Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Tesla Model 3 5-seater electric saloon, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.
There are 5 main paint options for the Tesla Model 3, comprising 1 solid paint, 2 metallic paints and 2 multi-coat paints. All colours are available on all 3 specifications of the Model 3 (single-motor Rear-Wheel Drive, dual-motor all-wheel drive Long Range, and also the Performance) and, besides the exterior hues, we also outline the interior upholstery choices for the Tesla family car that go with these body colours/trim grades.
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
Pearl White
Type: Multi-coat
Cost: No cost (default colour)
Available On: All models
Like so many car companies, Tesla offers white as its standard colour. To be fair to the American EV specialist, at least Pearl White is a multi-coat paint and, as with the other product lines in this company, it is the only no-cost choice for the Model 3 – which is why it’s by far and away the most common colour for the zero-emission saloon. Like any white, Pearl will need lots of year-round upkeep to look its best, but it is at least a sparkly and lustrous take on the brightest shade.
Solid Black
Type: Solid
Cost: £1100
Available On: All models
Its name gives away the fact it’s a solid paint, but that doesn’t stop Tesla charging as much for it as the 2 metallics listed below – and, therefore, £1100 more than the basic Pearl White multi-coat, which is technically a more desirable finish than this one. Anyway, Solid Black has a good shine to it and will look top-notch when spotlessly clean, but conversely it will show up the salty crud of winter and bird droppings more readily than the other colours here, while it also doesn’t do the best justice to the dark-coloured contrast exterior details of the range-topping Performance model.
Midnight Silver
Type: Metallic
Cost: £1100
Available On: All models
Classic midtone silver here from the Yanks, Midnight being probably the easiest paint option to look after if you’re lazy when it comes to car-washing. Will still appear decent when slathered in a healthy coating of road grime, while its £1100 option price makes it reasonably tempting; after all, it’s no more expensive than any other choice but white. Midnight Silver sets off the dark exterior details of the Performance flagship very nicely indeed.
Deep Blue
Type: Metallic
Cost: £1100
Available On: All models
We’ve said this about the Model Y SUV, which has the same colours as the Model 3, but Deep Blue metallic is probably our favourite. It would arguably be the most self-explanatory paint here, if only Tesla wasn’t bone idle when it came to naming its colours, and therefore didn’t have both Solid Black and also Red in the palette. But Deep Blue is, well… a deep blue. And a very smashing one it is too, the colour doing a lot for the Model 3’s bulbous lines. It won’t be quite as easy to look after as Midnight Silver, but it won’t be too far behind and it should continue to be eye-catching even when it’s pretty dirty.
Red
Type: Multi-coat
Cost: £2100
Available On: All models
The most lazily named colour in all of motoring christendom is also the most expensive paint – by £1000 – for the Model 3. Red, like the no-cost Pearl White, is a multi-coat finish and it does look cracking on the Tesla, but its relatively huge expense means it’ll be a rare sight on the UK’s roads. Pity, because along with Deep Blue, this is the colour we’d most recommend for the Model 3, and most especially the sporty Performance version.
Interior
Black
Type: Synthetic leather
Cost: No cost
Available On: All models
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Tesla likes its minimalist interiors to appeal to vegans, so all the ‘leather’ you can see in the cabin has in fact never seen a cow and is instead man-made. The standard interior for all exterior body colours is black, with the wood-grain-effect trim strip in the centre of the dash. This seat material will be easy to keep clean, but perhaps a bit dour in terms of interior ambience when you’re driving along in the murky twilight of a winter’s evening.
Black and White
Type: Synthetic leather
Cost: £1100
Available On: All models
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
The only alternative to black with wood is to stump up another £1100 for white faux-leather, along with a bright metal-effect central trim strip. Speaking for ourselves, it might well be expensive but we think the lighter seats do wonders for the Model 3’s interior vibe. Although, admittedly, they will start to look a touch grubby if you regularly sit on them in dark-dye blue denim.
Check out our latest Tesla Model 3 lease deals here.
