: Inside the boot, under the carpet near the spare tyre or in the service manual.
Label Type: Code begins with “L”, often on a white sticker.
Nissan
Label Location: Inside the driver’s door jamb or under the bonnet on the firewall.
Label Type: Labelled as “Coluor” or “Paint,” often a 3-character code
Use the Car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
If you’re unable to locate the paint code sticker, you can still trace the colour using your VIN. You can often find your VIN on the dashboard near the windscreen or inside the driver’s door. Contact your car’s manufacturer dealership or search online using the VIN through vehicle history or parts lookup websites. They can tell you the original factory colour and paint code.
Check Your Insurance or MOT Records
Another way to verify the colour of your car is by checking your insurance documents or MOT history. Most insurance providers include the registered vehicle colour in the policy summary or account portal.
Log in to your insurer’s portal or check your policy documents. Visit https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-status and enter your car’s registration to see MOT history and colour.
ChipsAway Colour Match Technology
Are you wanting to find your car colour because your car’s paintwork is damaged?
With a ChipsAway repair, you don’t need to worry about finding your car’s paint code. This is because ChipsAway specialists can quickly locate the manufacturer’s colour code and then use the latest technology in order to create the perfect match. Our experts understand that sometimes car colours can vary from the manufacturer’s codes ever so slightly, and so use something called a spectrophotometer to scan the paint for the specific tone. ChipsAway specialists then replicate the paint colour with their specialist range of tints. As many as 7 tints can go into the mix to create the perfect colour specific to your car.
Our Favourite Car Colour Names
Grey remains the most popular car colour in the UK, consistently topping registration charts for several years due to its sleek appearance, strong resale value, and ease of maintenance. However, in the course of researching this post, we came across several inventive colour names, but these ones stood out:
- Panther black (Ford)
- Willow catkin (Hyundai)
- Silky beige (Hyundai)
- Nightfall blue (Lotus)
- Strawberry red (Nissan)
- Aromatic aqua (Suzuki)
- Prosecco (Porsche)
Car Scratch and Dent Repair from ChipsAway
So, if you need a paintwork repair, contact your local ChipsAway specialist today for a free no-obligation estimate, and leave the colour code search party to us.
