If you’ve ever seen a car cruising down the street with a wild color or a finish that made you double-take, there’s a good chance that car wasn’t painted—it was vinyl wrapped.
Automotive vinyl wraps are the go-to solution for anyone looking to customize their ride without the commitment and cost of paint. But with so many vinyl wrap colors and finishes available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. We’ve been wrapping cars for years, and know the amazing transformations vinyl wraps can offer. So, let's break it down and find the perfect match for you.
Why Vinyl Wrap Color and Finish Matter
Choosing the right vinyl wrap isn’t just about picking a color you like—it’s about transforming your car into a reflection of your personality. Whether you want something subtle and sleek or bold and attention-grabbing, the color and finish you choose will completely change the way your vehicle looks. Not to mention, it can also improve resale value, maintenance, and durability.
Aesthetic Appeal
Your car is an extension of you, so naturally, the way it looks matters. Are you someone who loves the idea of driving a sleek, stealthy matte black wrapped car? Or maybe you’re more into the high-shine finish of gloss, either way, the color and finish combination is going to set the tone for how your car feels on the road.
Practical Considerations
Beyond aesthetics, certain finishes are more practical than others. For example, matte wraps tend to hide imperfections better than gloss finishes, making them ideal for daily drivers. On the flip side, gloss finishes tend to be easier to clean as a matte finish tends to hold on to dirt and grime easier.
What Kind of Vinyl Wrap Finishes are Available?
Let’s dive into what vinyl wrap finishes are on the market, from classic to exotic. There are quite a few, but I'll break them down into a handful of bullet points so it's easy to understand what might be the best choice for you!
Gloss Vinyl Wraps
Gloss finishes are the most popular and offer the same look as traditional paint but with thousands of colors to choose from. Perfect for those who like a classic, showroom finish that shines like paint.
Pros
Classic, high-shine look of traditional paint.
Most color choices of any finish.
Easiest to clean, dirt and grime tend to stick less.
Light self-healing properties with heat.
Ceramic coating enhances gloss and protection.
Cons
Light scratches and swirls are more visible.
Most common finish, not ideal for those who want to really stand out.
Satin Vinyl Wraps
Satin finishes offer a sleek, silky look with diffused highlights that sit between gloss and matte finishes. Perfect for those looking for a more luxurious, refined finish that doesn't stray too far from what's expected of paint.
Pros
Silky smooth finish between gloss and matte.
Easy to clean since the satin surface is smooth.
Associated with luxury, many high end manufacturers are offering satin paint finishes at a premium price.
Cons
Not as bold or stealthy as gloss or matte.
Ceramic coatings and PPF don't typically match very well or change the finish.
Not quite as easy to clean as gloss, but it's pretty marginal.
Still shows scratches and swirls if you're not careful.
Matte Vinyl Wraps
Matte finishes offer a super-diffused, stealthy look that holds up to wear and tear better than gloss. Perfect for those who want to stand out from the crowd, either just a bit by choosing a more traditional color, or going bold with a matte in a very unique color.
Pros
Non-reflective finish that stands out boldly in traffic.
Doesn't show light scratches and swirls like satin or gloss finishes.
Can help conceal minor dings and dents since the light doesn't concentrate in one area.
Has a lightly textured finish that gives a more tactile feel.
Cons
Harder to clean than gloss or satin as the texture holds onto dirt and grime easier.
Requires matte-specific care products in order to maintain the matte finish. Using a combination soap with wax, gloss detail spray or standard ceramic coating can add glossiness to the vinyl.
Depending on the manufacturer you can end up with more of a chalkboard finish than a stealth fighter look.
Textured Vinyl Wraps
Textured finishes range from the familiar to borderline nonsensical! The most common textured vinyl wraps you'll find are various carbon fiber films, but if you're really looking to push the boundaries, there are options like alligator, wood grain, and a whole lot more!
Pros
Totally unique textures that no one would expect to find on a car.
Tactile feel that actually manipulates light to look more realistic.
Many options are laminates that can be applied on top of any color or print.
Cons
Hardest to clean since the films are heavily textured.
Typically cost more than traditional finishes.
Laminate options are quite a bit more expensive since the laminate is a separate roll of film that then must be applied to a color or print.
Textured laminates are usually a calendared film, which limits their ability to stretch compared to cast films which is the main type of film used for color change wraps.
What Types of Vinyl Wrap Colors are Available?
Colors are usually the first thing that comes to mind when people think of vinyl wraps, and for good reason. While it's obvious that the colors available range the entire spectrum, with vibrant reds and rich blues, brilliant whites and deep blacks, there are several types or styles of colors that you may not be aware of!
Solid Vinyl Colors
Solid colors have become more popular paint choices in recent years, but are often limited when compared to metallic varieties. With vinyl wrap, you have tons of options in nearly every color if you like the simplicity and classic look that solid colors provide. From gloss to matte and everything in between, solid colors are always a solid choice for any car.
