Tesla Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Tesla, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Tesla colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
Tesla prints the paint code on the federal certification label in the driver-side door jamb — open the driver's door and look at the B-pillar. On the label's bottom line, alongside the VIN, is a field marked "PNT:" followed by a four-character code such as PMNG or PPSW. That is the paint code. A 17-character VIN does not contain it.
Where is the paint code on a Tesla?
- Driver-side door jamb. The white federal certification label on the B-pillar or door-latch post, visible when the driver's door is open. Its bottom line carries the PNT field with the paint code. AutomotiveTouchup and TouchUpDirect independently give this location for Tesla, and their catalogues cover 2007-2026 and 2012-present respectively; neither reports the label moving by model year, and no other placement turned up in our checks.
- Bottom line of that label. On both Tesla labels we examined — a 2014 Model S reading PNT: PPMR and a 2018 Model X reading PNT: PMNG — the PNT field is the leftmost item on the bottom row, printed ahead of VIN: and TYPE:. AutomotiveTouchup's text says the bottom-right of the sticker while the photo on its own page shows bottom-left, so scan the whole bottom line rather than one corner. Labels through 2016 read MFD BY TESLA MOTORS, INC.; 2017 and later read MFD BY TESLA, INC.
- Paperwork fallback (name only, not the code). Your original order agreement, window sticker and Tesla account show the marketing colour name — Pearl White Multi-Coat, Deep Blue Metallic — but not the four-character code. Use the name to confirm a code you read off the label, not as a substitute for it. This applies to all model years.
How to read the Tesla paint code
Four characters printed after the field label "PNT:" on the bottom line of the door-jamb certification label, sitting left of "VIN:" and "TYPE:". Codes used from about 2012 to 2022 are four letters starting with P, and the second letter tracks the finish — PM for metallic (PMNG, PMBL, PMTG), PP for multi-coat or pearl (PPSW, PPMR, PPSB), PB for solid (PBSB, PBCW). Codes introduced from 2023 are a letter pair plus two digits: PR01, PN00, PN01. Three things on the same label get mistaken for it: the 17-character VIN, the TYPE value (PASSENGER CAR, MPV, TRUCK), and the tire and GVWR figures above. Wheel colours use a completely separate supplier code family — NEU-106E Sonic Carbon, NEU-107E Sonic Silver, NEU-230E Gunpowder — that never appears on this label. Tesla does not print an interior trim code next to PNT.
- Open the driver's door and find the white certification label riveted to the B-pillar or door-latch post. Federal rule 49 CFR 567.4(c) requires that label next to the driver's seating position, so every US-market Tesla has one there.
- Read the bottom line of the label. It carries three fields in a row: PNT:, VIN: and TYPE:.
- Write down the four characters printed after PNT: — for example PNT: PMNG. That is the paint code. Do not copy the 17-character string after VIN:, and ignore the TYPE value.
- If the label is missing, painted over or unreadable, give your VIN to a Tesla service centre or a refinish supplier who can look the colour up in the factory build record. Do not guess from a colour chart.
- Verify the code by matching it to Tesla's own colour name (PPSW is Pearl White Multi-Coat, PBSB is Solid Black) and checking that name against your original order agreement or the colour shown in your Tesla account.
- On multi-coat colours (PPSW, PPMR), confirm with a sprayout card compared to the panel in daylight before applying paint to the car.
Common Tesla paint codes
| Code | Tesla colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| PPSW | Pearl White Multi-Coat | Three-stage white, on Tesla labels from the early Model S to current cars. Refinish suppliers also index it as Shasta White Pearl Tricoat or White Water Pearl Tricoat. |
| PBSB | Solid Black | Single-stage black, roughly 2012 to present. Suppliers also list it as Jet Black or Eclipse Black; it is not the same as Obsidian Black Metallic. |
| PMNG | Midnight Silver Metallic | Roughly 2016 to 2023. Replaced on Model 3 and Model Y by Stealth Grey for 2023; suppliers also index it as Steel Gray Pearl Metallic. |
| PPSB | Deep Blue Metallic | Roughly 2012 to present. Earlier Model S paperwork and supplier catalogues call the same code Ocean Blue Metallic. |
| PPMR | Red Multi-Coat | Three-stage red. Some early Model S labels read PMMR for the same colour, and suppliers list both as Sunset Red Pearl. |
| PR01 | Ultra Red | 2023 onward across Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. |
| PN01 | Stealth Grey | 2023 onward, mainly Model 3 and Model Y, replacing Midnight Silver Metallic. |
| PN00 | Quicksilver | 2023 onward. Also catalogued by refinish suppliers as Mercury Silver Metallic. |
| PMBL | Obsidian Black Metallic | Model S and Model X, roughly 2012 to 2019. A metallic black, distinct from PBSB Solid Black. |
| PMTG | Dolphin Grey Metallic | Model S, roughly 2012 to 2016. |
| PMSS | Silver Metallic | Model S and Model X, roughly 2012 to 2019. Supplier catalogues list this code as Starlight Silver Metallic or San Simeon Silver Metallic. |
| PBCW | Catalina White | Solid white on the early Model S, roughly 2012 to 2016. Not the same paint as PPSW Pearl White Multi-Coat. |
This list is not every colour Tesla has sold. Always confirm against the label on your own vehicle before ordering paint.
