Best wiper blades 2024
We get a clear view of the best wiper blade replacements
No matter how sophisticated the vehicle we drive, we still rely on thin strips of rubber being dragged across a windscreen to help us see clearly in poor weather. Our windscreen wipers are expected to perform in the depths of winter and the heat of summer, cleaning away everything from snow to fly splats.
Unlike a belt which snaps or a bolt that breaks, wipers usually deteriorate slowly, so you may not notice they are smearing until the juddering becomes unbearable or the car fails an MoT. If your wipers are more than a year old, a new set will usually make a huge difference.
Rather than paying for a dealer to fit them, changing them is easy and buying online or in a shop will save you a few quid. There’s a huge variety available, so we tested six pairs on a Fiat Panda to see which offered the best combination of performance and value.
How we tested them
Wiper blades must stay supple in the coldest weather, so we placed them in a freezer overnight before testing them on our Panda’s screen at every possible speed, on both a wet and a dry screen.
Points were deducted for excessive noise and smearing. We also considered how easy the blades were to fit, and whether they looked ungainly when installed. Finally, we took value into account, using the price for a pair of blades from online sources. Remember, the wiper blades you need for your car may vary in size and price compared to the pair used in this product test, so it's worth double-checking before ordering.
Reviews:
Bosch AeroTwin
- Price: Around £27 (pair)
- Rating: 5 stars
- Contact: tayna.co.uk
The flat, modern-style AeroTwins were an upgrade to the conventional bridge-type Bosch wipers that have been fitted to our Panda for the past 12 months. Not only do they look better than the old blades, they’re also quieter and smear less. They outperformed all the rivals here, too.
They are easy to fit, with a simple arrangement that holds them securely to the arm, and there was no smearing or judder, even on the dry screen. They seem expensive compared to rivals, but we think they’re worth the extra.
Halfords Wiper Blade Flat Upgrade
- Price: Around £23 (pair)
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
It couldn’t be easier to fit these Halfords wipers – they simply push into the hook of the arm. The fixing doesn’t feel the most secure and it looks a little unfinished, but the blades didn’t budge in our tests.
Halfords’ own website and in-store guide suggested we fitted a 22-inch blade on the driver’s side, which was an inch shorter than the rivals here. As you’d expect, this left an unwiped gap at the top of the screen, which would be annoying to taller drivers. However, the rest of the screen was wiped quietly and with minimal smearing.
WipeWave
- Price: Around £20 (pair)
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: wipewave.co.uk
We’d not heard of this brand, but it was top of the listings on Amazon and has its own website, offering the same price. The cost for the Panda’s pair includes delivery, which can add a fiver to the cost of some rivals.
They wiped almost as well as the winning Bosch blades and had a similarly sturdy locking mechanism, which makes them easy to fit and secure. They were only let down by a slight judder from the bottom of the driver’s-side blade.
PowerEdge Universal Flat Wiper
- Price: Around £23 (pair)
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: mymotorworld.com
We’ve never come across a fixing quite as baffling as the one used by PowerEdge on this pair. The universal connector is designed to fit several types of wiper arm, but the supplied instructions are unclear, and we had to break out the multitool in order to prise some clips apart.
Once on, the blades were very secure and did a good job of wiping after they had bedded in and stopped smearing the glass with an oily film. There was an audible clack at the top of the screen as they changed direction, though.
Quinton Hazell Aeroflex
- Price: Around £13 (pair)
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: mymotorworld.com
We had high hopes for the Quinton Hazells, because they offer unbeatable value from an established brand. The blades look good too, and are simple to fit, once you’ve worked your way through the bewildering array of adaptors in the box.
Our Panda used a clip that latches back into place once the arm’s hook has been attached. Over most of the screen they gave a decent wiping performance, but the QH’s downfall was an annoying judder at the bottom of both blades, which could be heard even when the screen was wet.
Alca Special
- Price: Around £14.50 (triple pack)
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Contact: ebay.co.uk
The Alca Specials come as a triple pack, including both front and rear wipers for less than the cost of a single blade from some rivals. But no adaptors are included in the pack, meaning we had to reuse old clips to attach the blades to our Panda.
They are the traditional metal bridged type rather than the blades used by the rivals here, which means they might create more wind noise on a sleeker car. The wiping performance was generally acceptable, but there was a noticeable judder from the bottom of the screen.
Verdict:
The Bosch AeroTwins are the only blades in the test that tick almost all of our boxes. They are easy to fit, quiet, wipe well and look good too. The only category where they don’t come top is on price.
If you’re after a lower-cost pair, then the runners-up from Halfords and WipeWave offer a useful saving, especially if you don’t want to pay extra for delivery. Neither were perfect, but the WipeWave was let down by an annoying judder at the bottom of the screen, which pushed it into third place.
- Bosch AeroTwin
- Halfords Wiper Blade Flat Upgrade
- WipeWave
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