Volvo XC60 Colour Guide

Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Volvo XC60 5-seater midsized premium SUV, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.

There are 9 main paint options for the Volvo XC60, comprising 1 solid paint, 7 metallic paints and also a solitary pearlescent paint. Besides the exterior hues, we also outline the various interior upholsteries that go with these paint finishes.

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

Black Stone

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost (default colour on all models)

Available On: All models

Volvo kicks off with a black as the only no-cost paint option for the entire XC60 range, this being the case for all 3 trim grades of Core, Plus and Ultimate. Despite being a solid finish, Black Stone has a lacquer on it that aims to imitate Piano Black, which is popular for glossy interior trim finishes these days, so it has a lustre to it which makes it very tempting as the sole free paintjob. Of course, like any black it will show up a lot of winter road dirt, but when it’s clean it should look incredibly classy.

Onyx Black

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

If you want your black to have a little more sparkle to it in bright sunlight, you’ll need to switch up the standard Black Stone for this £685 Onyx Black, the first of 7 metallic finishes. Weirdly, despite its metallic flake, Onyx actually looks like a solid finish in lower light levels, so it’s a chameleonic colour that will swing from one appearance to another depending on the time of day you’re looking at it. Onyx will still need plenty of cleaning, though.

Denim Blue

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

As its name suggests, Denim Blue is inspired by the look of jeans, as it is a smoky-blue metallic that originally appeared on Volvo’s sportier R-Design models. Denim is 1 of only 2 colours available for the XC60 which is not in the monochromatic palette – as in, black, white or silver/grey – so it’ll be a popular choice as something a little different. It also suits the SUV’s elegant lines well and it is also a low-maintenance colour overall, as it will look spectacular when spotlessly clean and yet still pretty decent even when slathered in a thick layer of accumulated road grime.

Fusion Red

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

Easily the boldest and sportiest colour for the XC60, Fusion Red would suit the more powerful models like the T6 plug-in hybrid as a result – but it will look great on any version of the Volvo. It has more than a hint of orange to it, so Fusion will really pop in bright sunlight, yet it won’t need to be cleaned religiously on every Sunday of the year as it will be one of the better colours for carrying off a thick coat of daily-driving muck.

Thunder Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

Easily the lowest-maintenance colour of the entire palette, Thunder Grey is a great colour for the Volvo because there are obvious ties to the Norse god of thunder here – the company is Scandinavian, for a start, while its distinctive T-shaped daytime running lamps are called ‘Thor Hammer’ lights for their resemblance to the deity’s fabled weapon Mjölnir. So not only is this a cool colour in terms of its street cred, this flat, midtone grey is also one which won’t need to be washed on a weekly basis all throughout the year.

Platinum Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

Platinum Grey is very dark and has undertones of brown, according to Volvo itself, which makes this a ‘sophisticated’ colour with a ‘velvet finish’. Not sure about that latter epithet, but Platinum is certainly another great choice for the XC60, although it will show up dirt almost as readily as either Black Stone or Onyx Black in winter, so get ready for lots of cold-weather washing if you choose this £685 metallic shade.

Silver Dawn

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

Not just a post-war model of Rolls-Royce but also a body colour for a Volvo XC60, Silver Dawn is – as its name suggests – a light silver. It’s quite a crisp, icy finish, something Volvo itself admits as it suggests this colour will shift from almost warm yellow to colder, solid blue depending on the ambient light levels. Perhaps the best news, though, is not Silver Dawn’s colour-shifting capabilities, but rather the fact it won’t need the most regular washing all year round to keep it looking its best.

Bright Dusk

Type: Metallic

Cost: £685

Available On: All models

From (Silver) Dawn until (Bright) Dusk, if you follow us. This finish is another silver but it has a strong dose of rosé mixed into it, which means the XC60 will have an anodised metal look in direct sunlight, according to its manufacturer. Another £685 metallic, this is the last of 7 paints in this finish and it also represents the last colour of 8 available for the base-spec Core XC60s, which are not privy to the final paint on this list…

Crystal White

Type: Pearlescent

Cost: £975

Available On: All models bar Core

Unusual for a manufacturer to make white the most prestigious colour in its repertoire these days, and even more unusual that said colour is not available on every model in the range. But that’s exactly what has happened here, as Crystal White is the only pearlescent in the SUV’s palette and is therefore almost £1000 to spec up at ordering time – but don’t get your hopes up if you’ve bought a Core-spec XC60, because if that’s the case then you can’t have this paint for any amount of money; it is only available on the grander Plus and Ultimate models. Like any white, it’s incredibly eye-catching when sparkling and clean, but it’ll show up a lot of mucky marks relatively easy, so it’s a better choice for those who are happy to crack out the bucket and sponge every Sunday of the year.

Interior