UK All colours cost extra except Pure White

It's difficult question to ask as we won't know the real answer for another 3 years, personally I don't like white as it shows the dirt really easily. Based on that we paid for a different colour, mind I didn't have a choice as my other half picked it.

 

In the US, at least, Blizzard Pearl & Hypersonic Red have an extra charge because they are a 3 layer finish. Perhaps our Blizzard Pearl is your Pearl White.
I think I read that in the US, Pure White is only available for fleet purchases.

 

Bs excuse to charge you. In Mexico there are only two prices. Base version and premium version. Except for pearl white only in premium version, you choose the color you want for the same price.

SM-T813 ?

 

It i had the choice, I would have purchased Pure White instead of the extra charge Blizzard Pearl.

 

In Germany the same situation. For red and white (pearl) the extra price is justified by an extra coat of paint.
I also find it quite nonsense to offer all colors for extra money, and only plain white for "free". They should simply offer all colors for "free" i.e. included in the purchase base price of the car and offer white at a discount. I don't see many customers going to pure matt white simply to save 500€. In the same way I am not seeing so many white matt Priuses. If you buy a car that costs already 25-30k€, saving 500€ is quite irrelevant.

 

"Wise investment" - definitely not

"waste of money" - a matter of choice - I love my Hypersonic Red

 

In Spain they use similar upselling techniques. Advertised price is usual for base color, and they will charge you about 500€ if you want "metallic" finish, the protective coat that any paint job has. If you ask it without it, that's were problems usually begin, as your order will have to be manufactured exclusively for you.

SM-T813 ?

 

Did you get that information from your dealer or from Toyota UK? Dealers are not always correct especially if they think it can get them more money.

My local dealer insisted the US Trim Two only came with the black interior, but he was wrong.

 

Same thing here. They promised me Mexico only had white interiors, even when I told them that mah b ed I wouldn't buy in that case. Three months later after I've got my Prius, I found another one parked in another city with black interiors, and the owner inside. He told me that he asked for it black and had no problem ordering. Grrrrrr. Now I have cataracts and have to go trough a premature eye surgery because there is so much light in the dashboard than I barely see the displays.

SM-T813 ?

 

I thought the black was too dark. I wondered about Moonstone (the light gray) but ended up with Beige in my Blizzard Pearl Prius.

 

MB are to the front in charging extra for what should be standard. But they nearly all try to get as much out of the customer as possible, often by grouping things you won't want in packs with ONE really useful feature.

Remember the first rule of motor corporations,
the customer shall never get the best deal!

 

Likely true then.
Sometimes Toyota's site is not accurate too. According to the US Toyota site, my 2008 Corolla LE does not exist. They said you needed to order the S trim in order to get the rear side airbags, but mine has them.

 

And I

And I thought we Yorkshire folk were tight
I look at it as if the price of the car is the price including metallic paint. If I want to save £545, I go for the white, if I want something more flashy I pay an extra £95 and go for the pearlescents.

 

I think just about all the auto manufacturers charge extra for some of their paint choices. Personally, I believe the darker colors look the worst when dirty. Red, Black, and Blue. Grey is in the middle. White and silver look the best. No car looks great when it's dirty. And white reflects heat the best. I measured it once on many different colored cars.

I also like white because it is easier to see at night. Had I the option of just white over the metallic pearl white, I would have gone for the cheaper option. The only people who really care about these pearlescent colors on our Prii are us. Okay, mine looks pretty nice up close.

 

The metallic colours here are all extra - in EVERY make (at least the ones I investigated). Mostly that leaves a white, and occasionally either a straight red or straight black as "no extra charge".

I'm not sure about in a factory, but as an amateur, spraying white used to be much simpler than spraying metallic, and generally white would involve one or 2 less coats (clearcoat).

But paint has changed since I last did it - it's now low VOC, and solvents have changed too.

 

Charging extra for certain (or all) metallic paint job seems like just another cash cow, implemented in a low-key manner, then inexorably increased, both the amount and colours involved. Especially the exhhorbitant amount, being charged on practically every color, in Britain, and elsewhere around the world. As far as I know they're only charging on the Pearl White in Canada, and it's no where near as steep a charge.

Never heard of this with Honda, btw.