Best Microfiber Towels, Tested By Experts

There’s nothing worse than finding streaks, scratches, or water spots on your vehicle after a car wash or detailing. To avoid this, it’s smart to have one of the best microfiber towels available.

The best car drying towels are typically made from microfiber due to its absorbent properties. We tested towels with soft microfiber by conducting a car wash and then drying various panels of the car with each of our top picks for microfiber towels.

1. Best Overall: Mr. Siga Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
2. Best Size: Chemical Guys MIC_506_03
3. Best Value: Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
4. Best Feel: Chemical Guys Gray Woolly Mammoth
5. Also Consider: Carcovers.com Microfiber Car Towels

Microfiber towels are simple by design, as they are only meant to dry things off and clean up messes. However, that doesn’t mean that all microfiber towels are created equal. Generally, you’ll want to consider the following before you buy:

Size

The size of the microfiber towel you purchase is a personal choice, but it should line up with your intended use. If you’re looking for a towel that can get into all the nooks and crannies, then you might want a smaller towel. If you want a towel that can dry your car as quickly as possible, then you may opt for a larger or extra-large towel. However, it should be noted that the larger the towel you buy the more difficult it may become to wield and use.

Types Of Microfiber

Microfiber by definition is 100 times finer than a single human hair. That doesn’t mean that every microfiber towel features the same fibers or even the same blend of materials. It should be noted that not all microfiber towels are meant to be used on your car. Below, is a list of common types of microfiber towels you may encounter:

• General use: This towel is 80/20 and 220.0 GSM. It’s best used for all-purpose cleaning.
• Safe: This towel is 75/25 and 360.0 GSM. It’s best for applying wax, buffing, and polishing, making them great automotive detailing towels.
• Delicate: This towel is 75/25 and 600.0 GSM. It’s best for more delicate surfaces.
• Safer: This towel is 75/25 and 400.0 GSM. These washcloths are fine for use on most surfaces.
• Safest: This towel is 70/30 and 600.0 GSM. These multi-purpose wash towels are safe to use on all surfaces and work for car care.
• Glass: This towel is 80/20 and 350.0 GSM. It’s best used for drying and glass cleaning.

Towel Edges

It may seem nitpicky, but after the edges of a microfiber towel blemish your car’s paint, you’ll be kicking yourself for not considering your towel edge. Towel edges are often the most overlooked part of a towel, but they can oftentimes cause the most damage. While the towel itself may be made from soft microfiber, the edges of these towels may not.

We recommend that you find an edgeless towel or one with a rolled edge. The soft edges of these towels will assure that you don’t damage your car’s exterior. If you feel like you must have a towel with edges, we recommend those that are silk-banded, made from silk, or those that are microfiber stitched as the soft material won’t leave scratches behind.

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The Mr. Siga Microfiber Cleaning Cloth is a microfiber towel consisting of 85 percent polyester and 15 percent nylon, making it non-abrasive and extremely absorbent. Featuring high-quality stitching with reinforced edges, these microfiber towels won’t unravel and should last through hundreds of washings.

These microfiber towels are lightweight, which means they dry quickly. The soft microfiber won’t scrape paint off of your car’s paint job and additionally won’t leave streaks behind. In terms of use and care, the manufacturer recommends hand or machine washing the towels separately with water colder than 104.0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $1 per towel
• Includes 12 towels
• Lint- and streak-free
• Extremely durable

Our Experience

Not only is this towel extremely absorbent, but it also doesn’t leave a trace behind after use and came out of the washing machine looking brand new.

• Absorbency: Compared to the other microfiber towels we tested, the Mr. Siga towel offers remarkable absorptive abilities. Without needing to wipe over and over again, this car drying towel easily absorbed all of the water and moisture left on a car’s body after a car wash.
• Undetectability: After careful examination by multiple members of our product testing team, we could not find a single piece of lint or any scratches left behind. Additionally, there were no streak marks left on the car’s exterior.
• Durability: Upon removing this microfiber towel from the washing machine, it looked new. There were no loose bits of lint left behind in the washing machine or on the towel, and there weren’t any unraveling strands of fiber. 

