Best Car Waxes, Tested

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.

1. Best Paste Wax: P21S Carnauba Wax
2. Best Liquid Wax: Meguiar’s G210516 Ultimate Liquid Wax
3. Best Spray Wax: CSI Q-7 Wax
4. Most Protection: Collinite No. 845
5. Best Budget Option: Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax

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Wax Type: Paste
Cost: Around $65

P21S Carnauba Wax has been around for quite some time and remains one of the best car waxes. While this product has a higher price per ounce than others, a dab of P21S goes a long way, making the overall cost comparable to other waxes in the long run.

Our Experience

We found the P21S Carnauba Wax extremely easy to apply. A minimal amount is needed to cover a large area, the wax spreads extremely smoothly, and the wide-mouthed container simplifies the application process.

We applied this car wax in the summer, but it may be more difficult to apply when it’s colder outside. The wax must be soft to spread easily, but once applied, it looks great and provides durable protection.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.3 out of 5 based on over 85 ratings

Carnauba wax is easy to apply, and many reviewers mention that this product lasts a long time.

While the price of P21S Carnauba Wax is on the higher end, you don’t need to use as much carnauba wax as you would with a liquid or spray-on wax. The product does receive some negative reviews, with a couple of users finding that the wax lasted a disappointingly brief amount of time. Some also note that this thick wax isn’t the best wax for black cars.

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Wax Type: Liquid
Cost: Around $22

The Meguiar’s brand consistently offers high-quality car care products, and the company’s wheel cleaner scored well in our review of the best wheel cleaners. Meguiar’s offers a number of excellent car waxes, but we like Meguiar’s G210516 Ultimate Liquid Wax the most. The product can be applied easily, offers top-notch protection, and lasts for a long time.

Our Experience

Meguiar’s Ultimate Liquid Wax is as easy to apply as it gets without a spray applicator. The product rubs in and buffs out relatively easily, and the results can be seen almost immediately.

After several weeks, Meguiar’s held up and offered protection bested only by the P21S 12700W Carnauba Wax. It was actually difficult to tell the difference between the two best car waxes. Each created a protective layer that allowed tree sap and dirt to be easily rinsed from the hood of our test vehicle with no extra buffing required.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Liquid Wax comes with a microfiber towel and a buffing pad, extras that no other wax on this list included. These items aren’t expensive or difficult to find, and if you regularly detail or wax your car, you may already have them. However, if you’re waxing your car for the first time, it may be convenient to have these tools included.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.6 out of 5 based on over 2,200 ratings

Two characteristics consistently stand out in customer reviews: the ease of application and the longevity of this wax. A couple of reviewers say this wax appears oily on their vehicles. However, we didn’t notice this issue in our tests on a white car.

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Wax Type: Spray
Cost: Around $27

Spray waxes are generally the easiest type of car wax to apply. The downside to spray waxes is that they often aren’t as long-lasting or protective as paste or liquid car waxes. CSI Q-7 Wax offers excellent protection that stands above many liquid waxes, though.

Our Experience

This wax was the simplest to apply evenly over our test car’s paint. The spray bottle eliminates the need for dabbing and prevents the clumping that can happen with paste waxes. However, the CSI Q-7 Wax sprays on so thinly that it can be tough to tell where it has already been applied while you’re buffing.

The protection afforded by CSI Q-7 Wax rivaled our recommendations for the best car waxes that come as paste or liquid. Upon close inspection, it doesn’t appear to protect your vehicle quite as well, though customers may not mind due to the product’s ease of use.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.8 out of 5 based on over 25 ratings

Though there aren’t a large number of Amazon reviews for CSI Q-7 Wax, ratings are consistently high. Customers are impressed with the length and level of protection afforded by the CSI Q-7 Wax, especially given how easy it is to apply.

There aren’t particularly many negative comments regarding this product. Some say it’s not as effective as the majority of reviewers seem to believe, and one person had an issue with quality control.

Check Price

Wax Type: Liquid
Cost : Around $20

Collinite No. 845 stands as both a high-quality and inexpensive liquid wax. It’s a bit of a pain to apply since you have to warm the wax first, but after that, it goes on easily and provides long-lasting protection.

Our Experience

Like all of the best car waxes, Collinite No. 845 protected the paint on our test vehicle excellently. While some other waxes appeared to offer slightly stronger protection, it was difficult to tell the difference except under extremely careful scrutiny.

Although the instructions on this wax say you’ll need to warm it in the sun or in warm water before application, we were able to use it right out of the bottle. Our testing was performed in North Carolina during summer, so experiences may be different in winter.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.8 out of 5 based on over 3,500 ratings

Many Collinite No. 845 users are dedicated fans because of the wax’s protection and longevity.

According to some reviewers, Collinite No. 845 can be somewhat difficult to apply. We didn’t experience any major problems during our testing process, but the wax might be trickier to use in colder climates.

A few reviewers complain that Collinite No. 845 doesn’t look as good on dark-colored vehicles.

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Wax Type: Liquid
Cost: Around $20

Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax is a low-cost option that offers decent protection and is easy to apply. Another plus is that customers can purchase the wax by the gallon online.