Metallic Vinyl Colors
Metallic colors are the most familiar and comparable to paint, as most vehicles are offered in metallic options from the factory. Don't worry that choosing a metallic color defeats the purpose of a wrap though, as there are plenty of options that go far beyond what's common with paint.
From subtle metallics in vibrant colors, to wild diamond and glitter finishes that shine incredibly brightly in the sun, there are many options that push the boundaries of what is expected of metallic colors.
Pearlescent Vinyl Colors
If you’re after something with a soft, luxurious glow, pearlescent, or pearl, wraps might be your answer. These colors often have a solid or metallic base that is seen most often, but in certain light, other colors are revealed! What may normally look like a clean white, can take on shades of blues or pinks that seem to glow around the edges of the car.
White isn't the only option though, reds can glow orange, blacks can glow purple, and silvers can shine in the full spectrum. Pearl colors are an amazing option for those who want a little more of that special effect look without diving into the world of full color shifts.
Color-Shifting Vinyl Colors
Color-shifting wraps, also known as color-flip, iridescent, or chameleon wraps, are incredibly unique. These vinyl wraps change color depending on the angle of light, creating a dynamic, color-changing effect that makes your car look different from every view. If you're looking for a truly one-of-a-kind wrap, color shift wraps are certainly the way to go!
Some options shift from one color to another in a more dramatic fashion than a pearl, but others shift through several colors, and a few go nearly through the entire spectrum of colors. One thing to keep in mind is that the majority of color-shifting wraps still have a base color to them. We always suggest taking a look at as many photos as you can of the color you have in mind to get a feel for that base color, because during the evening, at night, or on cloudier days, you'll see that base color most often!
Chrome Vinyl Colors
If you really want to stand out, there's no better choice than a full chrome vinyl wrap. These ultra-reflective wraps give your car a mirror-like finish unlike any other wrap or paint you've ever seen. It's not just a super glossy finish either, chrome vinyl wraps are manufactured with a real metal film layer that when applied properly, provides a true mirror finish just like real chrome.
The best part is that chrome isn't just offered in a bright silver like a regular mirror. You'll find gloss, satin, matte options in a variety of colors like reds, blues, greens, and more! If you're really looking to make a statement, you can't go wrong with the head-turning look of a chrome vinyl wrap!
Printed Vinyl Wrap
When you just can't decide on a single color, or you have a bigger vision for your car than just a color change, printed wraps can accomplish everything a single color can't! We have in-house designers you'll work with one-on-one to develop the exact design you imagined, and we print and produce everything on site to ensure the highest quality and fastest turnaround times.
Simple patterns, realistic patina and wear, insane anime designs, and custom liveries are all just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to printed wraps! To top it all off, we laminate every design to protect the ink from UV and scratches, but the laminate itself can be a design choice! Just like regular color change films, we can laminate your printed design with gloss, satin, matte, and a variety of textured films to put the perfect final touch on your printed wrap!
How to Choose a Color and Finish for Your Car
When it comes to choosing the perfect color, we know it can be a daunting decision! Rather than choosing a color at random, let's look into some reasons why you might choose one color over another!
Keep in mind, these are by no means hard and fast rules at all! Just some additional thoughts that can help you get over that final decision making hill!
What Kind of Car do You Drive?
If you're looking for something similar to paint without pushing the boundaries too far, you might want to look at best representing the car. Take a look into the history of the vehicle and see if there were any limited edition colors that were offered on previous generations, or look at cars that are in the same family as yours, but from a different manufacturer.
Many clients that drive cars with long lineages like BMW M3's or Land Rover Defenders choose colors that are very similar to colors offered in the early generations of their cars to pay homage to the history.
You may have a luxury vehicle that you want to stand out from the crowd even more, but still want to have that luxury feel. Oftentimes satin finishes and pearl colors tend to fit that luxury car theme.
Maybe you have a minivan that was acquired solely for practical purposes, but a couple years later it was offered in a color you love.
Taking a look at existing colors that are currently on or have been on the market is a great place to start! It'll keep things feeling familiar without making your car too flashy.
To Be Loud or Low-Key, That is the Question
A quick way to narrow up your color choices is by figuring out how much you want to stand out in a crowd.
If you prefer to turn heads and love seeing people's reactions to your car, then make sure you choose a bright, bold color and a finish to match! While there's tons of bright options in any color, you can step it up a notch with color-shifts or chromes that refuse to be ignored. If you want to take it even further, a custom designed and printed wrap will absolutely keep people's eyes glued to your car.
On the other side of the coin, you may want to go with a more sleek, stealthy option while still not looking like common traffic. Sure, you could pick any old silver metallic and look like every other car on the road, and that's totally fine! But if you prefer that stealth-fighter look without feeling gaudy, you might want to stick to color tinted blacks, gunmetals, and satin or matte finishes.
