Nissan has developed paint which reforms itself over scratches in a few hours.

The Scratch Guard Coat will soon be making its debut on Japanese roads.

The paint, which Nissan has produced with Nippon Paint, is a transparent, synthetic resin, the high density of which means that it slowly flows back to fill any cut in its surface.

The proposed thickness of the coating is about the same as a normal coat of paint, which means that it will repair scratches made to that depth. The paint has been designed to coat dark cars, but Nissan said that there was no reason why the technology could not be used on lighter colours.

The company will be offering the special paint as an option on its X-Trail SUV before deciding whether to use the product on its range of cars.

The paint will be offered to customers prepared to pay an extra £251 on top of the standard price of the X-Trail, and its makers claim that it will continue to work for about three years.

Nissan’s corporate partnership with Renault could mean the paint might be available in Europe, if it proves to be a success in Japan.