diff --git a/internal/cli/output/color.go b/internal/cli/output/color.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..93bbbe56e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/output/color.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+/*
+Copyright The Helm Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package output
+
+import (
+	"github.com/fatih/color"
+
+	release "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/release/v1"
+)
+
+// ColorizeStatus returns a colorized version of the status string based on the status value
+func ColorizeStatus(status release.Status, noColor bool) string {
+	// Disable color if requested
+	if noColor {
+		return status.String()
+	}
+
+	switch status {
+	case release.StatusDeployed:
+		return color.GreenString(status.String())
+	case release.StatusFailed:
+		return color.RedString(status.String())
+	case release.StatusPendingInstall, release.StatusPendingUpgrade, release.StatusPendingRollback, release.StatusUninstalling:
+		return color.YellowString(status.String())
+	case release.StatusUnknown:
+		return color.RedString(status.String())
+	default:
+		// For uninstalled, superseded, and any other status
+		return status.String()
+	}
+}
+
+// ColorizeHeader returns a colorized version of a header string
+func ColorizeHeader(header string, noColor bool) string {
+	// Disable color if requested
+	if noColor {
+		return header
+	}
+
+	// Use bold for headers
+	return color.New(color.Bold).Sprint(header)
+}
+
+// ColorizeNamespace returns a colorized version of a namespace string
+func ColorizeNamespace(namespace string, noColor bool) string {
+	// Disable color if requested
+	if noColor {
+		return namespace
+	}
+
+	// Use cyan for namespaces
+	return color.CyanString(namespace)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/output/color_test.go b/internal/cli/output/color_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c84e2c359
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/output/color_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+/*
+Copyright The Helm Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package output
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	release "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/release/v1"
+)
+
+func TestColorizeStatus(t *testing.T) {
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		status     release.Status
+		noColor    bool
+		envNoColor string
+		wantColor  bool // whether we expect color codes in output
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "deployed status with color",
+			status:     release.StatusDeployed,
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+			wantColor:  true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "deployed status without color flag",
+			status:     release.StatusDeployed,
+			noColor:    true,
+			envNoColor: "",
+			wantColor:  false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "deployed status with NO_COLOR env",
+			status:     release.StatusDeployed,
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "1",
+			wantColor:  false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "failed status with color",
+			status:     release.StatusFailed,
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+			wantColor:  true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "pending install status with color",
+			status:     release.StatusPendingInstall,
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+			wantColor:  true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "unknown status with color",
+			status:     release.StatusUnknown,
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+			wantColor:  true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "superseded status with color",
+			status:     release.StatusSuperseded,
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+			wantColor:  false, // superseded doesn't get colored
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", tt.envNoColor)
+
+			result := ColorizeStatus(tt.status, tt.noColor)
+
+			// Check if result contains ANSI escape codes
+			hasColor := strings.Contains(result, "\033[")
+
+			// In test environment, term.IsTerminal will be false, so we won't get color
+			// unless we're testing the logic without terminal detection
+			if hasColor && !tt.wantColor {
+				t.Errorf("ColorizeStatus() returned color when none expected: %q", result)
+			}
+
+			// Always check the status text is present
+			if !strings.Contains(result, tt.status.String()) {
+				t.Errorf("ColorizeStatus() = %q, want to contain %q", result, tt.status.String())
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestColorizeHeader(t *testing.T) {
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		header     string
+		noColor    bool
+		envNoColor string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "header with color",
+			header:     "NAME",
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "header without color flag",
+			header:     "NAME",
+			noColor:    true,
+			envNoColor: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "header with NO_COLOR env",
+			header:     "NAME",
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "1",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", tt.envNoColor)
+
+			result := ColorizeHeader(tt.header, tt.noColor)
+
+			// Always check the header text is present
+			if !strings.Contains(result, tt.header) {
+				t.Errorf("ColorizeHeader() = %q, want to contain %q", result, tt.header)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestColorizeNamespace(t *testing.T) {
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		namespace  string
+		noColor    bool
+		envNoColor string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "namespace with color",
+			namespace:  "default",
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "namespace without color flag",
+			namespace:  "default",
+			noColor:    true,
+			envNoColor: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "namespace with NO_COLOR env",
+			namespace:  "default",
+			noColor:    false,
+			envNoColor: "1",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", tt.envNoColor)
+
+			result := ColorizeNamespace(tt.namespace, tt.noColor)
+
+			// Always check the namespace text is present
+			if !strings.Contains(result, tt.namespace) {
+				t.Errorf("ColorizeNamespace() = %q, want to contain %q", result, tt.namespace)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cli/environment.go b/pkg/cli/environment.go
index 3f2dc00b2..c5f87cf24 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/environment.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/environment.go
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ type EnvSettings struct {
 	BurstLimit int
 	// QPS is queries per second which may be used to avoid throttling.
 	QPS float32
+	// ColorMode controls colorized output (never, auto, always)
+	ColorMode string
 }
 
