Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the 3rd-generation Nissan Qashqai 5-seater crossover-SUV, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour. You can also read our in-depth Qashqai review for more details about Nissan's wildly popular midsize SUV.
There are 16 main paint options for the Qashqai, comprising 11 monotone colour schemes – made up of 2 solid paints, 6 metallic paints and 3 pearlescent paints – and a further 5 2-tone combinations, which pair some of the general colours available elsewhere with either black or grey roofs. We also outline the various interior upholsteries that go with these external hues.
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
Single-Tone Colour Schemes
Flame Red
Type: Solid
Cost: No cost (default colour on all models)
Available On: All models
As with the smaller Juke, Nissan’s only no-cost, standard colour on the midsized Qashqai is solid Flame Red. It’s a nice, vibrant colour so it’s no hardship to stick with it, but bright red is not everyone’s cup of tea so it’s a bold choice on the manufacturer’s part to select it as the default shade on such a popular crossover-SUV.
Arctic White
Type: Solid
Cost: £250
Available On: All models
If you don’t fancy Flame Red, the other solid paint option is Arctic White but it’s not free – it’ll cost £250 on every model of Qashqai, even the range-topping Tekna+. It is a classic solid white: very crisp and cool, but a finish that will need constant washing in winter to look its absolute best.
Blade Silver
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
The standard metallic silver, which will be a common choice on the Qashqai. Blade is bright but will show up the dirt more readily as a result, so make sure you keep the car clean in the murkier months if you want it looking tip-top all the time.
Gun Metallic
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
The giveaway here is the ‘Gun’ bit, because this is a mid-level grey – what you’d basically call gunmetal if you didn’t know the manufacturer’s official fancy name for it. A great colour choice for those of a low-maintenance persuasion when it comes to car-washing, Gun will likely still look good even when encrusted with winter road grime.
Ink Blue
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
This is something of a heritage colour for the Qashqai, as dark Ink Blue – which almost has a purplish tinge to it in lower light levels – has been seen on the Nissan crossover since the 2nd-generation model arrived in 2014. It’s an attractive shade and suits the sharp, clean lines of the Mk3 Qashqai very nicely indeed.
Pearl Black
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
It’s called Pearl Black but it’s not a pearlescent paint, it’s a metallic. It is, weirdly enough, the only black available for the Qashqai Mk3 but it does form the basis of all 5 bitone colour options on the upper-spec models, either as the main body paint (1 finish) or for the contrast roof (4 finishes). Black cars look tremendous when they’re clean, especially metallic black ones, but the hue doesn’t hide dirt half as well as you think it might.
Fuji Sunset Red
Type: Metallic
Cost: £745
Available On: All models
A new signature colour for Nissan as a marque, which is used on the smaller Juke – where, oddly enough, it is a pearlescent paint. Here, it is listed as a metallic but it’s still more money than the 4 metallic shades we’ve already outlined, as Fuji Sunset Red will cost you £745 if you like it most of all. Fuji has more depth of tone to it than standard Flame Red, even if it is a bright-orangey colour too.
Burgundy
Type: Metallic
Cost: £745
Available On: All models
The only other metallic, alongside Fuji Sunset Red, which costs an additional £170 over the other 4 non-solid paints, Burgundy does what it says on the tin: looks like a Burgundy red wine. A lustrous and classy colour, which should also do a good job of hiding the general dirt and accumulated grime of 24-7 road usage.
Storm White
Type: Pearlescent
Cost: £745
Available On: All models
Moving to the 3 pearlescent paints available for the Qashqai, they’re no more expensive than the 2 pricier metallic finishes. Storm White is a warmer, less harsh colour than Arctic White but it’ll still need a good scrub-up on a regular basis in the middle of winter to have it looking like its glistening showroom appearance.
Magnetic Blue
Type: Pearlescent
Cost: £745
Available On: All models
Magnetic Blue is much brighter and shinier than Ink Blue, and it’s similar in appearance to Vivid Blue on the Nissan Juke, only even more eye-catching because it’s a pearlescent finish, rather than a metallic. Magnetic has been used in much of the launch/brochure imagery for the Mk3 Qashqai, so you might already be familiar with how it looks, and this is a colour which should look just as good in the depths of winter when it’s a bit grubby as it will do when it is sparkling-clean and ‘popping’ in summer sunshine.