Find Your Purpose
Another thing to consider is what you use your car for. If it's a daily driver, off-road warrior, or car show king, you might have an entirely different idea of what will work best!
If you're wrapping your daily driver, you might just be looking for a bit of a refresh and some added paint protection. We've got tons of OEM-style colors and finishes that will give your car a whole new look, without getting too far into the custom world.
You might have a lifted truck or SUV that sees more dirt than pavement, so something that's more durable and fits the natural colors of the world might be your cup of tea. We wrap a ton of off-road vehicles in satin and matte colors since they tend to hold up to wear and tear better than gloss. While they might be a smidge hard to clean than a super shiny gloss, the subdued highlights will help you blend into the natural surroundings while camping and exploring.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if your car rarely leaves the garage except for when it's time to show off a bit, you may want to kick it up a notch! The two most common directions for show car wraps we've seen are the wild and loud, or the period correct. For the most ooh's and ah's, we always recommend a color-shift or other specialty finish. They're just so different from paint and what you typically see on cars that they absolutely get people looking!
For the true enthusiasts, while it's hard to argue against a period correct paint job for the most accurate depiction of a car, you can't go wrong with protecting the original paint. While most wraps won't be an exact paint code, you can still get really close to a lot of classic colors while maintaining the original paint underneath. Another option might be that you've got everything else looking flawless, but couldn't find that super rare color on the market and aren't ready to drop the $10,000 for the perfect paint job. Whatever your goals, we're sure to have something that's close!
Weather and Environment
While not the most exciting topic when it comes to choosing colors, if practicality is at the top of your list, your climate is certainly something to consider. Here in Colorado, it's honestly kind of a gamble as to what weather we'll get, so we recommend just picking a color you enjoy, but if you have extra long hot or cold seasons, you may want a color that functions as well as it looks.
For super hot climates, we'd recommend going with a lighter color since it will help to reduce the temperature of your car. Paired with some high-performance window tint, you'll enjoy significantly cooler temperatures in your car! If you mostly drive during the summer in Colorado, this is a great option for you as well!
If you live further up north and the cold is what you're worried about, go with a darker color to help stay warm. Darker colors absorb much more light than light colors, think about wearing a black shirt on a hot day versus a white shirt! All that extra energy that's absorbed will help keep your car warmer, and when combined with some paint protection film, you can rest assured knowing your paint underneath will be safe from all the extra debris on the road during the snowy season!
Maintenance Tips for Different Wrap Finishes
While all vinyl is relatively easy to maintain, there are a few differences depending on the finish you choose. You can always get away with just a standard wash here and there, but to maximize the life of your vinyl wrap, you'll want to make sure you've got a few extra goodies in your garage.
Gloss Vinyl Wrap Care:
With gloss vinyl wraps, you can really treat them quite similarly to paint! While we recommend using more pH-neutral soaps and detergents just to be safe, all your traditional detail sprays and finishing products will look great when used on your gloss wrap.
However, we don't recommend using any power tools like buffers since they can burn through the wrap easier than paint. If you choose to go the wax or sealant route, always test out the product in a small, inconspicuous area first, and apply by hand!
Matte & Satin Vinyl Wrap Care:
Matte and Satin finishes require just a little bit more specific care, but nothing crazy! If you're already using a standard detail spray, you'll want to swap that out for a matte-specific option. Traditional detail sprays contain glossifiers which help gloss wraps shine, but will also increase the shine of your Matte or Satin finish, defeating the purpose of the wrap!
You'll also want to avoid any other products that increase shine, or just be extra careful when applying them to other parts of your vehicle like tire shine or trim restorers. It's always best to apply the products to a clean microfiber first, and then to the surface so you can control exactly where the product goes!
Textured Vinyl Wrap Care:
Textured vinyl wraps will fall into either the gloss or matte/satin category and you should treat them like such. The biggest difference is the textures can hold on to dirt and grime better than a smooth finish, requiring a bit more elbow grease to remove. It's still important to not be too aggressive, and if stronger cleaners are required, be sure to avoid any exposed edges and rinse off as quickly as possible to ensure the chemicals don't dry on the film.
Conclusion: Finding the Perfect Wrap for Your Car
Choosing the right vinyl wrap color and finish for your car can be a fun and rewarding process. With so many options available, it’s easier than ever to find something that reflects your personality and style. Whether you’re looking for a classic gloss, a sleek matte, or something completely unique like a color flip or chrome wrap, the possibilities are endless.
If you're curious what additional benefits a vinyl wrap can provide your vehicle, check out our other article that outlines some surprising benefits you may not be aware of! Otherwise, if you're ready to give your car a fresh new look, don’t hesitate to reach out, we can help guide you through the process and ensure you get the perfect wrap for your vehicle.