Audi Q5 Colour Guide

Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Audi Q5 5-door, 5-seater SUV – as well as all its derivatives, including the coupe-like Sportback, the plug-in hybrid TFSI e, and the high-performance SQ5 – which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.

You can also read our in-depth Audi Q5 review for more details on Audi's practical and family-friendly SUV.

There are 12 main paint options for the entire Q5 family, comprising 2 solid paints, 9 metallic paints and then a solitary pearlescent paint. Every specification of Q5 has access to 9 colours in total, but the difference is that the base Sport versions have 1 palette of 9 colours, while the remaining specs (S line, Edition 1, Vorsprung, SQ5 and SQ5 Vorsprung) have 3 of the Sport’s colours swapped out for a different trio of shades – meaning there are only 6 paints in the Q5 family which are shared between all models and specifications. Anyway, alongside the exterior finishes, we also outline the interior colours that Audi provides to go with these paint choices.

Paint Types

Solid = a simple body colour with no additives in the paint. Usually comprises 3 coats, these being a primer, then the paint, then a clear, protective lacquer. Solid paints aren’t particularly shiny and are normally the only standard/no-cost colours offered by manufacturers.

Metallic = same application process as above but the paint now has powdered metal mixed into it, which reflects more light to give the car a shinier appearance. Metallic finishes usually cost more than solid paints.

Pearlescent/Mica = as above, only instead of metal, ceramic crystals (known as ‘mica’) are added to the paint. These not only reflect light but refract it too, giving one colour different appearances in different levels of light. They’re normally as expensive as or pricier than metallic paints.

Matte = uses special ‘flattening’ agents in the paint/layering make-up to give the car a non-reflective appearance, and sometimes an unusual texture too. These are normally the most expensive and rarest of paint options, and are not offered on many new car models.

Exterior

Brilliant Black

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost (standard colour for Sport models)

Available On: Sport

Solid opening gambit from the Germans here, as the first no-cost solid paint option is the tidy-looking Brilliant Black. It looks almost identical to the more expensive Mythos Black metallic (£675) that is offered elsewhere in the Audi Q5 line-up, but in the manufacturer’s mitigation Brilliant is only available on base-spec Sport cars – after that trim level, the only black available is the metallic one. The usual rules apply to this shade of paint: looks amazing when clean, but it’ll need washing more than you might think in winter, because once it is encrusted in dried-on winter road-salt markings, it won’t look half as special as it does when it’s spotless under the glittery lights of an Audi showroom.

Ibis White

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost (free alternative to Brilliant Black on Sport models, standard colour on all other versions)

Available On: All models

As the alternative solid to Brilliant Black, it’s another typical automotive ‘free’ colour for the Q5 – this is Ibis White. It’s one of the 6 finishes which is available on every single spec, drivetrain and body type offered for the Audi SUV, and because Brilliant Black isn’t offered on all of the S line, Edition 1, Vorsprung, SQ5 and SQ5 Vorsprung trim grades, Ibis is therefore the standard colour you’ll get if you forget to tick any paint option boxes come ordering time. Like all whites, it’ll get pretty grubby, pretty quickly, but it does look decent when clean – especially on the cars with the sportier, meaner exterior detailing, like the rapid SQ5 models. There is another white in the palette, which is Glacier White metallic (£675), but Ibis looks subtly different to that finish so there’s scope to choose it instead of the pricier metallic option.

Manhattan Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: Sport

Coming up next are the remaining 2 colours which are exclusive to the base Sport models of the Audi Q5, these going along with Brilliant Black to provide 3 finishes which you can’t get on grander versions of the SUV – they get a different trio of colours instead. Anyway, of the four greys and silvers offered by Audi throughout the Q5 family, Manhattan Grey is the darkest of the lot, bordering on a charcoal finish. That makes it look nice and classy, but it will need a lot of washing in the colder, darker months in order to appear its best.

Matador Red

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: Sport

The last of the Sport-specific colours is Matador Red. It’s a particularly chameleonic shade, this one, because it can appear quite light and almost orangey in bright sunshine, yet in gloomier conditions it goes a deeper, richer shade of ‘wine’ red. That makes it a very appealing finish, so it’s therefore a shame you can’t specify it on some of the faster models of the Q5 – like the SQ5 and TFSI e derivatives, for instance. Matador will be a good colour for those who don’t like to wash their cars every weekend, because it should still look pretty special even when it’s coated in a few layers of accumulated road grime.

