Best Car Shampoo 2020
Want to get the most from your car cleaning efforts? Worried you will undo your polishing and waxing efforts? Using one of the best car shampoo will maximise your efforts and keep your car looking like new!
Using a quality car shampoo will make car cleaning easier and more effective in creating a streak-free shine and also which won’t cause rusting like using washing up liquid will.
While it may be tempting to use a cheap shampoo from your local supermarket it won’t really help you and make things harder in the long run.
Top 5 Best Shampoo For Your Car
Our list of the best car shampoos are all safe for regular washing and won’t strip wax or sealants.
We have found the best car shampoo for maintenance/every day use and for detailing are:
5. Meguiars NXT Car Shampoo
Quite similar to the Gold Class shampoo but with a different scent and uses the same polymer technology as the NXT range of polish and wax to compliment each over and refresh the shine after each wash.
A great benefit of this NXT shampoo is the water softener’s which help soften hard water.
This can help to make more suds and less chance of water spots after washing (but always follow up with a microfibre drying towel to be sure!).
Meguiars NXT shampoo is highly concentrated so even though the initial price may look high, the large container and small amount required will easily make this last a year for 1-2 cars being regularly cleaned.
This makes it cheaper than cheaper shampoos but also giving a quicker and easier shine.
Meguiars NXT does its job really well, breaking down dirt and stubborn marks with ease.
Once you’ve finished washing, the shampoo easily rinses off and the premium polymers leave a glossy just-waxed finish.
Great all round car shampoo that will maintain most wax and sealants with ease.
4. Autoglym Plain Shampoo
Autoglym have been producing quality car care products for years and are now known world-wide due to their commitment for quality.
This is a ph-netural shampoo so is safe for all wax and polish but does contain a conditioner.
While this effectively adds polymers to enhance gloss and also de-water to help the drying stage.
Its a great shampoo but I personally prefer their, originally trade only, pure shampoo.
It doesn’t have the conditioners but is a far nicer shampoo to use, smells of cherry and is still wax-safe.
Autoglym Shampoo is also very concentrated so is great value and foams up really well making it easy for the wash mitt to glide across the paint and the suds will stay there right until the end of the clean.
3. Meguiars Gold Class Car Shampoo
Meguiars have been leading the car care industry for many years and always deliver quality products, Gold Class Car Shampoo being no exception.
It helps to soften hard water so is less likely to leave any water spots.
Meguiars Gold Class shampoo has a high concentration so only 50ml for a 6 litre bucket of water is needed.
The high dilution and large container size make it an extremely economical solution and is far cheaper than buying smaller bottles throughout the year.
The other reason this shampoo is so popular is the luxurious silky smooth feeling it gives whilst washing, helping to keep swirl marks to a minimum.
The conditioners in the paint help to add a slick gloss to the paint.
This is great for cars which have been recently waxed or for nourishing the paint and keeping a glossy finish with minimal effort.
2. Auto Finesse Lather – Great For Regular Cleaning
Auto Finesse Lather is a fantastic every day shampoos for keeping your car looking spotless.
The shampoo is safe on all coatings so can be used as often as you like without breaking them down.
Unlike cheap shampoo, Lather provides lubrication making it less likely to create swirl marks in your paint.
There is a very subtle citrus smell which naturally breaks down dirt quickly and easily.
The effective cleaning solution still rinses easily and won’t harm any wax you may have applied.
Auto Finesse Lather can also be used as general shampoo for wheels which saves the need for using strong wheel cleaners; just double its strength.
The high concentration allows only a couple of small caps to create a large bucket of shampoo.
If you are looking for one of the best shampoos for safe washing then Lather should be high up your wish list.
Available in 500ml or 5000ml for bulk discount!
Oh, and now come in ridiculously good scents! (Banana, Strawberry, chocolate…so good!)
1. Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner
Autoglym makes it twice into the top 5 best car shampoo with two very good but different shampoos.
Autoglym Bodywork Conditioner is their longest standing car shampoo for car care enthusiasts.
Unlike their plain shampoo this contains conditioners to enhance previous polish or wax applications.
This is also backed by built-in rust-inhibitors making it a great solution for protecting all the cracks you can’t reach.
Autoglym Shampoo Conditioner is a modern lsp-safe shampoo containing premium polymers which out-date traditional ‘wax-based’ shampoos.
This gives a more effective water-repellent finish which helps speed up drying but also resists dirt until the next clean.
It is most effective if used after an application of their Super Resin Polish or HD Wax for the ultimate shine but can be used on any wax or sealant.
Autoglym Shampoo Conditioner is PH neutral and smells like a sweet shop, plus with its luminous green liquid makes it a pleasure to use and hard to resist!
Don’t Forget!
Now you have one of the best shampoo for cars make sure you don’t forget the tools to wash with!
Buckets With Grit Guards – reduces chances of swirl marks by separating rinse water
Wash Mitt – makes cleaning easier, safer and more effective than sponges
Drying Towel – dries in seconds and won’t scratch like a chamois
Quick Detailer – adds shine and used for removing water spots
Liquid Gold Is #1. Enough said.
As a valeter and having used all these products I definitely agree with this list. We have always used Autoglym HD wax; plain shampoo for standard washes and conditioner for pro washes. Both products are superb.
[…] This is where you physically wash the paintwork using a suitable wash mitt or sponge dipped in a high quality car shampoo solution.Start by filling your first bucket – or rinsing bucket – with fresh water, and the second with […]
Nice blog! All the required products are listed on this page and I have already used use some of these cleaning products on my cars and found good results in every wash. Please keep sharing your valuable content and products here. Keep up your good work
Love all this. Recently also try out this new shampoo Eagle One NanoWax As-U-Wash. Can Try out as well!
I need a shampoo which has no wax or sealants in the shampoo. I bought from America a product called 9H Nano it’s a ceramic coating. They say I can use car shampoo as long as it does not have the above ingredients in it as this in turn will remove the coating effectiveness from the coating where can I purchase a product without those ingredients in it.
Hi George, the Autoglym shampoo mentioned in our blog post is ideal for this, it is the plain shampoo they do not the bodywork shampoo and conditioner. It has a purple label and is great for maintaining all sealants including ceramic coatings. Thanks, Tom
would like to know which one of the Meguires shampoos is safe for used on NANO ceramic coated ?
they all are as they are all PH neutral. ceramic coated cars are resistant to stronger chemicals than waxes so in reality in matters less what you are washing it with but stick to a good shampoo, usually one from the same manufacturer for the best results.