Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Renault Clio 5-seater supermini, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour. You can also read our in-depth Renault Clio review for more details about Renault's sharply styled hatchback.
There are 7 main paint options for the 5th-generation Clio, comprising 1 solid paint, 3 standard metallic paints and 3 slightly more expensive ‘Renault I.D.’ metallic paints. All colours are available on all 3 specifications of the Clio Mk5 (Evolution, Techno and R.S. Line) and, besides the exterior hues, we also outline the interior upholstery choices for the Clio 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
Glacier White
Type: Solid
Cost: No cost (default colour)
Available On: All models
Standard opening gambit from Renault for the Clio range, as the only no-cost paint available for the supermini is Glacier White, the sole solid finish. It’s the standard colour for all of the Evolution, Techno and R.S. Line models, and it’s your usual flat white (not the coffee) – not massively exciting and it’ll show up dirt like nobody’s business, but it’s crisp enough and suits the Renault’s striking lines.
Shadow Grey
Type: Metallic
Cost: £600
Available On: All models
The first of the 3 £600 ‘standard’ metallics is Shadow Grey and this’ll be the colour of choice for anyone who doesn’t like washing their cars on a regular basis. A mid-to-dark grey in the gunmetal tone, Shadow will look strong whether it’s sparklingly clean or if it’s wearing a light film of accumulated road grime.
Diamond Black
Type: Metallic
Cost: £600
Available On: All models
Diamond Black is used on many Renaults, including the Clio’s all-electric (EV) analogue in the form of the Zoe, and it certainly looks just as good here on the traditional supermini as it does on that EV… when it’s showroom-clean, that is. The problem is that black cars actually show up encrusted-on road salt worse than any other colour, so a Diamond Black Clio is going to need lots of upkeep to look its best through the frigid winter months.
Mercury
Type: Metallic
Cost: £600
Available On: All models
The only Clio paint choice of all 7 which doesn’t need an official colour qualifier to say what it is (it’s a silver, in case you’d not guessed), Mercury is the last of the 3 metallics which will only set you back £600. It’s quite a trad silver in many ways, only with a smooth sheen like the liquid metal from which it takes its name, and it will suit the more conservative Clio buyer – as well as one who doesn’t want to wash the car on every single Sunday of the year.
Iron Blue
Type: Renault I.D. Metallic
Cost: £700
Available On: All models
Moving into the more expensive Renault I.D. metallic range, the first colour up the ramp is Iron Blue. This is a cracking finish, a rich, deep blue that particularly suits a French car, of all nationalities. It won’t need fastidious, year-round attention to look good, although it will reward any owner with a smart, upmarket appearance when it is spotlessly clean.
Flame Red
Type: Renault I.D. Metallic
Cost: £700
Available On: All models
Another colour that is seen on the Zoe, Flame Red is the second of the £700 I.D. finishes. And what a finish it is – a bold, vibrant, mid-tone red that should look good whether it has just been cleaned or not. Along with Valencia Orange (see below), Flame could be argued to be the sportiest paint option for the Clio, so it would particularly suit the range-topping R.S. Line specification.
Valencia Orange
Type: Renault I.D. Metallic
Cost: £700
Available On: All models
This has become almost something of a signature colour for the Renault Clio Mk5, as it has been seen on many of the promotional materials and demonstrator cars. It’s Valencia Orange, named after the famous fruit from the Spanish city, and it’s a lovely shade with a hint of a burnt finish to it – like an Iberian sunset. Valencia can look more solid and almost like the colour of the first kit of the Netherlands football team in bright sunshine, but generally it’s a classy shade for the fifth-gen Clio.
Interior
Black Cloth
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost
Available On: Evolution
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Very simple starter for the interiors – on the base-spec Evolution cars, the seats are finished in plain black cloth, while the door cards and dashboard detailing features are also all in dark charcoal.
Black 3D Fabric And Velvet
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost
Available On: Techno
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Moving up a grade to the Techno specification Clios, these come with a fancier 2-texture seat finish, 1 part of which Renault calls velvet (but it’s not really). This includes a 3D-effect print of black and anthracite striping on the centre sections, which lifts the ambience somewhat from the Evolution’s plainer cabin. That said, the most important detail here is the Vision Grey interior trim fillets – seen on the dashboard, door cards and transmission surround, they break up the darker finish of the main fascias inside the Renault supermini, bringing a nice touch of ‘light and shade’ to the interior of the Clio.
Black And Red Striped Fabric
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost
Available On: R.S. Line
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
The top-spec R.S. Line cars get a sportier cabin appearance to go with the bolder exterior design. This manifests in deeply bolstered sports seats up front, which – along with the rear bench – are covered in a black cloth upholstery that has a dominant red-striped centre detail and then contrast red stitching too. The touches don’t finish with just the seats, though, as the R.S. Line cars have red-and-grey stitching on all of the steering wheel, gearlever, handbrake and door cards, while there’s also a soft material on the dashboard which has a ‘carbon’ motif, the air vents are picked out with the ‘R.S. Red Line’ highlight and, finally, even the black seatbelts have a red border on them. Buyers of this trim grade of Clio also benefit from aluminium pedals in the driver’s footwell.
Check out our latest Renault Clio lease deals here.
