The Best Car Waxes for a Beautiful, Shiny Car
First things first, what are you looking for? As many different types of waxes are available on the market, you need to know your needs and make the decision appropriately, as other waxes perform different functions and should be used accordingly. Here are some of the most commonly found types and their uses:
Best Car Waxes
Will has written for several major auto sites including Motor1 since 2020, logging hundreds of hours researching and testing products ranging from child car seats to torque wrenches. Will is also Certified by Safe Kids Worldwide as a Child Passenger Safety Technician (#T836339).
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A paste-style wax that’s durable, long-lasting, and easy to apply.
A long-lasting wax for high-level protection and shine.
An easily applied spray wax that’s effective and long-lasting.
An easy-to-apply gel wax to be used with a wax prep clay gel cleaner, which replaces a clay bar in the waxing process.
A low-cost liquid wax with high streak-free shine. Great for the price.
The best car waxes can protect your car’s paint from dirt, tree sap, and damage from UV rays. While car wax won’t restore your paint job, it does provide an extra layer of clear coat protection and makes your vehicle easier to clean. You can pay a professional detailer to wax your car, but it’s relatively easy to apply car wax yourself. There are many standout car waxes on the market, so your best choice will depend on your budget, your vehicle’s color, and local weather. In this review, we’ll recommend our top five picks, explain the types of automotive wax, and offer tips to help you pick the best car wax for your needs. All of these recommended waxes were easy to apply, protected our test car’s paint job well, and continue to receive strong customer ratings online. Below, we’ll explain exactly why we deem these products the best car waxes that car guys and girls will love.
Our Review Standards
We primarily considered three factors when evaluating the best car waxes: protection, longevity, and ease of application. All five products we tested performed sufficiently well in these categories, though each held specific strengths. Protection The best car waxes improve your car’s appearance and protect its paint from dirt, bird droppings, tree sap, and other factors that could cause damage. After applying a good car wax, you should be able to simply rinse debris off your vehicle with a hose or a basic car wash. Our protection score is based on how well a car wax repels water and dirt after application. Car waxes that rinse easily score best in this category. Longevity The longer a car wax lasts, the less often you’ll need to apply it. Even if a wax is somewhat difficult to apply, it could be less hassle in the long run if it lasts for several months. The typical car wax lasts at least a month, but some of the best car waxes can last for more than three months. Our longevity rating is based on how long a car wax lasts before it must be reapplied, waxes that hold up for more than a month receive the highest ratings in this category. Ease of Application It’s not particularly enjoyable when a car wax is hard to apply. We considered the simplicity and speed of applying each product to find the five best car waxes. The car waxes that applied quickly and required little buffing scored best in this category. Cost We’ll also mention the cost per ounce for the best car waxes (based on prices at the time of this article’s most recent update). Many of these products can be bought in larger quantities than the standard 16.0 ounces, lowering their cost per ounce. Keep in mind that paste waxes typically cover more surface area per ounce than spray waxes.
Best Car Waxes Testing Process
To select the best car waxes, we started by combing through reviews to find products that were easy to use, long-lasting, and extremely protective. We also aimed to test multiple types of waxes at differing price points. Our ratings reflect both our experiences and what customers have to say. Some car waxes may perform better on certain vehicles or in certain climates, so consider results on more than just our test car. Each recommended wax was tested on a white car following the directions on the package. We applied each car wax to parts of the hood and the sides of the vehicle and monitored them to see which wax offered the longest-lasting protection. All of our recommended waxes protected the test car’s paint job for about three months, so they should last far longer than a month. Our test car is regularly parked under a tree that drops a fair amount of sap. From our experience, every one of the best car waxes makes wiping tree sap off of paint surfaces easy. Why You Can Trust Us Each year, we test over 350 auto products on vehicles and in our testing lab. Our team of product testers thoroughly researches top products, unboxes and puts our hands on each component, and tests the items on real vehicles before making recommendations to readers. We publish hundreds of product and service reviews to bring car enthusiasts detailed guides on automotive tools, detailing kits, car seats, pet products, and much more. For more information on our testing methodology and how we evaluate every product, check out our methodology page here.
