The best car drying towels for a scratch-free finish

Written by Ryan Gilmore Published: 26 November 2022 Updated: 19 March 2024

You wouldn’t take a bath or a shower without using a drying towel on your own bodywork afterwards, but sometimes the drying process of a good car wash with good car cleaning products is easily overlooked. So much time and energy go into using the various cleaning tools and methods (clay bars, snow foam, even special brushes) that by the time the last product has been washed off, you’ve kind of had enough and can be tempted just to leave it to air dry.

But in doing that, you open yourself up to the appearance of unsightly water spots all over your freshly cleaned bodywork. And while you can use a chamois towel (Don’t, it wrecks your paint!), investing in some proper drying towels will leave your car looking excellent.

We’ve been having a look around to see what kind of drying towels are available just now. Here’s our pick of the bunch.

The best drying towels at a glance:

Editor’s choice: Detailers United – Hydro Hoover XL – Buy now from Amazon UK

Best mid-sized drying towel: Meguiar’s Supreme Microfibre Car Cleaning Drying Towel XL – Buy now from Amazon UK

Best multi-pack: Glart 443TPO Premium Plush 3-Piece Set – Buy now from Amazon UK

The best drying towels

What you need to know about car drying towels:

What features are important?

Like toothpaste and its ability to clean teeth, the primary aspect in a drying towel is how effectively it can dry your paintwork. The two main factors to this are the towel’s density in grams per square metre (gsm) and the overall size. A larger towel will cover more bodywork and take longer to become saturated but generally is more expensive to buy.

The density of a towel (gsm) is also worth considering. A higher gsm usually correlates to better absorbency and quicker drying. The obvious downside being the long drying times these need once they’re saturated.

Other features to look for in a good drying towel are how the edges are constructed. Wrapped edges in particular, are good to look for as these limit the chance of leaving swirl marks on the paintwork.

How to properly dry a car:

You may think that drying a car is as simple as running your drying towel over the body and waiting for the car to dry, but there are far more effective ways to clean your car. We have a few top tips to help you dry your car more effectively after a good shampoo wash:

Working your way down is the best way to avoid streaks. If you dry the sills before the windows, you’ll soon notice water droplets making their way down onto your paintwork.

Don’t scrunch your towel up. Make use of the full surface area and drape the towel over the bodywork. This will make drying quicker and more effective.

Remember to turn your towel frequently. This will prevent it from becoming sodden.

For the best results, open your doors, boot and bonnet when the car is nearly dry so you can catch any water that has accumulated in the sills.

Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers and CAR, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. With an MA in Automotive Journalism, when he’s not testing buckets he can be found looking at old Porsches.

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