A bumpy veneer of ex-invertebrates is never a good look on your car, and you'll quickly come to realise that they don't like leaving your car without a fight. Try and wipe them away with a standard drying towel and you'll quickly see how stubborn former insects can be.
These insect removers will gently lift the insect away from your car's paintwork without doing any damage. We've selected our favourites, looking at price, life-span, the environment and how much of a faff they are to use.
The best insect removers
26JPN Bug & Grime
The best insect remover spray
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We've tested 26JPN's Bug & Grime spray and it was impressive for lifting embedded insects. It's alkaline-based which means it won't damage your paint, and amazingly good at lifting insects, grime and other embedded deposits that can be a real pain in the neck to remover. It has a lovely citrus scent and is wax and sealant safe which makes it our top pick for insect removal.
Sonax Insect Sponge
The best reusable insect remover
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A step beyond a spray, this special sponge is specifically designed to lift dead insects without harming your car's paintwork. The sponge is reusable and will keep your car better protected, you do however need to use it with an insect remover spray for it to be properly effective.
Turtle Wax 53605 Insect Remover
The best med-range insect remover spray
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A simple to use option from Turtle Wax, this 500ml spray should have enough product to remove an apiaries worth of insects with ease. This spray is also effective at lifting tree sap and bird poo away from your car's paintwork with no damage. The product won't run either, it simply needs wiping away.
Ku00e4rcher 62957610 Insect Remover
The best insect remover for pressure washers
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No longer just the purveyor of pressurised water, Ku00e4rcher now sell a range of car cleaning products, including this Insect Remover. If you're washing your car with a pressure washer it makes sense to remove absolutely everything you can, including insects. You simply spray this product onto the ex insect, wait a couple of minutes and wash away with a pressure washer. It's not the best for heavy-duty cleaning, but for the odd one, it's really good.
Halfords Bug & Tar Remover
The best insect remover on a budget
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This is by no means the most effective spray for removing dead insects from your car. What it is, however, is really good value for money if you're only needing to use the spray for light jobs. It's also designed to be effective on tar and sap, but will struggle against larger tasks.
Armor All Bug Cleaning Wipes
The best on-the-go option
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These wipes may not be the most eco-minded choice for insect removal, but in a pinch, they're an effective way to lift embedded insects from paintwork. Each pack has 30 wipes that can be used for removing embedded insects, tree sap and even brake dust. The wipes are also designed to keep them moist for longer.
Can't I just snow foam my car?
In previous tests, we've found snow foam to be very effective at dislodging embedded insects, but it's a real pain in the neck trudging the pressure washer out every time a bee runs into your license plate. And while most of these require washing off with water, a hose or even a bucket should suffice, as opposed to a full treatment with a pressure washer.