The Best Car Waxes for a Lasting Shine

Here are the best car waxes you can buy that will give you great results and help protect your paint.

Meguiar’s is a leading brand in car care and has many waxes in its lineup. Its Ultimate Liquid Wax is arguably the brand’s most popular offering and it’s one of our personal favorites. Seasoned auto detailers swear by this car wax for its ease of application/removal, affordable price, and durability.

The package comes with a special foam applicator and a microfiber cloth for buffing. Made with a long-lasting synthetic hydrophobic polymer, users report that it keeps water beading off longer than other products on the market, even after a few months after it was used. The company says it will give cars a deep and mirror-like shine, and it won’t leave a white residue on trim pieces that aren’t painted.

Your options for a Grade A natural carnauba wax in a spray bottle are limited, but car care specialists Chemical Guys not only makes one, but in a formulation that’s one of the best rated waxes available in any format.

Blazin’ Banana (and yes, we feel slightly silly every time we write that) is much faster than traditional paste waxes. As with all true waxes, you have a limited working time before you must start polishing, and that’s even more true with a fast drying spray wax. The upside is that the spray on, wipe off application is perfect for working fast, so it’s a lot easier to do the periodic maintenance and reapplication that wax needs.

Chemical Guys’ Blazin’ Banana spray wax promises a true carnauba wax shine in an easy to apply bottle, but is priced competitively with bargain car wax.

Griot’s Garage is a smooth wax that is easy to use and comes from a reputable company. It’s 100% carnauba wax content with no silicone, and is used on the world’s most renowned vehicles at Concours events like Pebble Beach, where the toughest judges are there to scrutinize small details like a car’s paint finish. The company says this wax will restore a paint’s finish, remove swirls, and make it look like new with a deep and clear shine that will last for months.

Because of the high carnauba content, a little goes a long way, so you don’t have to slather on this product to get the best results. You can even leave it on overnight and buff it out easily in the morning. It’s important to note that this wax doesn’t come with applicators or microfiber cloths, so you’ll have to buy them separately. Some users report that it isn’t as easy to buff out as other products, but the results are great.

This wet look wax is best suited for the darker-colored cars. The company says this all-natural wax will give your car a slick finish and a deep gloss. It also smells like, you guessed it, cherry. It’s not a bestseller, but it gets great 91% positive reviews. Many users say it’s a great liquid wax and UV sealant which gives you great results if you put in the work.

Cherry liquid car wax takes longer to dry to a haze than some other waxes, like the Editor’s Pick Meguiar’s wax, but they have similar results in the end. The longer working time may be helpful if you’re in warmer conditions where other carnauba waxes could dry out too fast; but it’ll definitely slow down the job in cooler conditions, which is when you really want to be waxing your car, anyway.

It’s important to note that this product doesn’t ship with applicators, so you’ll have to buy them separately.

Another product from industry leader Meguiar’s, this hydrophobic paste wax offers full synthetic protection for your paint, meaning water will just bead and roll right off. The company says application and removal are easy and is a one-step process, even if you’re using it in the sun. This wax is also a bestseller on Amazon and has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars with more than 1,800 reviews.

Detailers swear by this paste wax because it’s easy to apply and remove and lasts longer than expected. Users report that it smells nice, gets rid of paint swirls, leaves a great shine, and a smooth finish. Some also claim this paste wax lasts longer than Meguiar’s liquid wax, but it leaves residue on non-painted surfaces. This wax comes with an applicator and microfiber cloth.

Turtle Wax has been known in the car care industry for providing quality products at an affordable price. This recommendation includes water-repellency and UV protection to shield your paint from the damaging sunlight.

Spray waxes are generally not as good as liquid or paste waxes, but the company says this spray will give your car a professional-looking mirror-like shine and will even fill in swirl marks and small scratches. Spray waxes generally require less time and effort, but the results might not be as long-lasting — users are reporting that this lasts about a month, where other waxes can last a few months. This might be a good product to use when you don’t have time for a full wax, but perhaps shouldn’t be used to fully replace it.

Collinite’s detergent-proof wax is made of a high concentration of carnauba wax and synthetic wax and the company claims it can last a whole year. This easy-to-apply wax requires no hard rubbing or buffing, and it doesn’t need a special applicator. You can use this on your car, but also fine furniture, wood paneling, and fiberglass. This wax has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating and is a bestseller on Amazon.

Users stress that you follow the instructions because this wax isn’t like other waxes, but as long as you read the instructions carefully and prepare the car correctly, the results will be amazing. A lot of reviews point out that this wax it harder to remove than others and requires more work.

Formula 1 has been serving the car care market for more than three decades and this paste wax is a high-quality natural carnauba wax, which is made from the carnauba palm tree. The company says it will give you car a high gloss shine, and water beading that can last for up to 12 months. The key is “micro-polishers” that can almost erase minor scratches in a car’s paint and remove small contaminants while you wipe it away. This affordable sealant comes with a foam applicator, but not a microfiber towel for buffing.

Some users report that it made small scratches and swirls in their car’s clear coat disappear, but that it takes a bit more effort to use than liquid waxes.

Mothers is a trusted name in car care and offers a three-step system for getting a professional-looking finish for your car’s paint: a pre-wax cleaner, a sealer and glaze, and finally, a pure carnauba wax to finish. It might seem like a lot of work, but most waxes require you to fully wash and clay your car before waxing, so this kit takes the guesswork out.

Users are reporting great results with this kit, saying it’s easy to apply and wipe off, leaving a deep and long-lasting shine.