Japanese car colour code decoder
Every Japanese car carries its factory paint code on its model plate, and the code stays the same if the car is painted a new colour. Look it up to see the colour it left the factory in, then compare it with the paint, the V5C and the auction sheet.
Paint codes by make
Well-known colours
- Nissan Bayside BlueblueTV2
- Nissan Midnight Purple IIpurpleLV4
- Nissan Whitesolid whiteQM1
- Nissan Gun Grey Metallicmetallic greyKH2
- Toyota Super White IIsolid white040
- Toyota White Pearl Crystal Shinepearl white070
- Toyota Blacksolid black202
- Honda Championship Whitesolid whiteNH0
- Honda Milano Redsolid redR81
- Honda Indy Yellow Pearlpearl yellowY52P
- Subaru WR Blue Micamica blue02C
- Suzuki Kinetic YellowyellowZZB
Where to find the paint code
It’s on the model plate, which Japanese makers call the caution plate (コーションプレート). The plate also carries the model type and chassis number, so it’s worth a photo anyway. Look for COLOR or カラー: the code beside it is the paint, and the one after it is usually the interior trim.
- Toyota
- On the manufacturer’s plate in the engine bay, usually on the bulkhead or a front strut top. It’s printed with the trim code as COLOR/TRIM (C/TR): in 040/FB20 the paint code is 040.Toyota paint codes are three characters, and the first digit gives the colour family: 0 white, 1 silver or grey, 2 black (two-tones with a black roof start with 2 too), 3 red, 4 beige, brown, bronze or gold, 5 yellow, orange or gold, 6 green, 7 turquoise or teal, 8 blue, 9 purple.
- Nissan
- On the model plate (the “caution plate”) in the engine bay, usually on the bulkhead, next to COLOR. Some later models put a sticker on the driver’s door pillar instead.Nissan codes are three characters. There’s no published rule, but the first letter usually follows the colour: Q for whites, G for blacks, K for silvers and greys (and Super Black, KH3), A and N for reds, B, R and T for blues, L for purples, E for yellows and oranges, C for bronzes and ambers.
- Honda
- On a plate or sticker in the engine bay or on the driver’s door pillar, often printed with a hyphen, as in NH-0 or R-81. Type it with or without the hyphen.Honda codes start with letters for the hue: NH for neutrals (white, grey, silver and black), R red, B blue, G green, Y yellow, YR orange, brown or ivory, RP red-purple, PB purple-blue and BG blue-green. A P at the end means pearl and an M means metallic; no letter means a solid colour. Plates often print a hyphen, as in NH-0 or R-81.
- Mazda
- On the caution plate, in the engine bay on older models and on the driver’s side centre pillar on later ones, next to COLOR. Mazda codes are two or three characters.
- Subaru
- On the model plate in the engine bay, usually on the bulkhead or a strut top, next to COLOR or C/T.
- Mitsubishi
- On the caution plate in the engine bay, next to EXT (the exterior paint). Codes are a letter and two digits, such as W37.
- Suzuki
- On the caution plate in the engine bay, usually on the bulkhead, next to COLOR.
- Daihatsu
- On the caution plate, whose position varies by model: look in the engine bay first, then the door pillars. Some Daihatsus share Toyota’s codes.
Using the code to spot a respray
- Read the paint code off the model plate and look it up here.
- Compare it with the colour on the V5C. The DVLA records a basic colour, so a pearl white car should say WHITE and a silver one SILVER or GREY. Our free check does this for you if you add the paint code.
- Compare it with the auction sheet, which gives the colour and usually the code. Our auction sheet translator decodes it and flags a sheet whose colour doesn’t match its own code.
- Look at the car. A colour change rarely reaches everywhere: check the engine bay, the inside of the boot lid and fuel flap, the door shuts and under rubber seals for the old colour, and look along panels for a change in shade or texture.
A respray isn’t always bad news, since old paint fades and many imports are repainted. What matters is why it was done, so ask when, who did it and whether it covered accident or rust repairs.
Questions
Where is the paint code on a Japanese car?
On the model plate, which Japanese makers call the caution plate. On most cars it’s in the engine bay, on the bulkhead or a strut top, next to the word COLOR. Some later cars put it on a door pillar.
Does a respray change the paint code?
No. The model plate keeps the factory code for the car’s life, so a car painted a new colour still carries its original code. That’s what makes the code useful: if it doesn’t match the colour you’re looking at, the car has been painted.
What colour does the V5C show?
A basic colour such as WHITE, SILVER or BLUE, not the paint name. Keepers must tell the DVLA when they change a car’s colour, so a V5C colour that doesn’t fit the factory code means a colour change, and possibly one that wasn’t declared.
Is a respray a bad sign?
Not always. Old paint fades and many imports are repainted. What matters is why: a full colour change on an otherwise tidy car is often cosmetic, but a respray can also hide accident repairs or rust. Ask when it was done, who did it and why, and look for paint on rubber seals, badges and in the door shuts.
What do pearl, mica and metallic mean?
Metallic paint has fine aluminium flakes in it, mica has ceramic flakes that shimmer, and pearl (often a three-coat paint in Japan) has a colour-shifting layer over a base coat. They matter for repairs: a pearl panel is the hardest to match, so look closely at panel edges for a change in shade.
About this table
This is our own table, built model by model for the cars in our model guides. Each code and name was checked against Japanese catalogue colour listings for the model. Colours marked confirmed also agree with a second, independent reference; the rest are marked “not yet confirmed”, so check the plate on the car. The colour dots show the colour family only, not the paint itself.