DS 3 and Cabriolet colours guide and prices

The DS 3 is a small yet premium car that rivals the Mini Hatchback, Fiat 500 and Audi A1. Parent company Citroen has now launched DS as brand in its own right, using the opportunity to update the DS 3 model. The same updates and range of colours are also offered on the facelifted DS 3 Cabriolet.

One of the car’s key selling points is its customisability. Beyond the multitude of paint colours, buyers can select their choice of roof colour and even fancy graphics. Certain hues are only available on certain trims and are generally more expensive when fitted to cars in lower trim levels.

The DS 3 is a car aimed at the image-conscious buyer, but the choice of colour will impact how easy it is to keep it looking its best. If you’re taken with this chic French option, put the DS 3 or the DS 3 Cabriolet in our car configurator to see the deals on offer.

Solid colours

Sport yellow – from £0

You’ll certainly get noticed in this bright shade, but mostly when you’re in the queue for the car wash, because yellow paint shows the dirt easily. It’s not for everyone though, so it won’t be as easy to sell as the more traditional colour choices.

Sport red – from £495

DS charges a premium for this solid red paint, but you might make that money back in cleaning bills, because red hides dirt better than lighter shades. It’ll never beat firm favourites such as black or silver in a popularity contest so it might be slightly harder to sell onto the used market.

Metallic colours

Perla Nera black metallic – £495

Black metallic is one of the most popular car colour choices around, meaning it’ll be easy to sell on. However, it’s also one of the hardest colours to keep clean. Be careful how you wash it, because scratch marks can show up very easily.

Ruby red metallic – £495

A more sophisticated version than the solid red option, dark metallic reds suit the DS 3’s upmarket image. It’s easier to keep clean than a lot of colours, although won’t hold its value as well as the more traditional choices.

Polar white – £495

White often makes a car look cheap, but we think it really suits the DS 3. It’s always a popular choice, so you’ll have no difficulty when you come to sell it on. It will, however, show the dirt more than any other colour so budget for plenty of car wash visits.

Shark grey metallic – £495

Grey, or gunmetal as it’s often known, has the benefit of being both easy to keep clean, and popular with used buyers, making it easier to sell on. It won’t get you noticed, but you won’t lose as much on it and keeping it clean won’t be chore.

Arctic Steel metallic – from £495

Lighter than Shark grey, Arctic Steel is what most of us would describe as silver. Like all silver cars, it’ll be popular when the times comes to sell it on. Dirt will show up fairly quickly, although not quite as fast as a white model.

Whisper purple metallic – from £495

This deep purple is almost regal in appearance with a richness not commonly found in cars at this end of the market. As a darker tone, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep clean, but it won’t be many people’s first choice of colour, so could be tricky to sell on.

Ink blue metallic – from £495

This very deep blue almost looks purple in certain lights. It’s sophisticated, but on a more practical note, will hide the road grime well. Blue remains popular as a used car colour choice, so it’ll be easy to sell onto future owners.

Belle-ile blue metallic – from £495

Not all blues were created equal – this lighter shade of blue might be more eye-catching, but will get dirty more quickly than Ink Blue. Light blues are a more outlandish choice, so it’ll be slightly harder to sell to the used market, too.

Pearl white – from £235

Pearl white is a distinctive choice that, on close inspection, has a creamier, satin finish than Polar white. Like any white, it’ll get dirty quicker than you can say pearlescent paint, but it should have strong residual values.

DS 3 roof and graphic options

Body colour – from £0

Opting to have the roof in body colour is not only understated, but financially sensible – a body-coloured roof is a no-cost option for the DS 3

Perla Nera black metallic – from £0

While the black roof is free on Ultra Prestige spec DS 3s, it’ll set you back £250 on other trims. If you want to stand out, though, that might be a small price to pay. Make sure it goes with your choice of body colour, otherwise it’ll make the car harder to sell.

Polar white – from £250

A white roof could look stylish contrasted against a darker body colour, and shouldn’t put many off come sale time. While white is the hardest colour to keep clean, we wouldn’t worry too much about visits to the car wash, because the roof is always the last part of the car to get dirty.

Emerald – £495

The emerald roof is almost turquoise in colour, and we reckon it would look best with a brightly coloured body colour. However, it’s also the most distinctive colour, which could put off buyers when the time comes to sell it on.

Topaz – £495

The topaz roof would work well with a dark colour such as black, setting the car apart from the crowd. It will hide the dirt but, being the last part of the car to get dirty, that shouldn’t be a deciding factor. It’s a neutral shade that won’t put too many buyers off.

Gold – £0

If you order the ‘Performance Black’ special edition DS 3, Gold is your only choice of roof colour. Sadly anyone else who likes the gold roof is out of luck – it isn’t available on other DS 3 versions.

Roof graphic – £250

You can add an extra layer of customisation – literally – with a graphic pack for your DS 3’s roof. There are a wealth of designs to choose from but, like the colour choices, more outlandish designs might put some used buyers off.

Save money on your DS 3

Spec up your ideal DS 3 or DS 3 Cabriolet in our car configurator to see the deals carwow could help you get. For more options, head over to our car chooser to narrow down your new car search.