carvariations.meta Guide: FiveM Color IDs & Liveries

Full carvariations.meta reference for FiveM: the 6-slot color index matrix, GTA 5 vehicle color IDs, livery arrays, and fixes for wrong spawn colors.

carvariations.meta: Complete Color ID Mapping & Vehicle Setup Guide

It is six numbers per color block. Add a seventh or drop one and the whole array shifts: the wheel color lands on the interior, the interior lands on the dashboard, and the car spawns looking nothing like it did in the preview. This is the full reference: the 6-slot color index matrix, the GTA 5 color IDs worth knowing by heart, how livery arrays gate spawn combinations, and how carvariations.meta binds to vehicles.meta and carcols.meta.

1. The Role of carvariations.meta in Vehicle Spawning

In Grand Theft Auto V (RAGE) and FiveM, carvariations.meta dictates the exact visual state of a vehicle when it is spawned into the server. While vehicles.meta establishes core archetype flags and carcols.meta catalogs mod parts and emergency lighting, carvariations.meta binds these elements together and applies initial cosmetic variations such as paint schemes, livery availability, default extras, and siren linkages.

2. Anatomy of the 6-Slot Color Index Matrix (<indices>)

Inside every <colors> item block, vehicle paint is assigned via the <indices content="char_array"> node. This node requires a strict sequential array of exactly six numeric color IDs:

<Item>
  <indices content="char_array">
    134   <!-- Slot 0: Primary Color -->
    0     <!-- Slot 1: Secondary Color -->
    0     <!-- Slot 2: Pearlescent Color -->
    156   <!-- Slot 3: Wheel Color -->
    156   <!-- Slot 4: Interior Trim Color -->
    0     <!-- Slot 5: Dashboard / Accent Color -->
  </indices>
  <liveries>
    <Item value="true"/>
    <Item value="false"/>
  </liveries>
</Item>

Array Index	Color Channel	Target Mesh & Visual Application
Slot 0 (Line 1)	Primary Paint	Main body shell, hood, roof panels, and primary aerodynamic components.
Slot 1 (Line 2)	Secondary Paint	Side mirror caps, secondary roof pillars, stripes, and accent trim.
Slot 2 (Line 3)	Pearlescent Layer	Reflective specular clear-coat highlight reflected over the primary base coat.
Slot 3 (Line 4)	Wheel / Rim Paint	Finish applied to stock wheel meshes and aftermarket rims.
Slot 4 (Line 5)	Interior Trim Color	Leather seat inserts, door card fabrics, and cabin stitching.
Slot 5 (Line 6)	Dashboard & Dial Color	Gauge cluster surround, ambient dashboard trim, and center console accents.

3. RAGE Vehicle Color ID Reference Palette

Grand Theft Auto V uses indexed color values ranging from 0 to 159 across different material finishes (Classic, Metallic, Matte, Metals, Pearls). You can retrieve the complete interactive index table and visual swatch palette directly from the RAGE MP Vehicle Colors Wiki Documentation.

Categorized High-Frequency Color IDs:

Finish Category	Color ID	Color Name	Typical Usage
Blacks & Monochromes	0	Metallic Black	Standard deep gloss black
1	Metallic Graphite Black	Subtle charcoal reflection
12	Matte Black	Non-reflective flat black stealth finish
147	MODSHOP BLACK1 (Carbon)	Carbon-fiber companion shading
Whites & Silvers	111	Metallic Pure White	High-clarity clean white
131	Matte White / Ice White	Chalk/powder white without clear-coat
112	Metallic Frost White	Slight blue-shift clear coat
Reds & Warm Accents	27	Metallic Red	Standard automotive red
28	Metallic Torino Red	Deep saturated track red
38	Metallic Orange	High-visibility performance amber/orange
Blues & Cool Accents	64	Metallic Blue	Classic primary blue
70	Metallic Ultra Blue	Bright, vibrant electric blue
73	Metallic Racing Blue	Darker track blue
Metals & Specialized	156	Metallic Alloy / Polished Metal	Default wheel and silver alloy rim finish
158	Pure Gold	VIP / Luxury highlight finish

4. Multi-Livery Arrays and Variant Combinations (<liveries>)

The <liveries> block controls which embedded .ytd texture liveries are eligible to spawn with each color combination:

<liveries>
  <Item value="true"/>   <!-- Livery Index 0: Permitted -->
  <Item value="false"/>  <!-- Livery Index 1: Restricted -->
  <Item value="false"/>  <!-- Livery Index 2: Restricted -->
</liveries>

Multiple Color Sets: You can add dozens of <Item> blocks under <colors> to create diverse civilian spawns, each with tailored paint, trim, and livery permissions.
All-False Array: If every livery item is set to value="false", the car always spawns with its clean baseline factory paint.

5. Cross-Metadata Architecture Matrix

To prevent server initialization errors and ensure that mod parts and lights work seamlessly, cross-reference all metadata definitions:

carvariations.meta Tag	Linked File	Linked XML Node	Technical Function
`<modelName>`	`vehicles.meta`	`<modelName>`	Binds variation data to the vehicle spawn code.
`<kits><Item>`	`carcols.meta`	`<kitName>`	Connects the ModKit parts catalog to the vehicle.
`<sirenSettings value="..."/>`	`carcols.meta`	`<id value="..."/>` (<sirens>)	Assigns Non-ELS lightbar sequencers and flash patterns.
`<lightSettings value="..."/>`	`carcols.meta`	`<id value="..."/>` (<lights>)	Assigns headlight color, projection cone, and bulb intensity.

6. FiveM Resource Setup (fxmanifest.lua)

Mount your carvariations.meta along with all other vehicle metadata files inside your resource manifest:

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

files {
    'carcols.meta',
    'carvariations.meta',
    'handling.meta',
    'vehicles.meta'
}

data_file 'CARCOLS_FILE' 'carcols.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_VARIATION_FILE' 'carvariations.meta'
data_file 'HANDLING_FILE' 'handling.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_METADATA_FILE' 'vehicles.meta'

7. Troubleshooting Common Configuration Issues

Array Shift Error (Mismatched Indices): If your vehicle spawns with the wrong interior or wheel colors, verify that exactly six numeric lines exist inside <indices>. Adding or omitting a line breaks the sequence.
Modifications Missing from Shops: Confirm that the string declared in <kits><Item> is spelled identically to <kitName> inside carcols.meta.
Crash on Vehicle Spawn: If the <modelName> does not exist inside vehicles.meta or the streaming folder, spawning the vehicle causes an instant client/server crash.