By: Otaiba Ahsan

One of the most enjoyable, but also stressful, aspects of purchasing a new or used car is figuring out what color you want. Tesla has a number color options available when configuring your model and trim online. This begs the question… what are the best color options for a Tesla? While the answer is completely subjective, you’d be surprised at some factors buyers completely forget to consider when making this decision.

Tesla Color Options

Currently, Tesla has 5 color options available when purchasing directly from their site. These include:

Pearl White Multi-Coat: The classic white Tesla color that you see everywhere. This is probably the most common choice for buyers and is included in your purchase price.
Midnight Silver Metallic: This is a sleek grey design that is growing in popularity. It costs an additional $1300 to add this color to your order.
Deep Blue Metallic: If you’re a fan of blue, this one’s for you! This is a darker shade of blue, and you’ll have to add an extra $1300 to get this color.
Solid Black: This is an all-black Tesla, that looks even better since the electric vehicle (EV) maker decided to refresh their look by replacing their chrome finishes with black. However, you’ll have to pay an additional $2000 for this color.
Red Multi-Coat: If you want to stand out and are going for a pop, this one’s for you. It’s a beautiful red color but costs an extra $2600!

You can play around in the design studio on Tesla’s site to get an idea of how these colors look.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Tesla Color

There are several factors to consider when trying to decide which color to choose, which include:

Resale value: If you’re unsure about how long you want to keep your Tesla or have always had plans to sell it, then the color might matter a bit more. Certain colors, such as grey, black, and white are more popular in the resale market as they’re neutral. Buyers might not want something flashy like red.

Wear and Tear: Lighter colors of the Tesla make it easier to hide scratches, and they’re typically easier to take care of and clean. One thing to note is that the Pearl White Multi-Coat and Red Multi-Coat have two coats of paint, compared to only one for the other options. Some owners claim this adds a bit of extra protection from paint chips and normal wear and tear.

TIP: To minimize wear and tear on your Tesla’s paint, make sure to clean it regularly, especially if you live in an environment where there is a lot of road salt during the winter. Ideally, hand washing is the best way to go, but touchless car washes should be fine as well, although they’re not my favorite. I personally don’t take risks with the car washes that physically touch your car with brushes as there’s a possibility it can scratch your car.

Climate: Darker colors typically absorb more heat which is something to consider for hotter climates. While this can be solved by preconditioning your car, it can be troublesome if you consistently forget to do this.

Photography: If you’re planning on using your Tesla for content creation, one thing to consider is how will it look in daylight vs. nighttime. Many owners consider the Deep Blue Metallic to look the best in direct sunlight. For nighttime, the answer that’s universal in the Tesla community is that the Solid Black looks the best. It’s worth going to see how these colors look in person and comparing them depending on the time of day.

The Bottom Line

So, what are the best color options for a Tesla? The true answer is, whatever you think looks the best! Sure, there are other factors at play such as resale opportunities and the number of paint coats. But at the end of the day, if you wake up every morning and you’re not satisfied with the color you chose it’ll make your Tesla ownership much worse.