What to know before you order paint
- A 17-character VIN does not encode paint. Decoding a real 2023 Model 3 VIN through NHTSA's vPIC API returns 154 fields — make, model year, plant, battery type, airbag locations — and none is exterior colour; vPIC's published variable list has 144 variables with no colour or paint entry at all. Any service returning a "paint code from VIN" is reading a manufacturer build record or inferring from the model.
- The label the code sits on is federally mandated. 49 CFR 567.4(c), published in the U.S. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, requires the certification label on the hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the door edge meeting that post, next to the driver's seating position — which is why the PNT field is always in the driver's door jamb.
- Location cross-checked on two independent suppliers. AutomotiveTouchup's Tesla paint-code page states the driver's-side door jamb and shows a 2014 Model S label reading PNT: PPMR; TouchUpDirect's Tesla page states "Driver's side door jamb" and shows a 2018 Model X label reading PNT: PMNG, adding that Tesla codes are "a mix of four letters and numbers".
- The 2008-2012 Roadster is the exception to the P-code format. AutomotiveTouchup catalogues its colours under a separate code family — B02 Jet Black, B04 Racing Green, B105 Twilight Blue Pearl, C25 Very Orange — reflecting its Lotus-supplied body rather than Tesla's later four-character scheme.
- Free VIN Lookup does not return a paint code from a VIN, and no tool honestly can from the VIN alone. We decode what the VIN actually carries; the paint code comes off the PNT field on the car.
Tesla and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- Tesla Paint Codes — location statement and photographed 2014 Model S door-jamb labelAutomotiveTouchup (Microfinish LLC)
- Tesla Touch Up Paint — "How to Find Your Tesla Color Code" and photographed 2018 Model X labelTouchUpDirect
- vPIC VIN decoder API — DecodeVinValues and GetVehicleVariableListNHTSA (U.S. Department of Transportation)
- 49 CFR 567.4 — Requirements for manufacturers of motor vehicles (certification label placement)U.S. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- Tesla touch-up paint colours indexed by model year and modelPaintScratch
Tesla paint code questions
Can I find my Tesla's paint code from the VIN?
No. A 17-character VIN does not encode paint. We ran a real 2023 Model 3 VIN through NHTSA's vPIC decoder: 154 fields came back — make, model year, plant, battery type, airbags — and not one of them was colour. Sites promising a paint code from a VIN are either querying a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model. Read the label on the car instead.
Where is the paint code on a Model 3 or Model Y?
Open the driver's door and look at the white certification label on the B-pillar, the post the door latches onto. Its bottom line reads PNT:, then VIN:, then TYPE:. The four characters after PNT: are the paint code. AutomotiveTouchup and TouchUpDirect both give this same location for every Tesla model year they cover, and we confirmed the field on Model S and Model X labels.
What does a Tesla paint code look like?
Four characters, printed after the field label PNT:. Codes used from about 2012 to 2022 are four letters beginning with P, and the second letter tracks the finish: PM for metallic, PP for multi-coat or pearl, PB for solid — hence PMNG, PPSW and PBSB. Codes introduced from 2023 use a letter pair plus two digits: PR01 Ultra Red, PN01 Stealth Grey, PN00 Quicksilver.
Does Tesla print a second code for Pearl White or Red Multi-Coat?
No. Pearl White Multi-Coat and Red Multi-Coat are three-stage finishes — a basecoat, a translucent mid-coat, then clear — but the door-jamb label carries one code, PPSW or PPMR. Your paint supplier expands that single code into separate base and mid-coat mixes. Because the final colour depends on mid-coat thickness, spray a test card and compare it against the panel before touching the car.
Does Tesla build two-tone cars with two paint codes?
No US-market Tesla body colour we found is a factory two-tone, and the certification label carries one PNT field and one code. Wheels are the exception: they are painted in their own colours — Sonic Carbon, Sonic Silver, Gunpowder, Onyx Black Matte — which refinish suppliers index under a separate NEU-series code family. Those wheel codes never appear on the door-jamb label.
What are the codes for Stealth Grey, Quicksilver and Ultra Red?
Stealth Grey is PN01, Quicksilver is PN00 and Ultra Red is PR01, all introduced for the 2023 model year. AutomotiveTouchup and TouchUpDirect list the same three codes independently of each other. Midnight Cherry Red, the 2024 Model 3 colour, is listed by AutomotiveTouchup as PR00, but we found only that single source for it — check the PNT field on your own car before ordering.
My door-jamb label has no PNT field. What now?
That happens on repaired cars, on imports carrying a replacement label, and on the 2008-2012 Roadster, which uses a different code family altogether — B02 Jet Black, B04 Racing Green, C25 Very Orange — rather than four-character P-codes. If the label is missing, painted over or illegible, give your VIN to a Tesla service centre or a refinish supplier who can pull the factory build record. Do not pick a code off a colour chart.
Why doesn't my touch-up paint match even with the correct code?
The code identifies the factory formula, not the panel in front of you. Sun exposure, age and earlier repairs shift the colour, and metallics and multi-coats also change with spray technique and film thickness. A body shop handles this by spraying a test card, comparing it in daylight, adjusting the mix, then blending into the adjacent panel rather than stopping at the repair edge.