Volkswagen Passat colours guide (2010-2014 model)

The Volkswagen Passat has a well-deserved reputation for quality, reliability and durability. However, this reputation as a do-it-all car means a wide variety of colours probably isn’t that much of a big deal for prospective buyers, which is just as well.

If Volkswagen ever wants to change the Passat’s conservative image at some point, they simply need to introduce a few more vibrant paint options than are currently available. We’ve come across few cars that have such a slim selection of colours to choose from, but you can’t really doubt VW’s understanding of what its customers want from a car.

To help you pick from the chosen few, we’ve put together a guide that details the available colours that make up the current Passat palette, a photo of each shade and how much it’ll add to the base price of a Passat.

Solid colours

Everybody loves a bargain, and a solid, non-metallic paint option can be a good place to find one. Volkswagen offers three for the Passat although one of them unfortunately isn’t a no-cost option.

Candy White (£255)

Some may see the current trend for white vehicles to be an opportunity for manufacturers to make a bit more money by offering a solid paint at an extra cost. That may or may not be the case, but Candy White is the kind a clean, sharp white that many seem to favour at the moment, so it’s probably worth the extra money.

Urano Grey (£0)

Solid grey may not be to everybody’s taste, but Urano is a version that doesn’t resemble undercoat in the way a flat grey sometimes can. This is a really good choice if you don’t like to pay for metallic but still want your Passat to look stylish.

Tornado Red (£0)

When manufacturers design a new car and have to come up with colours, the first choice for a solid paint is often a bright red. The Passat isn’t a small car so you will really have to like red a lot – and be able to put up with Postman Pat jokes – to choose this one.

Metallic colours

There are five metallic colours for you to choose from, but that’s about as exciting as it gets here. While there isn’t really a paint shade to avoid, there’s also very little that jumps out and makes a statement either. Then again, this is a Passat and not a Golf GTI so it’s probably to be expected.

Autumn Brown Metallic (£535)

You wouldn’t normally go too far wrong by dismissing any colour that has ‘brown’ or ‘beige’ in its name, but you would in this case. Autumn Brown is a classy and statesmanlike colour that makes the Passat grow in stature in a way that few others can match.

Reflex Silver Metallic (£535)

You can never really go wrong with silver and Reflex is the classic shade you think of when you imagine a silver car. It may have lost its incredible mass-appeal of a few years ago, but that certainly shouldn’t put you off. There’s no annoying hues of gold or anything else in here so when you say you have a silver car, everyone will know what you mean.

Tungsten Silver Metallic (£535)

Tungsten Silver is one that appears to have a little grey in it that makes it look quite different in various lights. Sometimes it can look quite unremarkable but at others it can look very stylish indeed. It’s definitely a colour that you would want to see before ordering.

Dark Oak Brown Metallic (£535)

Dark Oak would probably still be the least appealing colour to have a Passat in even if it didn’t have ‘brown’ in its name. To be fair, it isn’t as bad as it sounds as it’s more of a greyish-bronze than anything resembling chocolate. Certainly deserves to be looked at if nothing else.

Night Blue Metallic (£535)

If you see an early Passat coming up at an auction with a ton of miles on the clock it will almost always be in this kind of blue. It’s not as if it’s an unpleasant colour, it’s just that it’s one that looks a lot better when it has just left the showroom than it ever will do again. Not one for a strong residual value if that’s a consideration.

Pearlescent colours

Pearlescent shades are much like their metallic counterparts, but offer a little more depth and occasionally a subtle shift in colour depending on the ambient light, just as pearls themselves do. There are two such shades to choose from on the Passat, and while neither stands out as a true shimmering shade they’re both attractive options.

Deep Black Pearl Effect (£535)

The kind of mileage the average Passat is likely to do isn’t kind to black, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad choice. If you are prepared to look after it, few colours will set the car off as well as Deep Black. It’s also good to see that VW isn’t charging more for a pearl effect than a normal metallic.

Island Grey Pearl Effect (£535)

Possibly the best colour you can choose for your new Passat. Island Grey is a colour that won’t offend anyone, it doesn’t make the car look older than it is and it won’t adversely affect your resale value when it comes time to trade it in. On top of all that, it looks extremely good as well!

Find out more

If you want to read more about the Volkswagen Passat and all its available options, then check out our full Passat review section, where you will find photos, videos, stats, and a full buying guide. Also be sure to visit our Passat deals page, where you can see what you could save off the list price of a Passat through carwow.