Best Ceramic Coatings 2024

This is the ultimate ranked list of ceramic coatings. Find out how a coating performs in terms of gloss, slickness, UV protection, durability, ease of application, and looks.

Advanced testing performed with an elcometer, UV chamber, gloss meter, and other instruments.

Last Updated: August 2024


#1 - Ethos Max Graphene Coating

39.6 Points   YouTube Video   

Easy to Apply

5 Points - Beginner Friendly

Visual Appeal

10 Points - Very Pretty

Slickness

7.5 Points (0.13μs)

UV-A Blocking

0 Points (Failed)

Specular Reflection

-2.9 Points (91.1GU)

Hydrophobicity

10 Points - Exceptional (>105°)

Wash Durability

10 Points - Exceptional (>1,000)

#2 - Wolfgang Profi Ceramic Coating

39.3 Points   YouTube Video   

Easy to Apply

10 Points - Easiest Install

Visual Appeal

7.5 Points - Pretty Finish

Slickness

4.5 Points (0.23μs)

UV-A Blocking

0 Points (Failed)

Specular Reflection

-0.2 Points (93.8GU)

Hydrophobicity

7.5 Points - Very Good (>100°)

Wash Durability

10 Points - Exceptional (>1,000)

#3 - Adam's Graphene Advanced

32.9 Points   YouTube Video   

Easy to Apply

5 Points - Beginner Friendly

Visual Appeal

10 Points - Very Pretty

Slickness

8.1 Points (0.11μs)

UV-A Blocking

0 Points (Failed)

Specular Reflection

-6.2 Points (87.8GU)

Hydrophobicity

10 Points - Exceptional (>105°)

Wash Durability

6 Points - Very Good (>100)

#4 - Gyeon Pure EVO Coating

32.7 Points   YouTube Video   

Easy to Apply

10 Points - Easiest Install

Visual Appeal

7.5 Points - Pretty Finish

Slickness

2.7 Points (0.29μs)

UV-A Blocking

0 Points (Failed)

Specular Reflection

0.5 Points (94.5GU)

Hydrophobicity

5 Points - Good (>95°)

Wash Durability

7 Points - Excellent (>300)

#5 - ExoForma Graphene Coating

32.7 Points   YouTube Video   

Easy to Apply

10 Points - Easiest Install

Visual Appeal

7.5 Points - Pretty Finish

Slickness

7.5 Points (0.13μs)

UV-A Blocking

0 Points (Failed)

Specular Reflection

-4.3 Points (89.7GU)

Hydrophobicity

5 Points - Good (>95°)

Wash Durability

7 Points - Excellent (>300)

What Makes a Good Coating?

Learn about the Testing Methodology

Easy to Apply

An easy to use coating makes all the difference. You want something with a consistent flash time between application and removal. The coating should also wipe up easily and have simple instructions.

Visual Appeal

We all want a glossy, reflective, and pretty car. In testing we look at a red and black test panel and compare the finished product against freshly polished paint. An ideal finish should be deep and wet looking without any ashiness, streaking, or striping.

Wash Durability

No one wants to go through all the trouble of applying a coating just to find out the coating washes away quickly. Through our elcometer based abrasion testing we can verify how many washes a product can resist. Exceptional ceramic coatings can withstand over 1,000 washes.

Slickness

Coatings should improve the slickness of the car's finish. This reduces marring and scratching when washing and dusting your car. We measure the improved coefficient of static friction (μs) to score the slickness of coatings.

Specular Reflection

Polished paint can show you amazing reflections at the right angle. Having achieved a highly polished surface you want to preserve it. Most last step products will dull the surface slightly. A good coating should have minimal loss of Gloss Units (GU) or even a slight gain.

Hydrophobicity

We measure the contact angle of de-ionized water droplets on top of ceramic coatings to work out just how hydrophobic they are. The coatings are able to lower surface energy of your painted surfaces which allow water molecules to form nice beads that slide right off. The best coatings can average droplets exceeding 105 degrees of angle at the contact point. Anything over 90 degrees is considered hydrophobic.



Marketing Myths & Lies

Coatings are heavily marketed by installers and manufacturers. To protect your investment avoid companies making extraordinary claims.

Examples of common myths include:

  • Only professionals can install coatings.
  • Coatings are as hard as glass or diamonds.
  • Coatings must be replenished or boosted.
  • Coatings can stop scratches and chips.
  • You don't have to wash a coated car.
  • Ceramic coatings are maintenance free.
  • You have to spend thousands of dollars.
  • The prettiest results require a coating.
  • A coating will block UV light.
  • All other forms of protection are obsolete.



#6 - DP CR2 Ceramic

27.6 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick H. Phob S. Ref Durable
10 pts 5 pts 6.3 pts 0 pts -0.7 pts 7 pts

#7 - Nexgen Carbon Flex Coating

24.9 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick H. Phob S. Ref Durable
5 pts 10 pts 7.2 pts 0 pts -7.3 pts 10 pts

#8 - Artdeshine NGC Pro Coating

24.7 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Carzilla

Easy Pretty Slick H. Phob S. Ref Durable
0 pts 7.5 pts 9.0 pts 2.5 pts -4.3 pts 10 pts

#9 - Phoenix Immortal Coating

24.1 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick H. Phob S. Ref Durable
10 pts 7.5 pts 4.8 pts 0 pts -3.2 pts 5 pts


Ceramic Coatings - 1.0 Testing Methodology

This testing was performed using an older testing model. Hand washing was used instead of an elcometer. Only transmission based UV-A testing was done.

#1 - Adam's Graphene Coating

867.2 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 10 pts 7.5 pts 0 pts -0.3 pts 840 pts

#2 - Blackfire Ceramic Black Edition

238.4 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 10 pts 0.3 pts 0 pts 0.1 pts 218 pts

#3 - Adam's Graphene Spray Coating

143.6 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 10 pts 6.9 pts 0 pts 3.7 pts 113 pts

#4 - Adam's Spray Ceramic Coating

93.4 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 5 pts 6 pts 0 pts 2.4 pts 70 pts

#5 - Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions

61.8 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 0 pts 8.1 pts 0 pts -5.3 pts 49 pts

#6 - Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Spray

50.0 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
5 pts 5 pts 3.9 pts 0 pts -0.9 pts 37 pts

#7 - 303 Graphene Nano Spray

39.4 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
5 pts 5 pts 7.2 pts 0 pts -4.8 pts 27 pts

#8 - Adam's UV Ceramic Spray

38.0 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 5 pts 5.7 pts 0 pts 0.3 pts 17 pts

#9 - The Last Coat Deep Ice

32.3 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
5 pts 0 pts 8.7 pts 0 pts -0.4 pts 19 pts

#10 - AvalonKing Armor Shield IX

29.4 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from AvalonKing

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 10 pts 6.6 pts 0 pts -0.2 pts 3 pts

#11 - HydroSilex Recharge Spray

19.4 Points  |  Video  |  Buy from Amazon

Easy Pretty Slick UV-A SR Durable
10 pts 0 pts 8.1 pts 0 pts -2.7 pts 4 pts


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