Wax and polish test

Paintwork takes a real battering on gritted roads, so once winter is over, the first thing to do is clean and revive it. Take care when washing as grime is likely to be thick on sills and wheelarches, and prone to scratching. Shift the worst with a hose or pressure washer, then use two buckets: one for shampoo, the other for clean water to rinse grit from your sponge or mitt.

Once the car is clean and dry, assess the state of the paint. Tiny abrasives in a polish will remove minor scratches and swirls in the clear coat, restoring shine, but you’ll need to seal this with a wax. We tried 25 of the best to see if they’re still the pick for your paint.

How we tested them

Durability is key, as waxing or polishing is still one of the most labour-intensive jobs on your car. It’s also the most rewarding, but you don’t want to be doing it again a couple of weeks later.

We marked a clean scrapyard panel into 25 sections and then applied each product according to the instructions. We rated how well they beaded water over six weeks – more than one of which was under several inches of snow. This was the main criteria, but we also looked at price, allowing for the fact hard waxes go further.

Verdict

Turtle Wax remains our pick with its ICE Synthetic Paste Polish. It was strong throughout the test, plus is easy to apply. Halfords’ no-frills Car Polish was one of the most resilient after six weeks, and takes second spot. Armor All’s durable new Shield completes the podium.

1 Turtle Wax ICE Synthetic Paste Polish

2. Halfords Car Polish

3. Armor All Shield

Also tested...

Race Glaze Carnauba Wax Polish ★★★

Meguiar’s Ulimate Liquid Wax ★★★

Farecla G3 SuperGloss Paste Wax ★★★

Simoniz Protection Car Wax ★★★

Turtle Wax Protect & Shine Creme Wax ★★★

Black Diamond High Wax ★★★

Triplewax Car Polish ★★★

Poorboy’s World Natty’s Paste Wax ★★★

Armor All Speed Wax ★★★

Autoglym Super Resin Polish ★★★

Mer Hybrid Wax ★★★

Race Glaze 4x4 ★★★

Scholl W6+ ★★★

Dodo Supernatural ★★★

Turtle Wax Sealer Wax ★★