Genesis Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Genesis, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Genesis colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
On Genesis vehicles the paint code sits on the vehicle certification label inside the driver-side door jamb — on the B-pillar or the door's shut face. Read the short standalone block of two or three letters and digits, such as UYH, PH3 or SSS. It is not the 17-character VIN, and the VIN cannot be decoded to a paint code.
Where is the paint code on a Genesis?
- Driver-side door jamb. The location supported by sources for Genesis-brand models (G70, G80, G90, GV60, GV70, GV80) and for the Hyundai-badged Genesis sedan and coupe. Open the driver's door and read the vehicle certification label on the B-pillar. PaintScratch's Genesis page states the codes are normally on the driver's door jamb, and AutomotiveTouchup's Hyundai table gives the driver's door jamb or door pillar for its whole 1997-2008 range, so placement has been consistent within Hyundai Motor Group. Look for the short standalone alphanumeric block rather than a named field.
- Driver's door shut face. The same label sometimes sits on the edge of the door rather than on the pillar. AutomotiveTouchup names 'inside driver's door jamb or door pillar, or the door edge' for its entire 1997-2008 Hyundai range and repeats 'door edge' for the Sonata specifically. No Genesis-specific source narrows this to particular model years, so check both surfaces before concluding the code is missing.
How to read the Genesis paint code
Two or three characters, letters and digits mixed, no dash or space. Genesis-brand cars from 2021 on read three characters: UYH, PH3, SSS, NCM, NRB, WHT, URA. Cars from 2017-2020 also read three, but a different set: N5M, PS5, RGY, RY5, T5K, Z5E. Hyundai-badged Genesis sedans and coupes are cross-listed by refinish suppliers in both a two- and three-character form — YB/YB6, YS/Y6S, WU/WU6, VS/V6S, MW/YW6 — so a two-character label is normal on 2009-2016 cars and still appears in 2018-2019 listings. Ignore the 17-character VIN, ignore the tire and loading information placard, and ignore the second short code printed beside the paint code, which is the interior trim.
- Open the driver's door and find the vehicle certification label on the B-pillar; if the pillar carries only the tire placard, check the shut face of the door itself.
- Ignore the 17-character VIN and the tire and loading information placard — neither one carries the paint colour.
- Read the short standalone block of two or three letters and digits. A second short code printed alongside it is the interior trim code, not the paint.
- Photograph the label in daylight so the characters that confuse easily — 0 and O, 5 and S, 8 and B — stay legible when you order.
- Verify the code against your exact model year on a refinish supplier's listing, and confirm the colour name and finish match your car — Makalu Gray is NCM in gloss but MPE in matte.
Common Genesis paint codes
| Code | Genesis colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| UYH | Uyuni White | AutomotiveTouchup lists it as Uyuni White Pearl / Blanc Uyuni on the 2021 and 2022 G80, 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. Genesis Motor America's G80 page uses the name Uyuni White. Not offered before the 2021 G80. |
| PH3 | Vik Black | AutomotiveTouchup files it as Vik Black Metallic, Vik Black Pearl Metallic and New Black Pearl Metallic. Runs 2021 G80 onward and appears on the 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. |
| SSS | Savile Silver | Genesis spells it Savile with one L; genesis.com's G80 page uses Savile Silver. AutomotiveTouchup adds Shooting Star Metallic, New Silver Metallic and Argent Savile Metallic for the same code. 2021 onward. |
| NCM | Makalu Gray | The gloss version. On AutomotiveTouchup's 2022 G80, 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. Not listed on the 2021 G80 — this code starts with model year 2022. |
| MPE | Makalu Gray Matte | The matte version of the same colour name, a different paint from NCM. Listed as Makalu Gray Matt Metallic on the 2022 G80, 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. |
| NRB | Capri Blue | Sold as both Capri Blue Pearl and Capri Blue Metallic. On the 2022 G80, 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. Absent from the 2021 G80 listing. |
| WHT | Alta White | Solid, non-metallic white; AutomotiveTouchup also lists it as Alabaster White. On the 2021 and 2022 G80, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. It does not appear on the 2023 G90 listing. |
| URA | Tasman Blue Pearl | On AutomotiveTouchup's 2021 and 2022 G80 and 2023 G90 listings. Not found on any PaintScratch Genesis page. |
| RY5 | Adriatic Blue Pearl | Long-running: on the 2018 G80, 2019 G70, 2021 and 2022 G80 and 2023 G90. Also listed as Adriatic Blue Pearl Metallic and Bleu Adriatique Pearl. |
| PS5 | Mallorca Blue Pearl | Also sold as Lapis Blue Pearl. On the 2018 G80, 2019 G70, and the 2021 and 2022 G80. Not on the 2023 G90 listing. |
| RGY | Siberian Ice | Also listed as Racing Gray. On the 2018 G80, 2019 G70, 2021 and 2022 G80 and 2023 G90. |
| YB6 | Caspian Black Pearl | Hyundai-badged Genesis era. AutomotiveTouchup cross-lists it as both YB and YB6 on the 2016 Genesis and the 2018 G80, which is why a two-character label is normal on these cars. |
This list is not every colour Genesis has sold. Always confirm against the label on your own vehicle before ordering paint.
