Best Spray Waxes 2024

What Makes a Spray Wax Good?

Learn about the Testing Methodology

Easy to Apply

An easy to use product is the defining characteristic of a great spray sealant or wax. These products are meant to be super easy to use. Ideally as simple as spraying it on, spreading it around, and finally wiping off without streaking or tackiness.

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, though spray products are not always as thick and deep as liquids, pastes and ceramic coatings.

Wash Durability

Though spray waxes are easy to use we still want some durability from them. Typically sprays are not going to be as tough as most coatings and many great liquids and pastes. Though a few have made impressive showings. Through our elcometer based abrasion testing we can verify how many washes a product can resist.

Slickness

Spray waxes can be incredibly slick, more so than many ceramic coatings. This reduces marring and scratching when washing and dusting your car. We measure the improved coefficient of static friction (μ_s) to score the slickness of sprays.

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 spray wax should have minimal loss of Gloss Units (GU) or even a slight gain. Spray waxes tend to do well due to their thin application.

Hydrophobicity

Spray waxes can reduce the surface energy of your paint which allows for beautiful droplets of water to form and glide off. We can use de-ionized water droplets and a contact angle meter to work out just how hydrophobic these spray products are. The best products can average droplets exceeding 105 degrees of angle at the contact point. Anything over 90 degrees is considered hydrophobic and will be noticeable.

---