Choosing to wash your car at home will save you money – and the best way to ensure a flawless finish is using the best car shampoo. Automatic car washes have hard bristles that can scratch paintwork, while hand car wash services may use abrasive chemicals for a quicker clean. You need two liquids to clean your car: water and shampoo. A good shampoo does more than simply remove grit and grime; it also protects paintwork against degradation and corrosion – making your car last longer and enhancing its value. Put the work in with a wash mitt, and you’ll reap the rewards at resale time.
Simply washing your car with water won’t be sufficient to remove tough blemishes such as dead bugs and bird mess. Equally, you should never use washing-up liquid, which is abrasive and can strip the paint of protection and damage rubber seals. Car shampoos often create a rich foam that loosens stubborn stains and lubricates the paint surface, reducing swirl marks and helping dirt rinse easily away. It will make your job easier and leave the car cleaner; a win-win.
Choosing the right car shampoo can be confusing. Thankfully, we’ve hand-picked the best products to suit different needs and budgets – based on real-world testing and feedback. All will give your car a showroom-fresh finish without the need for too much elbow grease. We’ve deliberately steered clear of the ultra-high-end products used by car detailing experts, focusing instead on excellent shampoos at affordable prices. From wash-and-wax and ceramic options to simple car shampoo – we’ve aimed to cover all bases.
The best car shampoos at a glance:
• Editor’s choice: Gtechniq GWash – Buy now on Amazon UK
• Best premium car shampoo: Autoglym UHD Shampoo – Buy now from Amazon UK
• Best car shampoo for deep cleaning: Autobrite Direct Decon Shampoo – Buy now from Amazon UK
The best car shampoos in detail:
Editor's choice
In fact, in order to find any criticism with GWash, we needed to start picking some seriously small nits. Even then, the best we could find was that there is no time frame given for biodegradability. As a basic car shampoo, it's pretty much faultless.
Read our full review of Gtechniq GWash here
Pros
- Excellent cleaning ability
- Can be heavily diluted
- Easy to use
Cons
- No timeframe given on biodegradability
| Volume | 250ml, 500ml, 1000ml (Featured), 5000ml |
| Biodegradable | Yes |
| pH neutral | Yes |
| Extras | N/a |
Best premium car shampoo
It's undoubtedly an expensive choice, especially as you only get 25 washes from one bottle. However, if you want to treat your car's paintwork and bring out a really deep lustre, it's a really good option.
Read our full review of Autoglym UHD Shampoo here
Pros
- Excellent cleaning ability
- Very slick to use
- The smell
Cons
- Works best if prevented from drying before rinsing
| Volume | 1000ml |
| Biodegradable | Yes |
| pH Neutral | Yes |
| Extras | Fancy storage box |
Best ceramic-infused car shampoo
We'd recommend this shampoo primarily for topping up an existing ceramic coating as the protection offered won't be enough to offer any meaningful protection on an untreated panel.
Read our full review of Autobead Ceramic Shampoo here
Pros
- Super-slick to use
- Good value for money
Cons
- Protection won't compare to wax
| Volume | 500ml |
| Biodegradable | Yes |
| pH Neutral | N/A |
| Extras | Si02 technology tops up existing paint protection |
Best car shampoo for deep cleaning
The only real issue we could find with this shampoo is that it's overkill if you're not wiping away some serious filth. If you have a regular car washing schedule, then the chances are you'll never have a car dirty enough to warrant a shampoo like this. This shampoo only makes sense for a really deep clean.
Read our full review of Autobrite Direct Decon Shampoo here
Pros
- Excellent cleaning abilities
- Eco-friendly formula
Cons
- Overkill on moderately dirty cars
| Volume | 500ml |
| Biodegradable | Yes |
| pH Neutral | Yes |
| Extras | Strong formulation |
Best shampoo for the summer months
The big selling point is that this shampoo can dry safely on bodywork and then be washed away without leaving any residue whatsoever. Good news for anyone who has to wash a car in the summer months and cannot move their car into the shade.
Read our full review of Soft99 pH Neutral Creamy Shampoo here
Pros
- Ideal for cleaning a car in the sun
- Low scratch risk for paintwork
Cons
- Not the strongest cleaner
| Volume | 1000ml |
| Biodegradable | Yes |
| pH Neutral | Yes |
| Extras | Safe to dry on paintwork |
How to use car shampoos
As you’ve probably gathered by now, different types of car shampoo suit different needs. Some offer a straightforward clean, some include a level of wax protection, and others are packed with ceramic tech. We’ve included a mix of all of the products above.
A pure shampoo, such as Gtechniq Gwash, is designed simply to cleanse the car’s surface of dirt and other pollutants. In some ways, this is the back-to-basics option – and it’s certainly cheaper as a standalone product. However, a lot of car cleaning obsessives also use pure shampoo and then apply wax or polish separately.
A wax-infused shampoo, such as Zip Wax Car Wash & Wax from Turtle Wax, contains detergents and wax (usually carnauba) for post-wash protection. This will supplement any existing wax on your car’s paintwork. The downside is that wash-and-wax shampoos are slightly compromised in terms of both cleaning and protecting ability.
You will also find some car shampoos designed for heavy-duty washing (e.g. winter use) and others that apply as snow foam. The latter treatment requires a pressure washer and is not a substitute for a proper wash – think of it as a pre-wash to remove the bulk of road grime.
Whether or not you use snow foam, it’s a good idea to rinse your car before washing it. This will help remove dirt particles before you make contact, reducing the risk of light scratches and swirl marks in the paint.
Talking of doubling up, you also need two buckets: one filled with clear water and the other with diluted car shampoo. The idea is that you dip your wash mitt into the soapy water and then rinse it in plain water after each application. This should prevent dirt from accumulating in the shampoo bucket, which can damage the paintwork (not to mention hampering your efforts to clean the car).
Even if you live in a soft water area, you should still dry the car afterwards. Do so by starting at the top and working downwards. Use a synthetic microfibre drying towel rather than traditional chamois leather, as this will absorb the water more effectively without leaving any residue. Never use a rubber blade to scrape water off the paintwork – you could be scraping dirt into your clearcoat.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for 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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