Mercedes GLC Colour Guide

Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Mercedes-Benz GLC 5-door, 5-seater SUV, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.

There are 10 main paint options for the GLC range, comprising 1 solid paint and then 9 metallic paints – two of which are more prestigious finishes which Mercedes sells under its ‘Manufaktur’ umbrella. Alongside the exterior finishes, we also outline the interior colours that Mercedes 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

Polar White

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost (standard colour for all GLCs)

Available On: All models

As it is related to the larger Mercedes GLE SUV model, the second-generation GLC shares many paint options with its grander stablemate (see our GLE colour guide right here) – fully 7 out of 10 colours available on the GLC are part of the GLE’s 8-strong paint line-up. And this is the first that is shared between the 2 SUVs, the difference being that Polar White solid is a no-cost alternative to the standard Obsidian Black metallic on the GLE, whereas Mercedes provides Polar – the only solid in the palette here – as the solitary ‘free’ colour for the GLC. It’s a fine enough white, although it will need lots of washing all year round and it’s not as glittery to look at as the more expensive Manufaktur Diamond White option available for a £925 outlay.

Graphite Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

Unlike on the grander GLE, metallic paints are not a no-cost option for the more compact GLC – so any of the 9 finishes listed from hereon in are going to cost at least £715 apiece. The first up is Graphite Grey, a colour that the GLC benefits from but the GLE doesn’t. Graphite is darker than the other grey option in the GLC line-up, which is Selenite, so it will show up encrusted-on winter road salts quite badly. However, it’s a subdued, classy colour which suits the GLC’s lines really well.

Spectral Blue

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

A stand-out colour in the GLC palette and indeed the wider Mercedes portfolio, Spectral is a bright, midtone blue that should be eye-catching whether it is spotlessly clean and sitting in direct sunlight, or whether it hasn’t had a wash for a few weeks and is wearing the accumulated detritus of winter-weather mileage. Spectral is another colour not found on the larger GLE SUV, while it is also bolder than the other blue choice in the GLC range, which is Nautic.

Obsidian Black

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

Obsidian Black is one of the 7 colours shared by both the GLC and the GLE, but whereas it’s the free, ‘standard’ finish for the larger SUV, on the GLC it’s a £715 option. All the usual rules for black paint apply here for the Mercedes – in that, Obsidian will look tremendous when it’s spotlessly clean, but won’t hide winter road dirt as well as you might expect it to, which means you’ll need to wash it regularly throughout the months from September through to March if you want it looking its very best.

Mojave Silver

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

Another colour shared by the GLC and GLE, Mojave Silver has a warm, bronze tinge to its paint – which makes it different to the other silver option in the GLC range, which is the visually colder finish of High-Tech. Mojave will need minimal upkeep throughout the year, as it will still look OK when it’s covered in a thin film of dust and other deposits, so it’s a great choice for those who don’t like washing the car 52 weekends of the year. It should also look pretty spectacular when clean and sitting in the glowing light of the setting sun in summer, where its bronze flakes should really come to the fore.

Selenite Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

Again, like Mojave Silver, Selenite Grey is another finish that you’ll find on both GLC and GLE, and it’s also a paint which won’t need to be washed as regularly as some of the others in the GLC range might be in order to look good. Selenite is a midtone grey, more like gunmetal, whereas Graphite Grey is best described as a charcoal finish. Either of them costs £715, though, so your choice will entirely be down to personal preference.

Nautic Blue

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

Nautic Blue is a very traditional kind of Mercedes colour – it’s a deep, dark, rich tone that will only really ‘pop’ in the brightest of sunshine. That said, it’s an elegant finish for the GLC SUV and it’s again a colour that won’t need weekly washing to look its best, nor is it one shared with the GLE (which gets a dark green instead of Nautic Blue in its own colour palette).

High-Tech Silver

Type: Metallic

Cost: £715

Available On: All models

All of the final 3 colours listed here are shared between the GLC and the GLE, and High-Tech Silver is as straightforward as they come. It’s ‘classic’ Mercedes paint – a sharp, cool, bright finish that has come to be the German company’s hallmark over the years; it’s not for no reason that Mercedes’ racing cars are often called ‘Silver Arrows’. High-Tech will look good whether spotlessly clean or covered in a moderate amount of road grime, so it’ll be a relatively low-maintenance paint choice if you opt for it.

‘Manufaktur’ Diamond White Bright

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Type: Metallic

Cost: £925

Available On: All models

The 2 special ‘Manufaktur’ finishes cost more than £900 apiece on the GLC (they’re both on the GLE as well, where they’re the only paints which incur a fee – albeit a lower £695 outlay), which makes Diamond White Bright an odd one, given that the only ‘free’ paint offered for the GLC is Polar White. If you’re going to spend £925 on Diamond, you’ll pick it because it’s a brighter, more vibrant finish of the colour than Polar is, although once it is dirty it will look just as grubby as the solid-coat option would do.

‘Manufaktur’ Hyacinth Red

Type: Metallic

Cost: £925

Available On: All models

The £925 fee for a Manufaktur finish makes far more sense on the GLC if you go for Hyacinth Red, because this is the only red available in the 10-strong , maypalette and it is, in our opinion, possibly the nicest colour available for the Mercedes SUV – aside from Spectral Blue, maybe. Hyacinth is a warm, spicy red that beautifully accentuates both the silver and black exterior detailing that you’ll find on the GLC’s body. It will also continue to draw attention even when it is somewhat dirty, so Hyacinth Red is a great all-round finish if you’re going to treat yourself with the most expensive paint option come ordering time.

Interior