What to know before you order paint
- The 17-character VIN does not encode paint. Decoding a 2022 Genesis VIN through NHTSA's public vPIC service (vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov) returns make, model and model year with no exterior colour field at all, so no free VIN decoder can produce a Genesis paint code — only the door-jamb label or a dealer build record can.
- No source places a Genesis paint code in the engine compartment. PaintScratch's engine-bay wording refers to Hyundai models generally, and AutomotiveTouchup's engine-bay entries — firewall centre for the Excel and Scoupe, in front of the radiator for the Sonata — sit in a 1997-2008 Hyundai table that contains no Genesis row at all.
- The modern palette is newer than the brand. AutomotiveTouchup's model-year listings show UYH, PH3, SSS, WHT and URA first appearing on the 2021 G80, with NCM and NRB only from 2022. A 2018 G80 or 2019 G70 instead carries N5M, PS5, RGY, RY5, T5K, Z5E, MW/YW6 or YS/Y6S.
- Character count does not split cleanly at 2017. AutomotiveTouchup cross-lists two- and three-character forms of the same colour for Hyundai-badged Genesis (YB/YB6, YS/Y6S, WU/WU6, VS/V6S, MW/YW6), and those two-character forms still appear on its 2018 G80 and 2019 G70 pages.
- Makalu Gray exists as two distinct codes. AutomotiveTouchup lists NCM as the gloss and MPE as Makalu Gray Matte on the 2022 G80, 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60, so the colour name alone cannot be used to order paint.
Genesis and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
Genesis paint code questions
Where is the paint code on a Genesis G80 or GV70?
On the vehicle certification label inside the driver-side door jamb. Open the driver's door and read the label on the B-pillar, then check the door's shut face if the pillar carries only the tire placard. PaintScratch gives the driver's door jamb as the normal location for Genesis, and AutomotiveTouchup lists the same jamb, door pillar and door edge across Hyundai Motor Group models.
Can I get my Genesis paint code from the VIN?
No. Decoding a 2022 Genesis VIN through NHTSA's public vPIC service returns make, model and year but no exterior colour field, because the 17 characters encode plant, body, engine and restraint data rather than paint. Any tool promising a paint code from a VIN alone is guessing or quietly querying a dealer build record. Read the door-jamb label instead.
What does a Genesis paint code look like?
Two or three characters, letters and digits mixed, with no dash or space: UYH, PH3, SSS, NCM, NRB, RY5, WHT, N5M. Refinish suppliers cross-list a shorter form for the older Hyundai-badged Genesis, so Caspian Black Pearl appears as both YB and YB6 and Santiago Silver as both YS and Y6S. Quote whichever form your label actually shows.
Is Makalu Gray NCM or MPE?
Both, and they are different paints. AutomotiveTouchup lists NCM as gloss Makalu Gray and MPE as Makalu Gray Matte on the 2022 G80, 2023 G90, 2024 GV70 and 2025 GV60. The brochure names are nearly identical, so the code on the door label is the only reliable way to tell a gloss car from a matte one before ordering.
My 2018 G80 code is not UYH or SSS. Is the label wrong?
No. The Uyuni White and Savile Silver palette starts with the 2021 G80 in AutomotiveTouchup's listings. A 2017-2020 Genesis uses an older set: Casablanca White (MW/YW6), Santiago Silver (YS/Y6S), Himalayan Gray (N5M), Mallorca Blue (PS5), Siberian Ice (RGY) and Adriatic Blue (RY5). Match the code printed on your car, not a colour name from a current brochure.
What if there is no code on the door jamb?
Check the door's shut face and the full width of the label before assuming it is missing. No source documents an engine-bay paint-code location for any Genesis-brand model; the under-hood placements refinish suppliers list belong to older Hyundai-badged cars such as the Excel, Scoupe and Sonata. If the label is damaged or painted over, a Genesis dealer can pull the build record from your VIN.