 func New() *EnvSettings {
@@ -109,6 +111,7 @@ func New() *EnvSettings {
 		RepositoryCache:           envOr("HELM_REPOSITORY_CACHE", helmpath.CachePath("repository")),
 		BurstLimit:                envIntOr("HELM_BURST_LIMIT", defaultBurstLimit),
 		QPS:                       envFloat32Or("HELM_QPS", defaultQPS),
+		ColorMode:                 envColorMode(),
 	}
 	env.Debug, _ = strconv.ParseBool(os.Getenv("HELM_DEBUG"))
 
@@ -160,6 +163,8 @@ func (s *EnvSettings) AddFlags(fs *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	fs.StringVar(&s.RepositoryCache, "repository-cache", s.RepositoryCache, "path to the directory containing cached repository indexes")
 	fs.IntVar(&s.BurstLimit, "burst-limit", s.BurstLimit, "client-side default throttling limit")
 	fs.Float32Var(&s.QPS, "qps", s.QPS, "queries per second used when communicating with the Kubernetes API, not including bursting")
+	fs.StringVar(&s.ColorMode, "color", s.ColorMode, "use colored output (never, auto, always)")
+	fs.StringVar(&s.ColorMode, "colour", s.ColorMode, "use colored output (never, auto, always)")
 }
 
 func envOr(name, def string) string {
@@ -213,6 +218,23 @@ func envCSV(name string) (ls []string) {
 	return
 }
 
+func envColorMode() string {
+	// Check NO_COLOR environment variable first (standard)
+	if v, ok := os.LookupEnv("NO_COLOR"); ok && v != "" {
+		return "never"
+	}
+	// Check HELM_COLOR environment variable
+	if v, ok := os.LookupEnv("HELM_COLOR"); ok {
+		v = strings.ToLower(v)
+		switch v {
+		case "never", "auto", "always":
+			return v
+		}
+	}
+	// Default to auto
+	return "auto"
+}
+
 func (s *EnvSettings) EnvVars() map[string]string {
 	envvars := map[string]string{
 		"HELM_BIN":               os.Args[0],
@@ -265,3 +287,8 @@ func (s *EnvSettings) SetNamespace(namespace string) {
 func (s *EnvSettings) RESTClientGetter() genericclioptions.RESTClientGetter {
 	return s.config
 }
+
+// ShouldDisableColor returns true if color output should be disabled
+func (s *EnvSettings) ShouldDisableColor() bool {
+	return s.ColorMode == "never"
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/get_all.go b/pkg/cmd/get_all.go
index aee92df51..32744796c 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/get_all.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/get_all.go
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ func newGetAllCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 				debug:        true,
 				showMetadata: true,
 				hideNotes:    false,
+				noColor:      settings.ShouldDisableColor(),
 			})
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/install.go b/pkg/cmd/install.go
index 7fca8585a..d53b1d981 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/install.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/install.go
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ func newInstallCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 				debug:        settings.Debug,
 				showMetadata: false,
 				hideNotes:    client.HideNotes,
+				noColor:      settings.ShouldDisableColor(),
 			})
 		},
 	}
@@ -239,13 +240,13 @@ func runInstall(args []string, client *action.Install, valueOpts *values.Options
 		client.Version = ">0.0.0-0"
 	}
 
-	name, chart, err := client.NameAndChart(args)
+	name, chartRef, err := client.NameAndChart(args)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	client.ReleaseName = name
 
-	cp, err := client.LocateChart(chart, settings)
+	cp, err := client.LocateChart(chartRef, settings)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/list.go b/pkg/cmd/list.go
index 5af43adad..55d828036 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/list.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/list.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gosuri/uitable"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
+	coloroutput "helm.sh/helm/v4/internal/cli/output"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/action"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/cli/output"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/cmd/require"
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ func newListCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 				}
 			}
 
-			return outfmt.Write(out, newReleaseListWriter(results, client.TimeFormat, client.NoHeaders))
+			return outfmt.Write(out, newReleaseListWriter(results, client.TimeFormat, client.NoHeaders, settings.ShouldDisableColor()))
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -146,9 +147,10 @@ type releaseElement struct {
 type releaseListWriter struct {
 	releases  []releaseElement
 	noHeaders bool
+	noColor   bool
 }
 