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.7 out of 5 based on over 67,000 reviews

Reviews speak to the microfiber towel’s ability to clean up grime and its functionality on delicate surfaces. Many reviewers also mention how lint-free it is when wiping down surfaces. A number of reviewers warn that although you can reuse these towels, you shouldn’t use dryer sheets or fabric softener when you throw them in the washing machine, as the cloth may become less absorbent.

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The Chemical Guys MIC_506_03 features a 70/30 blend, the first number representing the ratio of polyester and the second noting the ratio of polyamide.

The product description notes that this towel is great for buffing sealants or dried car wax and wiping away moisture. This car drying towel also features silk edges to further reduce scratches. The towel’s density, measured in grams per square meter (GSM), is 380.0. This microfiber towel is dual-sided, allowing you the ability to choose how much pile you need.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $4.50 per towel
• Silk edges
• 380.0 GSM
• Dual-sided pile

Our Experience

There’s a lot to appreciate about the Chemical Guys towel, especially its size. This towel was perfectly sized to allow for wiping while still being large enough to make the task of drying a car easier.

• Absorbency: The microfiber towel was more absorbent than the vast majority of towels that our team tested. Its size made drying a car very easy.
• Undetectability: This towel was almost completely undetectable after use. It left behind no lint, and most importantly, it didn’t leave behind any scratches on the car’s paint. There was one nearly unnoticeable swirl mark.
• Durability: This towel emerged from the washing machine almost looking brand new. There weren’t any loose strands of material, and there wasn’t any loss of absorbency. However, its color did appear to fade in the washing machine.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.7 out of 5 based on over 5,000 reviews

Reviews note the excellent absorbency of the microfiber towel on its long pile side, as well as its car cleaning and buffing functionality. Many reviewers believe this product is a professional-grade premium microfiber towel.

Negative reviews forewarn that you need to shake and wring out these towels before using them to get rid of any loose lint in the packaging.

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The Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths come in a pack of 24 for the same price that most competitors charge for 1 to 3 cloths. This microfiber towel is a 90/10 blend consisting of 90 percent polyester and 10 percent polyamide.

These towels are extremely soft and durable, with the manufacturer claiming the towels can be washed “hundreds of times.” This is not the only claim made by the manufacturer in the product description, as this car drying towel should be able to absorb eight times its own weight. Additionally, the product is lint-free and streak-free with 186.0 GSM.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $.50 per towel
• 90/10 microfiber
• Comes in a 24-pack
• Machine-washable

Our Experience

The first thing our team noticed about the Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth is its value. Although value and cost aren’t criteria categories for our testing, it’s hard to ignore the sheer number of towels you receive for such an affordable price.

• Absorbency: Though the Amazon Basics microfiber towels are lightweight and relatively small in size, they’re surprisingly absorbent. Our team found that even if you’ve used up all of the absorbent properties of one towel, it’s nice to know you have 23 more to go through.
• Undetectability: After rinsing off a car following a car wash and drying it with the Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, there were no signs anyone used a car drying towel at all. These towels were 100 percent lint-free and didn’t scratch the paint. Additionally, there were no swirl marks or streak marks left on the vehicle’s exterior.
• Durability: We pulled this towel out of the washing machine and were surprised at how well it held up. Albeit being a thin and lightweight towel, there were only a few loose strands of material that unraveled in the wash.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.7 out of 5 based on over 3,000 reviews

Reviews speak to the cleaning cloth being excellent for car detailing and its durability even after being put through a washing machine several times over. Many reviewers mention the incredible value of the Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth.

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The Chemical Guys MIC1995 Gray Woolly Mammoth is enormous, just like the extinct animal it’s named after. This dual-sided microfiber towel has a 1.0-inch thick microfiber pile and is 36.0 by 25.0 inches. To avoid leaving any scratches behind, this towel has silk-banded edges so 100 percent of your towel is used in the car drying process.

