VW Passat colours guide and prices

There are so many things you need to consider when you’re buying a new car. How cheap will it be to run? Is it safe? Do they make it in any nice colours?

Perhaps the third question initially seems frivolous, but choosing the right colour might be more important than many give it credit for. Not only do you want a shade you’ll enjoy personally, but it needs to make the car as desirable as possible when the time comes to sell your pride and joy.

To simplify the decision process, we’ve taken a look at the colour choices for the new Volkswagen Passat to help you decide which colour is the one for you.

Non-metallic colours

At the basic end of the paint range, manufacturers tend to offer solid colours for little-to-no extra cost. In the past, these shades were the ones to avoid, but thanks to manufacturers introducing the same high-quality gloss finishes that more expensive paints benefit from, that isn’t necessarily the case anymore.

Pure White £260

White is one of the more fashionable car colours at the moment, and it appears that Volkswagen has taken advantage of this by charging a £260 premium for a colour that most other manufacturers offer for free. We think this is rather mean, really.

Urano Grey £0

The only free colour for the Passat comes in the form of a mid-grey. It doesn’t look bad by any stretch, but if you’d like your car to be finished in a shade which is most likely to result in you losing it in a car park, then this is the colour for you.

Metallic colours

Thanks to the addition of small metal flakes in the paint, metallic shades add a little extra lustre to the Passat’s body. The majority of cars on the road today are finished in this way, and six out of the eleven colours for the Passat are metallic.

Reflex Silver (£540)

This run-of-the-mill silver is likely to be one of the most popular colours for the Passat, as it has been for many years on Volkswagens. It’s easy to see why: it suits the crisp, Germanic lines of the saloon – or the estate – very nicely.

Tungsten Silver (£540)

Tungsten Silver is a subtly different shade from Reflex Silver (above), even if it is difficult to appreciate from VW’s configurator image. It’s a slightly deeper, more moody shade, which in some lights has the subtlest of golden tints. It suits the Passat well, and will likely be desirable on the used car market too.

Iridium Grey (£540)

The standard metallic grey isn’t a shade that will catch the eye, but it does match the understated class of the Passat nicely. It’s likely worth the extra £540 over the free solid grey, because in person the metallic flakes lend the whole car a better sense of class.

Dark Oak Brown (£540)

Many cars offer the option of a rich chocolatey finish, and Dark Oak Brown is Volkswagen’s attempt on the Passat. If you’re interested, it’s worth thinking about how long brown will remain in fashion, and secondly whether anyone else likes it as much as you. That said, it suits the Passat’s premium-yet-understated looks down to the ground.

Night Blue (£540)

It’s hard to go wrong with dark blue. On the Passat, it looks smart while still being more distinctive than the sea of greyscale colours available. Even in bright sunlight it’s not particularly eye-catching, but if you’re after a rich blue then it’s the best you’ll be able to do.

Harvard Blue (£540)

Harvard Blue is a very modern shade and the above image doesn’t quite do it justice. A deep, bright metallic finish will make a large car like the Passat catch the eye without being obnoxious. Volkswagen has used the colour on several concept cars, which says it all, really. One of the better options.

Pearl effect

Thanks to a special finish which causes the light to refract when it hits the surface, pearlescent paints tend to look very eye-catching in bright light, and have a lustrous shimmer as the colour subtly changes depending on the curves of the bodywork.

Deep Black (£540)

Generally pearl colours are more expensive than normal metallic finishes, but Volkswagen offers Deep Black Pearl for the same £540 here. It’s the only available black, and it suits the car well, although on the estate it does look a little funereal.

Special paints

At the top end of the price scale are Volkswagen’s special paints. They are likely to be the rarest because of the premium attached to them, so if you’d like to be a little distinctive then they are worth a look.

Oryx White (£995)

Essentially a pearlescent shade which Volkswagen in fact have charged extra for, Oryx White was originally used on sporty models like the Golf R and the Scirocco. It’s a modern take on a plain-old white, and offers a brilliant shine in sunlight. Keep it sparkling and it’ll make the most of the Passat’s new look.

Crimson Red (£995)

A deep, dark red will be a timeless colour that’s unlikely to ever go out of fashion. If you’re willing to stump up nearly £1,000 for the privilege then you’re unlikely to be disappointed.

Found a colour you like

Is the Passat the car for you? Take a look at our extensive reviews of the saloon and the estate to find out more, then visit the carwow configurator to see how much you could save from the UK’s leading Volkswagen dealers.