Volvo XC40 Colour Guide

Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Volvo XC40 5-seater crossover-SUV, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour. You can also read our in-depth Volvo XC40 review for more details about Volvo's sleek and practical SUV.

There are 10 main paint options – made up of 2 solid paints, 6 metallic paints and 2 premium metallic paints – and 2 different roof finishes for the XC40, which are either options at certain trim levels or simply the standard look of upper specifications. We also outline the various interior upholsteries that Volvo offers on the crossover.

Paint Types Available

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

Single-Tone Colour Schemes

Ice White

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost

Available On: Momentum Core, Momentum, Inscription Expression

Volvo begins proceedings with a ‘classic’ free paint option – white. This is the standard paint on the base-level Momentum Core car, but it is a no-cost option on the Momentum and Inscription Expression models, as an alternative to standard Black Stone (see below); this means you cannot specify Ice White on R-Design, Inscription or Recharge Electric models at all. This colour is your traditional, solid white: clean enough, if not the most exciting shade and also prone to show up lots of road dirt.

Black Stone

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost

Available On: All models except Momentum Core

From the 2nd trim level of Momentum upwards, this replaces Ice White as the standard colour right across the XC40 range – be that the mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions with combustion engines, or the fully electric P8 Recharge variants. It is a classy solid black, which is used as the colour for the contrast black roof we’ll talk about later. You cannot specify Black Stone on the base Momentum Core XC40, which only has 4 colour choices in total to go at.

Glacier Silver

Type: Metallic

Cost: £585 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: All models

The 1st metallic and 1 of only 2 colours that is available on every trim level and model of the XC40 range. Glacier is a light and cool metallic silver, which works well with the XC40’s touches of contrast black detailing.

Thunder Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £585 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: Momentum Core, R-Design, R-Design Pro, Recharge, Recharge Plus, Recharge Pro

Thunder Grey, despite being a metallic paint, almost has a flat, matte-effect look to it so is pretty desirable – especially on a car from Sweden which has Thor-hammer LED daytime running lamps. Such a link to the Norse god isn’t widely available in the XC40 range, though, as all 3 Inscription trims and the upper level of the 2 Momentum specifications are not privy to Thunder Grey.

Onyx Black

Type: Metallic

Cost: £585 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: All models

Along with Glacier Silver, metallic Onyx Black is the only other colour in the palette available on every single XC40 model. It is, as its name suggests, a more lustrous take on the standard Black Stone colour – and it is also the last of the 4 colours available for entry-point Momentum Core cars.

Denim Blue

Type: Metallic

Cost: £585 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: All models except Momentum Core

A deep, rich and yet understated blue, Denim is aptly named because it’s a darker shade of the colour – like a pair of tastefully expensive jeans. A good colour for the XC40 and one that will hide a moderate level of all-year-round road grime to a notable degree.

Fusion Red

Type: Metallic

Cost: £585 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: All models except Momentum Core

Save for the 2 white paints, Fusion Red is the brightest option for the Volvo XC40. It is generally used by the manufacturer across its product portfolio as one of its sportier-looking colours, so Fusion works really well on the R-Design/Pro and Recharge/Plus/Pro grades, where it contrasts smartly with the Black Stone roof and door mirrors (see below).

Pebble Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: £585 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: Momentum, Inscription Expression, R-Design, R-Design Pro, Inscription, Inscription Pro

Pebble Grey is about the same tone as Thunder Grey, but it has a glossier, shinier finish. It’s one of the better colours for the monochrome XC40s, as it doesn’t need a contrast roof to best show it off, but you cannot have Pebble Grey on any electric P8 Recharge version of the Volvo crossover – it is reserved for models with an internal combustion engine of some type.

Crystal White

Type: Premium metallic

Cost: £850 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: R-Design, R-Design Pro, Inscription, Inscription Pro, Recharge, Recharge Plus, Recharge Pro

A shinier variant of Ice White, Crystal is 1 of just 2 premium metallics which incur an increased fee compared to the other metallic shades, although it’s offered as a standard, no-cost option on the highest Pro specification of the P8 Recharge Electric variant. It is also reserved for the upper end of the XC40 trim grades, as you need at least an R-Design or Inscription (in other words, it’s not available on Momentum or Inscription Expression cars) for it to be available.

Sage Green

Type: Premium metallic

Cost: £850 (except for Recharge Pro, where it’s a no-cost option)

Available On: Recharge, Recharge Plus, Recharge Pro

This is a colour which is exclusively reserved for the ‘greenest’ models (geddit?!) of the XC40 family, so Sage can only be specified on the pure-electric P8 Recharge cars – these denoted by a smooth radiator ‘grille’. It is, as with Crystal White, a chunky cost-option for the first 2 trim grades of the EV Volvo but free-of-charge on the Recharge Pro flagship spec.

2-Tone Colour Schemes

Ice White roof and door mirrors

Type: Solid-solid or metallic-solid 2-tone

Cost: £375

Available On: Momentum

This funky option, to have the roof and door mirrors finished in solid Ice White, is only available on the Momentum specification alone. Furthermore, the white 2-tone can only be paired with 4 body colours, which are the standard solid Black Stone or alternatively 3 of the metallics: these being Onyx Black, Denim Blue and Fusion Red.

Black Stone roof and door mirrors

Type: Solid-solid, metallic-solid or premium metallic-solid 2-tone

Cost: No cost

Available On: R-Design, R-Design Pro, Recharge, Recharge Plus, Recharge Pro

This is not so much of an option and more of a standard feature pertaining to certain up-spec XC40s, namely the sporty R-Design cars and the electric P8 Recharge variants. As soon as you option up these trim grades, you get a Black Stone roof and door mirrors to contrast all the available body colours at each level – the only exception to this rule being Onyx Black, which retains its metallic black roof and door mirrors rather than the solid Black Stone paint.

Interior