The edges of this towel are not only silk-banded but also microfiber-stitched. The product description asserts that this car drying towel can hold over a gallon of water and dry an entire car in just one pass. This microfiber towel consists of a 70/30 polyester to polyamide ratio.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $30
• 36.0- by 25.0-inch towels
• Silk-banded edges
• Microfiber stitched

Our Experience

The Chemical Guys MIC1995 Gray Woolly Mammoth is a massive microfiber towel. While size wasn’t considered a testing criterion, the size of this towel is its biggest plus and largest takeaway. Its size means it easily absorbs moisture but makes actually using the towel a bit overwhelming.

• Absorbency: This towel is unequivocally the most absorptive microfiber towel that we researched or tested. The sheer size alone makes drying a car much easier and its material makeup only further improves the absorbency of this towel.
• Undetectability: The Gray Woolly Mammoth, true to its name, does include an immense number of fibers and is very shaggy. While this worked well in our absorbency test category, it meant that bits of lint and strands of fiber were left all over the car’s exterior.
• Durability: Upon pulling this towel out of the washing machine, it looked fairly good. Following further inspection, however, there was a lot of lint and numerous balls of microfiber left on the inside of the washing machine.

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.7 out of 5 based on over 5,700 reviews

Reviews mention the microfiber cleaning towel’s thickness and softness, alongside its moisture absorption properties. Many reviewers speak to the sheer size of the Chemical Guys MIC1995 Gray Woolly Mammoth compared to paper towels or other microfiber towels for cars. Negative reviews mention this product’s tendency to leave lint behind.

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Designed to help you keep your vehicle clean, the Carcovers.com Microfiber Car Towels are a quality option. Conveniently sized, this microfiber towel felt good in the hand, yet still offered ample space to apply wax or dry the exterior of your car. Additionally, this microfiber towel can be used for interior detailing and auto glass cleaning.

These microfiber towels come in a pack of 36, so you’ll have plenty to use before you’ll need to wash them. However, these microfiber towels are machine-washable, which makes reusing them a breeze.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $1 per towel
• Lint-free
• Made from high-tech microfiber
• Machine-washable

Our Experience

The Carcovers.com Microfiber Car Towels came across as quite capable through our testing process.

• Absorbency: Our product testing team noted that it felt like the towel moved the water around more than it dried up the moisture. This towel was dripping wet nearly immediately after placing it on a recently hosed-down car exterior.
• Undetectability: Following rigorous testing and thorough inspection, our team found that this microfiber towel isn’t entirely lint-free. However, we did notice a few streaks and swirl marks on the car’s paint – though they were nearly undetectable.
• Durability: The towel bled color in the washing machine and therefore faded in color. Additionally, the edges of this microfiber towel were already unraveling when first used out of the box.

What Customers Are Saying

There are many customer reviews online for the Carcovers.com Microfiber Car Towels. Many reviewers point to the quality of this microfiber towel. Several reviewers also mentioned previously purchasing a car cover from this company, so they knew that they could trust this microfiber towel.

A team member tested each product on a car, taking note of how well the microfiber towel absorbed water, if it left any scratches, and its durability after being machine washed. Each microfiber towel was given a rating out of 5 stars based on this criteria.

• Absorbency: Arguably the most important characteristic of a microfiber towel is its ability to absorb moisture. Our product testing team used each microfiber towel to dry a panel of a car after a car wash to test its absorbent properties.
• Undetectability: This testing criterion combines three separate testing categories: whether a microfiber towel is lint-free, whether it leaves behind streaks, and if it is scratch-resistant. Our team carefully examined each panel of the car to check for lint, streaks, and scratches left on the car’s exterior after drying.
• Durability: To get the most out of a microfiber towel, it should be reusable. Keeping this in mind, a member of our product testing team took home the used microfiber towels to machine wash them. Following the towels being washed, we checked each towel to see if it lost any absorbency or unraveled in the washing machine.

The microfiber towels in this article went through two rounds of reviews. We started by searching Amazon for top products, looking at factors like Prime shipping eligibility, customer ratings, Amazon superlatives, and prices. Our product testing team ordered the five microfiber towels that best met these standards.

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.

*Data accurate at time of publication.