Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Citroen C4 5-seater mid-sized family hatchback, and its all-electric derivative known as the e-C4, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour. You can also read our in-depth Citroen C4 review for more details about the this highly customisable car.
There are 7 main paint options for the C4/e-C4 range, comprising 1 solid paint (called ‘flat’ by Citroen), 5 metallic paints and a final premium metallic paint. Citroen also offers 4 Colour Packs, which change the colour of the front foglight surrounds and the Airbump highlights on the doors of the C4 – these are spec- and powertrain-dependent, however. Alongside the exterior finishes, we also outline the interior ambiences that Citroen provides to go with these paint choices.
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
Polar White
Type: Solid (flat)
Cost: No cost (default colour on all models)
Available On: All models
Standard opening gambit from Citroen here, as the only ‘free’ paint for either the petrol/diesel C4 or the electric e-C4 is Polar White. It’s quite a glossy look, for what is a solid finish which Citroen describes rather unfavourably as ‘flat’, and it works well with the mass of black detailing that makes up the C4’s body, although – like any white – it will need lots of washing all year round in order to keep it from looking grubby.
Iceland Blue
Type: Metallic
Cost: £545
Available On: All models
Into the metallic shades, at £545 apiece, and the first up is this tasteful Iceland Blue. It’s a lighter, almost grey-ish shade of blue, which means 2 things: 1, it will look great when clean and ‘popping’ in bright, direct sunlight; and 2, it’ll also carry off a layer of accumulated road dirt better than many other finishes in the C4 palette.
Caramel Brown
Type: Metallic
Cost: £545
Available On: All models except C-Series Edition
A bold, warm orangey-brown colour, Caramel is a fabulous choice for the C4. It’s distinctive without being too gaudy and it should also prove to be fairly low maintenance throughout the year, as it should still attract attention even if the car hasn’t been washed for a few weeks. The 1 drawback of Caramel Brown is that it does notably limit which Colour Packs you can have for the foglight surrounds and Airbumps, but that’s not a major deal breaker in all honesty.
Platinum Grey
Type: Metallic
Cost: £545
Available On: All models
The first of 2 greys in the line-up, Platinum is a darker, almost gunmetal-ish colour that gives the C4 a classy, restrained appearance. It’ll be one of the colours which you don’t have to wash too often, although winter road salt will show up on the car’s flanks more than you might imagine it would, and it also allows for a wider array of Colour Packs to be optioned up to go with it.
Cumulus Grey
Type: Metallic
Cost: £545
Available On: All models
Cumulus Grey is quite a lot lighter than Platinum Grey, to the point you might be tempted to call this colour ‘dark silver’ rather than ‘light grey’. That said, Cumulus is likely to win widespread appeal as it’s largely inoffensive and it should also require the least amount of washing throughout the year of all 7 colours available for the Citroen C4/e-C4.
Perla Nera Black
Type: Metallic
Cost: £545
Available On: All models
Citroen appears to confuse itself by calling this colour ‘Obsidian’ in certain official documents, but in most other respects the solitary black available for the C4 family is called Perla Nera – which means ‘black pearl’. It’s not a pearlescent finish, though, being the last of the 5 metallics at £545 a go, and the paintwork is just glossy enough that there still manages to be a contrast between the C4’s black plastic lower cladding and the Perla Nera metal panels. However, like all automotive blacks, this finish will need lots of washing in the winter months, otherwise road-salt spray will cling to its body and leave notable white ‘tide marks’ along the car’s sides.
Elixir Red
Type: Premium metallic
Cost: £700
Available On: All models
The only premium metallic in the C4 palette and the most expensive paint at £700 is this Elixir Red. This is a signature colour for the Citroen hatchback, as it has been used on a lot of the promotional vehicles seen so far, and for good reason – it’s a strong, vibrant, rich red with a deep lustre to it, which contrasts brilliantly with the black body detailing. Elixir should look equally splendid whether it is spotlessly clean or wearing an accumulated layer of road grime.
