How to Find Your Car’s Paint Code (Any Make)

Whether you’re touching up a stone chip, ordering a tin of aerosol to match, or planning a full respray, the first thing anyone needs is your car’s paint code. Not the colour name — “Diamond White” or “Guards Red” tells a paint mixer almost nothing — but the actual manufacturer code. Get that, and any decent paint supplier can mix you an exact match. Get the name wrong and you’ll end up with a panel that doesn’t quite match the rest of the car.

I match paint for resprays and repairs every week at my workshop near Milton Keynes, so here’s exactly how to find your paint code, wherever the manufacturer hid it.

Where the Paint Code Usually Lives

On most cars the paint code is on a sticker or stamped plate somewhere in the engine bay or door area. The usual spots, in the order I’d check them:

• Driver’s or passenger’s door shut — open the door and look at the B-pillar or the edge of the door itself. This is the most common location on modern cars.
• Under the bonnet — on the slam panel, inner wing, or bulkhead, often on the same VIN plate.
• Inside the boot — under the carpet, on the spare wheel well, or on the underside of the bootlid.
• Glovebox or fuel filler flap — less common, but worth a look on some makes.

You’re looking for a label with a string of letters and numbers, usually next to a word like “Paint,” “Color,” “Farbe,” “K,” or “C.” It’ll sit alongside other build data like tyre pressures or the VIN.

It Looks Different on Every Make

The format varies a lot between manufacturers, which is why people get confused. A few examples:

• Ford — usually a two-character code, often on the VIN plate or door sticker. Older Fords can be trickier (more on that below).
• VW / Audi — look for a “LK” or “L” code on a sticker in the boot or service book.
• BMW — a three-digit number, often with the colour name, in the engine bay or door shut.
• Vauxhall — a code on the VIN plate, sometimes just the colour name that maps to a code.

If you’ve got a classic Ford specifically, I’ve put together a dedicated reference with the original colours and codes in my Ford Capri paint codes and colours guide — the same approach applies to other classic Fords of the era.

Can’t Find It? Here’s What to Do

Classics and older cars are the awkward ones. Stickers fade, plates get painted over during past resprays, and some early cars never had a clear code in the first place. If you’re stuck:

• Use your VIN — a main dealer or marque specialist can often look up the factory colour from the chassis number.
• Check the registration documents and history file — original colour is sometimes recorded.
• Find unfaded paint — inside the fuel flap, under trim, or in the boot, the original colour is protected from UV and gives a true reference.
• Get it spectro-matched — a good paint supplier or bodyshop can read the colour with a spectrophotometer and mix to match, even with no code at all. This is what I do when a classic’s code is long gone.

Never trust the colour name alone. “White” might be one of a dozen factory whites, and they don’t match each other. Always work from the code or a physical sample.

Why It Matters for a Respray

If you’re only painting part of the car, an exact match is everything — a fresh panel against faded original paint stands out a mile, which is why a good painter blends into the surrounding panels. If you’re staying original on a full respray, the code keeps the car correct and protects its value. And if you’re changing colour entirely, knowing the original still matters for the documentation and resale.

Once you’ve got your code, the next questions are usually about cost and scope. I’ve covered both in how much a respray costs in the UK and whether you even need a respray or just a polish. If your paint’s tired rather than damaged, you might be surprised — see my guide to common classic car paintwork problems too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find the paint code on my car?

Most commonly in the door shut (open the driver’s or passenger’s door and look at the B-pillar or door edge), under the bonnet on the VIN plate or inner wing, or inside the boot. Look for a label with a short letter-and-number code near words like “Paint” or “Color.”

Can I find my paint code from the registration number?

Not directly from the reg in most cases, but a dealer or marque specialist can often look up the factory colour from your VIN (chassis number). A bodyshop can also colour-match physically with a spectrophotometer if no code survives.

What if my car has already been resprayed a different colour?

The factory code on the plate will show the original colour, not what’s currently on the car. To match the current colour, the most reliable method is a physical spectro match from an unfaded area of the existing paint.

Is the colour name enough to match paint?

No. Manufacturers use many different shades under the same name across model years, and they don’t match each other. Always work from the code or a physical sample, never the name alone.

Can’t track down your paint code, or want a colour matched on a classic with no code left? Message me on WhatsApp with a photo of the car and any plates you can find. The workshop’s near Milton Keynes in Wicken — get in touch and I’ll point you the right way, or sort the respray for you.