Choosing a color for your new car can be one of the most interesting and fun parts of the new car ownership experience. Most new Mercedes cars are painted in different shades of white, black, and grey. You might think that due to the sheer popularity of these colors, they are considered to be the best.
In fact, the best colors for a Benz come out of the Maybach and Designo department. People who are buying models with the Designo/Maybach treatment usually have a taste for quality, and it shows as far as color is concerned.
Mercedes standard and Designo colors
Colors offered by Mercedes as standard are already fairly high quality. Most models are painted in different varieties of blacks, greys, or whites before stepping into the Designo realm. As much as 30% of new cars sold in 2019 were painted in different shades of grey.
Colors like Polar White are popular with Mercedes customers. This pristine white can enhance the upmarket feel of your new Mercedes, and surely make it stand out in the parking lot, as long as you keep it clean. The same can be said about Jupiter Red. But if you prefer a more “under-the-radar” look, you should consider Iridium Silver or Obsidian black.
Designo colors on the other hand, are a step above the aforementioned “standard” colors. Most Designo colors are also different shades of white, silver, and grey. But Mercedes does offer many amazing and vibrant colors in the Designo paintwork department.
Designo Pearl-lustre and Designo Satin finish Magno paints
These colors are also offered through the Designo department, but they are a step above the “regular” metallic Designo colors. Designo Pearl-lustre effect colors are multiple layer colors offering amazing depth. Colors like Designo Mystic Blue Bright, Solar Beam Yellow, or Hyacinth Red are the most vibrant and amazing looking colors in the Mercedes paint book.
Satin Magno colors are completely different. These colors offer a matte “frozen” type of finish which reflects light in a completely different way, mostly suited for fast AMG models. These colors are a lot different than a gloss, pearl, metallic type of color, and they require different means of cleaning and taking care of.
Colors like Designo Selenite Grey Magno or Designo Graphite Grey Magno are some of the most popular AMG colors, especially for fast sedans like the fire-breathing E63 AMG S, or the even more impressive GT 63 S 4-door coupe models.
Maybach colors and special colors
These colors are the top of the tree when it comes to Mercedes colors, and when it comes to colors in general. Special colors are specific shades from the Designo department that have specifically been made with one model in mind.
Green Hell Magno is one of such colors, a satin-finished vibrant green made specifically for the AMG GT-R model, as it was nicknamed the “beast of the green hell.” For the newly released AMG GT, Black Series model Mercedes offers two special colors, Magma Beam or a slightly-tweaked version of Green Hell Magno called Green Light Magno.
Maybach’s colors are made completely differently. These colors offer a layer of refinement with the best finish possible. Really popular colors for a Maybach Model are the Designo Cashmere White Metallic or Designo Mocha Black Metallic. Some colors like Peridot Brown or Ruby Black Metallic are a lot rarer but they still offer plenty of class and refinement.
The highest you could opt for as far as colors are concerned is the two-tone paint job by Maybach with a separating line. These paint jobs are applied by hand and are finished out with the highest criteria possible. Sometimes it takes more than a couple of weeks to finish, as the execution has to be at the highest level.
What are the best resale colors for a Mercedes?
The best resale colors for a Mercedes are the most popular shades in general: Grey, Black, and White. These colors make up almost ¾ of Mercedes cars sold. The reason being is that these colors compliment an upmarket feel of a Mercedes.
While some would argue that an exciting car should never be painted in bland colors, or that a car such as an AMG for example should always wear a special color, but that’s rarely the case. If you have resale in mind, go with a shade of grey, black or white paint, combined with a black interior. This makes the perfect “resale Mercedes.”
This isn’t only the case with Mercedes. Cars such as Ferrari also have resale ready colors. The classic Rosso Corsa color by Ferrari is even nicknamed “Resale Red Ferrari.”
Things to know about taking care of your car’s paint
How to protect a car paint job
There are many different ways of protecting a paint job. The least you could do is wash your car regularly as grime and dirt accumulate. If you want to take a step further, you should consider many different car detail products, or hire a car detail company.
The best and probably highest step is using paint protection film. This technology applies thin layers of see-through film that cover up the most vulnerable parts of your car, or the whole car if you go for the full-on treatment.
It is well proven that PPF shields the car from minor scratches and stone chips and keeps the paint looking fresh for a long time. PPF needs to be carefully installed by experienced car detail companies due to the possibility of actually damaging the paint in the process, or doing a subpar job that would not last.
Which areas of my car are the most vulnerable to paint scratches?
First and foremost, the front end of your car is especially vulnerable to scratches, especially if you drive at higher speeds on motorways and such. Car tires tend to shoot up small pieces of rocks that can easily damage the paint on the front of the car. You should always keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, for this and many other reasons.
In addition to the front end, doors and mirrors are also a bit more vulnerable than most parts of your car because they are touched a lot more often than let’s say, the roof. If you park in tight parking spaces, there’s always the risk of other people’s car doors scratching yours.
So, if you want to keep your paint looking fresh, the best thing you can do is to use paint protection film on the most vulnerable areas of your vehicle.