Our Experience

This wax is simple to apply, looks excellent, and offers decent protection. However, it doesn’t stand out quite as much as others on this list, at least on our white test vehicle. The differences are difficult to notice without looking closely, but this wax is slightly less effective than some of the other best car waxes.

You may find that you prefer the look and shine of Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax depending on your vehicle’s color. If you’re still looking for the best car waxes for your vehicle, this product is certainly worth a try.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.6 out of 5 based on over 13,000 ratings

Positive customer reviews point out that this wax offers a high-quality shine that enhances paint’s appearance.

Even negative reviews mention that this car wax is very easy to apply, but some reviewers feel it doesn’t offer long-lasting protection. With our test car, we found that the wax’s protection was comparable to other top-quality waxes. It should be noted that it rained on our test car several times after we applied Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax, yet no sections of the vehicle turned yellow.

The reasons to use car wax are to improve your vehicle’s appearance and protect your paint job. The best way to produce an even and consistent shine on a car’s surface is to use car wax or ceramic coating.

Most modern vehicles have three paint layers: a base coat, a top coat, and a clear coat. The base and top coats add color to the frame while the clear coat provides a layer of protection. Dirt, accidents, rocks, and the sun gradually wear on your vehicle. In time, any car’s clearcoat surface will become rough and uneven.

When applied, car wax fills in the various imperfections in the clear coat. As you buff, the top layer of wax is wiped away while the bits of wax that fill the clear coat holes remain The result is a smooth even surface that will produce optimum shine.

Of course, even after a wax is applied, the clear coat will continue to sustain damage and any car wax will wear away. Typically, you will need to re-wax your vehicle every 3 months. However, ceramic coatings, which perform a similar function, last much longer (though are more difficult to properly apply).

While each type of car wax (paste, liquid, and spray) has a slightly different application method, some steps for effectively applying a car wax are common across any type of wax.

Prepare

Applying a car wax will seal in any imperfections already present in the paint. Wax adds a layer of protection and some shine, but won’t correct imperfections in the paint. If your car is dirty, waxing it will only cause it to look worse.

To prepare your car for waxing, you’ll need to do the following:

• Wash your vehicle: Use car soap or take your vehicle to a car wash.
• Clay bar: A clay bar or clay mitt should be used to pick up any smaller pieces of dirt and debris embedded in your car’s paint.
• Polish: Polish your vehicle with one of the best car polishes. Car polish can remove minor scratches and evens out your car’s paint job.

Wax

Once your car has been prepped, it’s time to apply a wax. You can apply car wax by hand or by using a dual-action or random orbital polisher. Using a polisher can save you a lot of time and effort. You’ll want to apply the polish in a circular motion and to one section of the car at a time.  It’s also a good idea to avoid applying a wax in direct sunlight, so find a shaded area.

Wax Again

To get the full benefits of a car wax and achieve long-lasting protection, you’ll need to apply several coats. Generally, between three and five coats will produce the best results.

When selecting the best car waxes for your vehicle, consider the type of wax, the color of your vehicle, and which other products need to be purchased to effectively wax your car.

Type Of Wax

There are three general categories of at-home car waxes: spray wax, paste wax, and liquid wax.

• Spray waxes are the easiest to apply but usually offer the lowest level of protection.
• Paste waxes offer the most protection but tend to be more difficult to apply and more costly.
• Liquid waxes often sit somewhere in between, lasting longer than spray waxes but easier to apply than paste waxes.

There are various types of car waxes, from cleaner waxes that remove contaminants to others that attempt to cover up minor scratches and blemishes. It may be hard to find an all-in-one car wax that prevents oxidation, offers UV protection, and gives you the look of a new car at the showroom. However, the best car waxes offer quality and long-lasting protection at competitive prices.

The look of each car wax type is slightly different, so you may want to experiment with every kind to decide which is the best pick for you.

Natural Wax Vs. Synthetic Wax

Natural car waxes are made from carnauba oil and/or beeswax. These waxes offer a high shine but are not especially long-lasting.

Synthetic car waxes consist of lab-made polymers and sealants. While synthetic waxes don’t typically produce as bright a shine as natural wax, they last longer. Some synthetic waxes contain carnauba as well as lab compounds to improve overall shine.

Some car owners choose to use both types of waxes, applying a synthetic base coat and then a natural carnauba topcoat for maximum sheen and longevity.

Vehicle Color

Some of the best car waxes look impressive on darker-colored vehicles, while others stand out on light vehicles. You may need to shop around to figure out which wax works best on your vehicle’s paint job.

Other Materials

Before you wax your vehicle, you’ll need to clean it with soap and water to remove dirt and debris. With this in mind, in addition to car wax, purchase a foam applicator and a microfiber cloth for buffing. We also recommend you buy a clay mitt to prepare your car for wax application. All these things can be found online:

• Foam applicator
• Microfiber cloth
• Clay mitt

Most car waxes must be reapplied every one to four months. If you plan to wax your car often, consider purchasing car wax in bulk.

If you have a preference for how your wax is applied, we have you covered. We believe the P21S Carnauba Wax is the best paste wax available, but if you prefer liquids, Meguiar’s Ultimate Liquid Wax is the best option. For a spray-on wax, we love the CSI Q-7 Wax.

*Data accurate at time of publication.