When you’re looking to buy a particular new car, one of several big decisions to make is what colour to get your vehicle in. The moment you look at a brochure or online configurator for your potential next car, you’ll in all likelihood notice that the different paint colours for the bodywork come in different categories.
This can include solid paint finishes, metallic paint finishes or a pearlescent paint finish. But what are the differences between these types of car paint? Why are some paint types more expensive to get for your car than others? Read on to find out the answer to these questions.
Solid paint
Nowadays, the vast majority of models in the new car market offer some solid paint finishes and these are the cheapest options, with at least one acting as a no-extra-cost option.
They are a straightforward, single application of a colour, which is followed by a clear lacquer coating applied above this for protection.
Solid paint finishes are relatively inexpensive for manufacturers to apply and they are easy to maintain. The protective coating protects the paint from chips, scratches and the weather and even if a small stone chip does emerge it is easy to repair.
One downside of solid paint finishes is that upon close inspection they can show up what’s known as ‘orange peel’, where parts of the body have rough surface imperfections. You also don’t tend to get much variation with solid paint finishes. If a car comes with solid paint finishes, the options are likely to be limited to just white, red, blue and black.
Metallic paint
Usually the next most expensive paint finishes to follow solid paint colours, metallic paints work in a similar fashion. The main difference though is that metallic paint adds a small amount of powdered metal to its mixture.
The metal particles found on a car body’s metallic paint job reflect more light than a solid paint job, giving the car a shinier and cleaner look. Metallic paint can also hide minor scratches more effectively than solid paint finishes.
It doesn’t cost that much more to produce than solid paint finishes, but manufacturers tend to charge around £200 to £300 more for a metallic paint finish than a solid colour.
Pearlescent paint
Whereas a metallic paint job adds powdered metal to its mixture, a pearlescent paint job swaps this for ceramic crystals (also known as mica).
What’s appealing about pearlescent finishes is that the crystal details in the paint not only reflect light more than solid paint, but it also refracts the light too. This means it is able to split the light into different colours, giving pearlescent body finishes the potential to show off some interesting effects under different kinds of lighting.
Pearlescent paint finishes are rare to find on new cars outside the premium brands and choosing them tends to be much more expensive than opting for a solid or metallic finish. Compared to those two types, pearlescent finishes tend to cost over £500 extra to add and can even add somewhere between £1,000 and £2,000 more to the car’s purchase price.
Matte
A much rarer sight than the other car paint types mentioned above, matte paint finishes can be found available with a small number of performance and luxury cars. Matte black or matte grey are the most common options you’ll find, assuming a matte finish is available at all of course.
The most distinctive thing about matte finishes on cars is how there’s virtually no shine to it whatsoever. Solid paint finishes don’t have much shine either, but matte paint jobs manage to do this in a way that the colour pulls off a really bold, standout vibe.
Matte paint finishes for cars can cost a few grand extra to add compared to solid or metallic finishes. This is likely because applying a matte finish on a car can be tricky, as you can’t buff out any imperfections, plus maintenance and repair can be costly and finicky too.
Matte paint finishes are an acquired taste, but most would agree that it gives a car a more niche and premium feel.