6 Best Car Waxes
- Best Paste Wax: P21S Carnauba Wax
- Best Liquid Wax: Meguiar’s G210516 Ultimate Liquid Wax
- Best Spray Wax: CSI Q-7 Wax
- Best Gel Wax: WeatherTech TechCare Carnauba Gel Wax
- Best Budget Option: Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax
- Most Protection: Collinite No. 845
The Best Car Waxes for a Beautiful, Shiny Car
If you’re anything like me, you’ve invested a decent amount of time and money in your car. No matter how old my car is, I still want it to look in tip-top condition. That’s why I give it so much love and attention through maintenance and car washes. Over the years, I found that with a coat of car wax, my car can look its best. Better yet, applying car wax will increase the paint job’s life and even eliminate any light scratches that might’ve accumulated through regular driving.
When shopping for wax, I only want the highest quality. That’s why I did the research and found the best car waxes of 2023 to share with you. I’ve also included a comprehensive buyer’s guide to help you pick the most appropriate one for your ride.
- Adam’s Polishes Car Wax – Best Overall
- Meguiar’s Ceramic Car Wax – Amazing Quality
- Car Guys Hybrid Car Wax – Most Versatile
- Chemical Guys Butter Wet Car Wax – High Shine Finish
- Turtle Car Wax – Quality Spray Wax
- Collinite Liquid Insulator Car Wax – For Professional Use
Finding The Best Car Wax: A Buyer’s Guide
Your car deserves the finest treatment possible. I’m a strong believer in maintaining your vehicle so that it can last as long as possible while still looking great. To help you choose the best wax for your car’s needs, I wrote this handy buyer’s guide below.
Factors to Consider
Type of wax
First things first, what are you looking for? As many different types of waxes are available on the market, you need to know your needs and make the decision appropriately, as other waxes perform different functions and should be used accordingly. Here are some of the most commonly found types and their uses:
- Spray wax: This type of wax comes in a spray bottle you can use directly on your car and rub it in. While I like how easy spray wax is to use, it only provides a basic level of protection. I suggest only using it in case of an emergency fix or as a temporary solution before buying a different wax.
- Paste wax: The best type is likely paste wax, as evidenced by professionals and detailers who use this. If you’re willing to put a lot of time and research into waxing your car, this wax is the way to go. Although this wax can be expensive, it provides long-term protection and can even eliminate small to medium scratches. To learn how to apply this paste wax, check out this YouTube video.
- Liquid wax: Liquid wax lies between paste and spray in terms of quality and efficiency. Although it is not as difficult to apply as paste, it still requires a decent amount of attention. The level of protection provided also doesn’t rise to that of paste wax. However, I find it much better than spray wax, so it’s a good compromise if you don’t have the time for paste.
Color of the vehicle
This may sound trivial, but if you want great results from your car wax, you need to consider the color of your vehicle. Some of the leading waxes on the market are made specifically for lighter or darker colors, and to make sure that your car looks as good as it can, pick a wax appropriate for the color of your vehicle.
Additional tools
It can be quite a hassle to pick up a wax and application tool separately, so why not seek a product that provides all the essential tools in one package? I suggest you pick a product that includes a foam applicator and microfiber cloth to ensure a seamless buffing experience. You can also look for a clay mitt that will allow you to prepare your car for wax application.
Car Waxing Tips Before You Get Started
Read the instructions
Some car waxes come with special instructions; for example, the product might need to sit for a while to haze properly. To make sure that you apply it correctly, I recommend always going through the instruction manual provided with the product.
No circles
Mr. Miyagi lied to us as “wax on, wax off” doesn’t work in real life. It has been proven that the optimal method of applying wax to your car is in a single clear coat with a back-and-forth motion rather than a circular motion.
Get a clay bar kit
Removing any contamination from your car’s exterior before applying the wax is always a good practice and will save you from needing multiple coats of wax. Getting a clay bar kit or a clay mitt will enable you to eliminate all that and prepare your car for waxing.