Ceramic Grey
Type: Pearlescent
Cost: £745
Available On: All models
Ceramic Grey, the last of the pearlescent finishes for the 3rd-gen Qashqai, isn’t a million miles away from Gun Metallic in terms of its tone, but it has more of a matte-effect look than that grey – and matte-look paints are on point right now. To that end, while it’s pricey, Ceramic might tempt plenty of Qashqai buyers to splash out on it – and it’ll be a low-maintenance colour all year round as a bonus.
2-Tone Colour Schemes
Pearl Black With Grey Roof
Type: Metallic-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £975
Available On: N-Connecta, Tekna, Tekna+
The 2-tone colour schemes are only available from the mid-spec N-Connecta model and upwards – which means base Visia and one-step-up Acenta Premium Qashqais are monotone only – and they are mainly pearlescent finishes with a metallic Pearl Black roof. This is the 1 exception to that latter rule, as Pearl Black is used for the body with a Grey (possibly Gun Metallic) roof up top. It is the cheapest 2-tone of all, priced at £975.
Fuji Sunset Red With Pearl Black Roof
Type: Metallic-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £1145
Available On: N-Connecta, Tekna, Tekna+
From this point on, all the 2-tone colour schemes cost £1145 and have a Pearl Black roof. This option, with a bright Fuji Sunset Red body, is the only metallic choice with the black top, although it costs as much as the pearlescents below because Fuji is 1 of the 2 more expensive metallic finish choices.
Storm White With Pearl Black Roof
Type: Pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £1145
Available On: N-Connecta, Tekna, Tekna+
As per Storm White pearlescent body colour, only with a Pearl Black metallic roof. Which makes the Qashqai look kind of like a piece from the old board game Reversi, or Othello if you prefer.
Magnetic Blue With Pearl Black Roof
Type: Pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £1145
Available On: N-Connecta, Tekna, Tekna+
As per Magnetic Blue pearlescent body colour, only with a Pearl Black metallic roof. A striking combination that serves as a neat foil to Fuji Sunset Red with Pearl Black.
Ceramic Grey With Pearl Black Roof
Type: Pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £1145
Available On: N-Connecta, Tekna, Tekna+
As per Ceramic Grey body colour, only with a Pearl Black metallic roof. A nice, distinguished combination that’d look good on the flagship Tekna+ model particularly, which comes with a set of whopping 20-inch alloys in a 2-tone finish of their own as standard.
Interior
Black Fabric
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Visia, Acenta Premium
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Straightforward black-cloth seats, with a slight patterning to the centre section of the fabric. This is the standard interior finish on the lowest 2 specifications of Qashqai.
Charcoal Fabric
Type: Cloth, dual finish
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: N-Connecta
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Similar to the standard cloth in the Visia and Acenta Premium models, but the seat centres are rendered in a brighter fabric (charcoal) here, with more of a pronounced pattern to them. This creates more of a 2-tone finish for the upholstery in the mid-grade N-Connecta model.
Blue-Black Syntech Leather And Cloth
Type: Cloth and synthetic leather
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Tekna
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Syntech is a man-made imitation leather and, on the upper-spec Tekna variants of the Qashqai, it is finished in a blue-black hue for the outers of the seats, teamed with a technical lined black fabric for the centres of the upholstery.
Light Grey Syntech Leather And Cloth
Type: Cloth and synthetic leather
Cost: No cost (optional)
Available On: Tekna
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
This is a no-cost alternative to the blue-black finish and switches the Syntech imitation leather from blue-black to a light-grey shade, which really lifts the cabin ambience. However, that lighter Syntech material might show general wear-and-tear more easily than the blue-black standard hue.
Quilted Premium Leather
Type: Quilted leather
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Tekna+
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Reserved solely for the range-topping Tekna+ model of the Qashqai, this is the only genuine leather upholstery used in the Nissan crossover and it has a quilted pattern to maintain an upmarket feel. Bear in mind the animal hide is only used on the seat facings, as the sides and the backs of the seats are covered in the man-made Syntech leather employed in the Tekna model.
Check out our latest Nissan Qashqai lease deals here.
