As much as insects are integral to agriculture and our way of living, it’s difficult to avoid them while you’re driving – cue the car cleaning products. They’re small, unpredictable in their movements and have clearly never read the highway code, making a few splatters inevitable. This is why you need to invest in the best insect remover on the market.
And you’ll notice that that splatter formerly known as a fly is a right pain to remove. Ex-insects love to stubbornly cling to your car and are not easily removed with water or ordinary car shampoo alone.
Insect removers are purposefully designed to lift these insects from your car gently and quickly without damaging your sparkling paintwork, and we’ve found our top picks and listed them below, looking for price, effectiveness and any extra cleaning power.
The best insect removers at a glance:
Editor’s choice: 26JPN Bug & Grime – Buy now from Amazon UK
Best sponge: Sonax Insect Sponge – Buy now from Amazon UK
Best for power washers: Kärcher Insect Remover – Buy now from Amazon UK
The best insect removers
Editor's choice
Pros
- Alkaline based
- Safe on paintwork
Cons
- Not for use on matt or wrapped finished
Rrp: £5.49
Rrp: £5.49
Pros
- Non-drip formula
- Precision control
Cons
- Not so good on other marks
Best sponge cleaner
Pros
- Suitable for glass, paint and plastic
- Effective but gentle on surfaces
Cons
- Smaller than expected
Best for convenience
Rrp: £4.49
Rrp: £4.49
Pros
- Convenient
- Safe on all surfaces
Cons
- Can leave some residue
Best for use with a pressure washer
Rrp: £9.99
Rrp: £9.99
Pros
- Comes in a handy spray bottle
- Ideal for use with pressure washers
Cons
- Not so good on glass
Why insect cleaners are worth having:
Insects can be tough to remove from your polished car paintwork for a few reasons. First, their bodies contain proteins and acids that can adhere strongly to the paint surface, making them difficult to remove. Then, as they dry out, they become even more stubborn to get off.
Additionally, a moving vehicle mean that insects hit the paint at high speeds, creating quite an impact. This can cause them to splatter and spread across a larger area, making it more challenging to clean as they become smeared and dried on.
Lastly, leaving bugs on car paint for too long can potentially damage the paintwork, especially in hot weather or under direct sunlight, as the compounds can react with the paint and lead to etching or staining if not cleaned promptly.
Insect cleaners contain specialized formulas that break down the proteins and acids found in bugs, making them easier to remove without damaging the paint. Often, the process involves spraying the affected area, allowing the cleaner to dwell for a short period to break down the insects’ remains and then gently wiping or rinsing the surface clean
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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