Are you bugged by the variety of critters that end up on the front of your car when you return from even a short journey?

Removing them used to take a lot of elbow grease with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. But how times have changed – now, there’s a range of specific bug and tar removing solutions to tackle the job.

Most car care specialists offer products designed to shift insects, tree sap, bird dirt and tar all in one go. Most are spray-on applications, but there are wipes and aerosols, too. So which is best? We find out...

Using a variety of cars, we tried each product against old tar spots, stuck-on dead insects, bird lime and sticky tree sap.