Colour Packs
Citroen offers 4 Colour Packs for the exterior of the C4 and e-C4 models, which colour the front foglight surrounds and the highlight border of the Airbump on the front doors in a specific finish. These are dependent on body colour, trim level selected and even which drivetrain you go for – as the electric e-C4 has a Colour Pack available to it that is not provided on the petrol and diesel C4 models.
Glossy Black
Cost: No cost (standard on Sense and Sense Plus, no-cost option on C-Series Edition and Shine Plus)
Available On: All models
This is a strange Colour Pack to pick, given the Glossy Black details will sit on largely black plastic (and therefore will be hard to discern when viewing the C4 from a distance), but this is the standard finish for all colours on the 2 lower spec levels of Sense and Sense Plus. It can also be selected as a no-cost option for the higher-grade C-Series Edition and Shine Plus cars, and furthermore it is the standard trim on e-C4 Sense models if you opt for either Elixir Red premium metallic or Caramel Brown metallic body colours.
Textured Grey
Cost: No cost (standard on C-Series Edition and Shine Plus)
Available On: C-Series Edition, Shine Plus
This is the standard finish for the top 2 specifications of internal combustion powered (ICE) C4 models and it’s usually the distinguishing feature between ICE variants of the car and the all-electric e-C4 – if it has grey exterior detailing, it’s a petrol or diesel, and if it has blue detailing then it’s an e-C4. This neat rule-of-thumb is messed up by the e-C4 Shine Plus cars, however, as you get a Textured Grey Colour Pack on those if you choose either Elixir Red premium metallic or Caramel Brown metallic as your main body finishes.
Anodised Blue
Cost: No cost (standard on e-C4 Sense and Shine Plus)
Available On: e-C4 only (Sense, Shine Plus)
Specific to the e-C4 is this Anodised Blue Colour Pack, as blue is one of those colours (the others being white or a bright yellowy-green) that the automotive industry likes customers to associate with electricity. Therefore, this is standard on the e-C4 specifications, but it cannot be paired with either Elixir Red premium metallic or Caramel Brown metallic.
Anodised Deep Red
Cost: No cost (free alternative option on C-Series Edition or Shine Plus) or £150 (Sense Plus)
Available On: Sense Plus, Shine Plus
Another bright colour for the foglight surrounds and Airbump highlight is this Anodised Red. Again, though, there are exceptions to having it – this finish cannot be teamed to either the Iceland Blue or Caramel Brown metallic finishes, and while it is a no-cost option on higher C-Series Edition and Shine Plus cars, it’ll cost you £150 if you fancy it on the Sense Plus C4 models.
Interior
Urban Grey
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior for Sense, Sense Plus and C-Series Edition Cars)
Available On: Sense, Sense Plus, C-Series Edition
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Citroen keeps the interiors of the C4 family incredibly simple. There are 2 interior ambiences, 1 of which is cloth and used on almost all the range, and the other which is leather and is reserved solely for the highest specification of the hatchback only. Therefore, most C4 and e-C4 models are going to come with this Urban Grey interior. This clothes the Advanced Comfort seats in padded Grey Chevrons cloth for the centres, with a black leather-effect textile for the bolsters. There is a light-grey lateral band on the seat backs, above which plain charcoal fabric is used for contrast, and the whole thing is set off by Ultra Emerald Green stitching. The door cards feature a grey cloth band with screen-printed Chevrons graphic motif too.
Hype Black
Type: Leather
Cost: No cost (standard interior for Shine Plus cars)
Available On: Shine Plus
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
For the Shine Plus models, full grained ‘Siena’ black leather upholstery is brought in. This still has the same black leather-effect textile for the outers of the seats, but all of the main central portions of the seats are swathed in cow hide – with the same light-grey band running across the shoulders of the chairs to break things up. The stitching colour also changes on the Hype Black ambience, from Ultra Emerald Green in the other 3 specifications to Zephyr Grey here.
Check out our latest Citroen C4 leasing deals here.