-func newReleaseListWriter(releases []*release.Release, timeFormat string, noHeaders bool) *releaseListWriter {
+func newReleaseListWriter(releases []*release.Release, timeFormat string, noHeaders bool, noColor bool) *releaseListWriter {
 	// Initialize the array so no results returns an empty array instead of null
 	elements := make([]releaseElement, 0, len(releases))
 	for _, r := range releases {
@@ -173,26 +175,58 @@ func newReleaseListWriter(releases []*release.Release, timeFormat string, noHead
 
 		elements = append(elements, element)
 	}
-	return &releaseListWriter{elements, noHeaders}
+	return &releaseListWriter{elements, noHeaders, noColor}
 }
 
-func (r *releaseListWriter) WriteTable(out io.Writer) error {
+func (w *releaseListWriter) WriteTable(out io.Writer) error {
 	table := uitable.New()
-	if !r.noHeaders {
-		table.AddRow("NAME", "NAMESPACE", "REVISION", "UPDATED", "STATUS", "CHART", "APP VERSION")
+	if !w.noHeaders {
+		table.AddRow(
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("NAME", w.noColor),
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("NAMESPACE", w.noColor),
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("REVISION", w.noColor),
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("UPDATED", w.noColor),
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("STATUS", w.noColor),
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("CHART", w.noColor),
+			coloroutput.ColorizeHeader("APP VERSION", w.noColor),
+		)
 	}
-	for _, r := range r.releases {
-		table.AddRow(r.Name, r.Namespace, r.Revision, r.Updated, r.Status, r.Chart, r.AppVersion)
+	for _, r := range w.releases {
+		// Parse the status string back to a release.Status to use color
+		var status release.Status
+		switch r.Status {
+		case "deployed":
+			status = release.StatusDeployed
+		case "failed":
+			status = release.StatusFailed
+		case "pending-install":
+			status = release.StatusPendingInstall
+		case "pending-upgrade":
+			status = release.StatusPendingUpgrade
+		case "pending-rollback":
+			status = release.StatusPendingRollback
+		case "uninstalling":
+			status = release.StatusUninstalling
+		case "uninstalled":
+			status = release.StatusUninstalled
+		case "superseded":
+			status = release.StatusSuperseded
+		case "unknown":
+			status = release.StatusUnknown
+		default:
+			status = release.Status(r.Status)
+		}
+		table.AddRow(r.Name, coloroutput.ColorizeNamespace(r.Namespace, w.noColor), r.Revision, r.Updated, coloroutput.ColorizeStatus(status, w.noColor), r.Chart, r.AppVersion)
 	}
 	return output.EncodeTable(out, table)
 }
 
-func (r *releaseListWriter) WriteJSON(out io.Writer) error {
-	return output.EncodeJSON(out, r.releases)
+func (w *releaseListWriter) WriteJSON(out io.Writer) error {
+	return output.EncodeJSON(out, w.releases)
 }
 
-func (r *releaseListWriter) WriteYAML(out io.Writer) error {
-	return output.EncodeYAML(out, r.releases)
+func (w *releaseListWriter) WriteYAML(out io.Writer) error {
+	return output.EncodeYAML(out, w.releases)
 }
 
 // Returns all releases from 'releases', except those with names matching 'ignoredReleases'
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/release_testing.go b/pkg/cmd/release_testing.go
index 1dac28534..b43b67ca0 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/release_testing.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/release_testing.go
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ func newReleaseTestCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command
 				debug:        settings.Debug,
 				showMetadata: false,
 				hideNotes:    client.HideNotes,
+				noColor:      settings.ShouldDisableColor(),
 			}); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/root.go b/pkg/cmd/root.go
index 4eb5da494..f43ce7abe 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/root.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/root.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/fatih/color"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 
@@ -80,6 +81,8 @@ Environment variables:
 | $HELM_KUBETLS_SERVER_NAME          | set the server name used to validate the Kubernetes API server certificate                                 |
 | $HELM_BURST_LIMIT                  | set the default burst limit in the case the server contains many CRDs (default 100, -1 to disable)         |
 | $HELM_QPS                          | set the Queries Per Second in cases where a high number of calls exceed the option for higher burst values |
+| $HELM_COLOR                        | set color output mode. Allowed values: never, always, auto (default: never)                                |
+| $NO_COLOR                          | set to any non-empty value to disable all colored output (overrides $HELM_COLOR)                           |
 
 Helm stores cache, configuration, and data based on the following configuration order:
 
@@ -129,6 +132,20 @@ func SetupLogging(debug bool) {
 	slog.SetDefault(logger)
 }
 