District Green

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models

This is a belting colour, which has become something of a ‘signature’ shade for the second-generation Audi Q5 since it was facelifted at the end of 2020 for the 2021 model year. District Green, like Matador Red, might look quite light and wishy-washy in certain images, but when you see it in darker lights then it takes on a strong, bold tone. It won’t need washing every weekend of the year either, in order to look good, and perhaps the best news about District Green is it is available on every model of the Q5 – from basic Sport to range-topping SQ5 Vorsprung – for the same £675 outlay.

Floret Silver

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models

A light silver that veers towards being described as a grey, Floret Silver is a tasteful and restrained option for the Audi Q5, in all its varied specifications, that shouldn’t require the most rigorous of weekly upkeep in order to look good. It’s the only true silver in the palette, as well, and it’s 1 of the 6 colours available on all models of the Q5 family.

Glacier White

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models

The metallic alternative to the free Ibis White solid, Glacier is sharper and more lustrous, as befits its paint-type specification. It’ll cost £675, like all other metallic and pearlescent paints for the Audi Q5, but it’ll be worth it for those who like the pristine appearance of a clean white car. It’s just the matter of ‘keeping it clean’, relating to that statement, which’ll be an issue, as Glacier White will need lots and lots of washing throughout the year.

Mythos Black

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models

The second black in the wider palette but, as we mentioned earlier, Mythos metallic is in many cases the only black you can specify on an Audi Q5 – because Brilliant Black solid is only available on the basic Sport cars. It’s hard to discern the sparkly difference between this and Brilliant, but Mythos looks typically superb… when it’s clean. It’s the amount of work required to keep it looking that way in winter that will put some people off choosing Mythos Black metallic for their German SUV.

Navarra Blue

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models

The last of the 6 colours which are available on all Audi Q5s, irrespective of the spec or price, Navarra Blue is a gorgeous, deep shade of the colour and one which really suits the SUV’s lines – be it the more upright ‘regular’ version or the racier Sportback alternative. Navarra Blue is also one of those finishes that should still draw attention even when it’s dirty, so it’s great for those who are lazy and don’t fancy getting the Kärcher out every weekend.

Chronos Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models except Sport

These 3 colours coming up now are the finishes which replace Brilliant Black solid, Manhattan Grey metallic and Matador Red metallic on every specification of Audi Q5 bar the base-level Sport. Chronos Grey is a typical midtone shade of the colour, and it’s slightly brighter than Daytona Grey pearl effect (see below) and a lot lighter than Manhattan Grey, albeit nowhere near as shiny as Floret Silver. Still, Chronos will be a great all-rounder colour for the Q5 – it works as well on sporty-looking models with big wheels and beefy detailing, like the SQ5, as it does on the lowlier-specified versions of the SUV, while it will also not need the most fastidious year-round maintenance in terms of washing either.

Ultra Blue

Type: Metallic

Cost: £675

Available On: All models except Sport

Another colour, along with District Green, that was brought into the Q5 palette in 2020 for the 2021MY, Ultra Blue is arguably the nicest colour of them all for the Audi SUV. This is because a bright, midtone blue has always suited sporty-looking Audis, despite it not being the company’s chosen hue for its many motorsport endeavours, and it perhaps harks back to the majestic RS 2 Avant – which was often seen in highly desirable Nogaro Blue. Ultra aims to replicate that shade and does a good job of it, which means it’ll be the best colour for the high-power SQ5 models of the Audi SUV.

Daytona Grey

Type: Pearlescent

Cost: £675

Available On: All models except Sport

The only pearlescent paint available for the Q5, Daytona Grey still costs £675 like any other metallic finish. It’s a colour that has been used on high-performance RS Audis in the past, so its inclusion here feels like a nice heritage touch from the manufacturer – and means it will be a great choice for the SQ5 and SQ5 Sportback models in particular. Perhaps of greater, broader appeal is the fact that Daytona, a classic ‘gunmetal’ grey, will not need a lot of washing throughout the year in order to look striking.

Interior