+// configureColorOutput configures the color output based on the ColorMode setting
+func configureColorOutput(settings *cli.EnvSettings) {
+	switch settings.ColorMode {
+	case "never":
+		color.NoColor = true
+	case "always":
+		color.NoColor = false
+	case "auto":
+		// Let fatih/color handle automatic detection
+		// It will check if output is a terminal and NO_COLOR env var
+		// We don't need to do anything here
+	}
+}
+
 func newRootCmdWithConfig(actionConfig *action.Configuration, out io.Writer, args []string, logSetup func(bool)) (*cobra.Command, error) {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:          "helm",
@@ -161,6 +178,27 @@ func newRootCmdWithConfig(actionConfig *action.Configuration, out io.Writer, arg
 
 	logSetup(settings.Debug)
 
+	// Validate color mode setting
+	switch settings.ColorMode {
+	case "never", "auto", "always":
+		// Valid color mode
+	default:
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid color mode %q: must be one of: never, auto, always", settings.ColorMode)
+	}
+
+	// Configure color output based on ColorMode setting
+	configureColorOutput(settings)
+
+	// Setup shell completion for the color flag
+	_ = cmd.RegisterFlagCompletionFunc("color", func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string, _ string) ([]string, cobra.ShellCompDirective) {
+		return []string{"never", "auto", "always"}, cobra.ShellCompDirectiveNoFileComp
+	})
+
+	// Setup shell completion for the colour flag
+	_ = cmd.RegisterFlagCompletionFunc("colour", func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string, _ string) ([]string, cobra.ShellCompDirective) {
+		return []string{"never", "auto", "always"}, cobra.ShellCompDirectiveNoFileComp
+	})
+
 	// Setup shell completion for the namespace flag
 	err := cmd.RegisterFlagCompletionFunc("namespace", func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string, _ string) ([]string, cobra.ShellCompDirective) {
 		if client, err := actionConfig.KubernetesClientSet(); err == nil {
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/status.go b/pkg/cmd/status.go
index 2b1138786..aa836f9f3 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/status.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/status.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 
 	"k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/get"
 
+	coloroutput "helm.sh/helm/v4/internal/cli/output"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/action"
 	chartutil "helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/chart/v2/util"
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/cli/output"
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ func newStatusCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 				debug:        false,
 				showMetadata: false,
 				hideNotes:    false,
+				noColor:      settings.ShouldDisableColor(),
 			})
 		},
 	}
@@ -112,6 +114,7 @@ type statusPrinter struct {
 	debug        bool
 	showMetadata bool
 	hideNotes    bool
+	noColor      bool
 }
 
 func (s statusPrinter) WriteJSON(out io.Writer) error {
@@ -130,8 +133,8 @@ func (s statusPrinter) WriteTable(out io.Writer) error {
 	if !s.release.Info.LastDeployed.IsZero() {
 		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "LAST DEPLOYED: %s\n", s.release.Info.LastDeployed.Format(time.ANSIC))
 	}
-	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "NAMESPACE: %s\n", s.release.Namespace)
-	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "STATUS: %s\n", s.release.Info.Status.String())
+	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "NAMESPACE: %s\n", coloroutput.ColorizeNamespace(s.release.Namespace, s.noColor))
+	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "STATUS: %s\n", coloroutput.ColorizeStatus(s.release.Info.Status, s.noColor))
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "REVISION: %d\n", s.release.Version)
 	if s.showMetadata {
 		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "CHART: %s\n", s.release.Chart.Metadata.Name)
@@ -218,7 +221,7 @@ func (s statusPrinter) WriteTable(out io.Writer) error {
 
 	// Hide notes from output - option in install and upgrades
 	if !s.hideNotes && len(s.release.Info.Notes) > 0 {
-		fmt.Fprintf(out, "NOTES:\n%s\n", strings.TrimSpace(s.release.Info.Notes))
+		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(out, "NOTES:\n%s\n", strings.TrimSpace(s.release.Info.Notes))
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/upgrade.go b/pkg/cmd/upgrade.go
index ced4bb526..c3288286b 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/upgrade.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/upgrade.go
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ func newUpgradeCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 						debug:        settings.Debug,
 						showMetadata: false,
 						hideNotes:    instClient.HideNotes,
+						noColor:      settings.ShouldDisableColor(),
 					})
 				} else if err != nil {
 					return err
@@ -257,6 +258,7 @@ func newUpgradeCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 				debug:        settings.Debug,
 				showMetadata: false,
 				hideNotes:    client.HideNotes,
+				noColor:      settings.ShouldDisableColor(),
 			})
 		},
 	}