The best car shampoo tested by CAR 2024

The rest tried, but simply couldn't live up to the sheer prowess of Bilt Hamber's Auto Wash. It truly is a force not to be reckoned with in the car cleaning world, and I was simply stunned by the results it gave. I'm not a pro detailer, but the results it gave made me look like one - and that's the statement of a great product.

It was tasked with cleaning a press car: a blue Skoda Enyaq that in theory, gave the Auto Wash an easy task. However, the layers of mud this car was lathered in made it look like a Glastonbury hangover. The effortless swipe it took to get a layer of mud off spoke for itself in terms of how capable the shampoo is.

Aaron Hussain

Autoglym's new version of car shampoo is an intriguing one. Put simply, as you run the shampoo across the body work, it simultaneously lifts away dirt and applies a thin layer of ceramic coating. It feels quite gel-like at first and you don't get as much feel as regular shampoos. But after you apply a microfibre towel, it feels wonderfully slippery and protected.

What was unbelievable however is just how abuse much it can take between washes. 811 miles is what I did in my Mercedes 230E after a wash, and the paintwork simply didn't need another. Nevertheless, we still did one when the car was at hand during our test. At the time of writing, a month has gone by and about 400 miles since, and it still doesn't need a wash. The dirt repels off the paintwork like I've never witnessed it on a car before - and you can just tell how well-protected it is when you touch the bodywork.

Aaron Hussain

If you're looking for a great all-rounder that combines value, power, and efficiency, Gtechniq has your back with the W1 GWash. Not only does it feel smooth to run it across the bodywork, but it also lifts up a lot of dirt and grime off the bodywork to get it up to a detailer's standards.

Granted, some of the very stuck-on elements should've been applied by a tar and glue remover, and no shampoo could've possibly have got rid of those. However, you have to look very closely to notice the leftovers, and for any keen detailer, the W1 GWash deserves your attention.

You might've heard of Topaz. It's a high-end detailing company that performs its magic to a whole range of top-end sports, supercars, and various others. Predominantly, it specialises in wrapping, applying paint protection film, and in its London location, creates a very clever Topaz skin which is applied like paint.

Regardless, in order for any vehicle to be prepped, it needs to be heavily detailed. And the brand's Shampoo Plus is it's preferred bodywork wash that leaves a hydrophobic coating. It's pH-balanced and the coating is said to repel future contaminants. The purpose itself sounds similar to Autoglym's ceramic shampoo, with the only difference being to add more of it, and to warm water.

At £32 a litre, I was naturally intrigued by this one. After giving it a go, I was impressed by how thick and waxy it felt in comparison to the others. As you lift the mitt, you can notice the coating take place after you wash away the dirt and grime - which it does very well, albeit not quite to the same effortless-ness as the Bilt Hamber shampoo. It takes a couple of swipes of the mitt to get the results you want, but it feels luxurious in its application.

Another option for a ceramic layer on your paintwork is ValetPro's Ceramic Car Shampoo. It doesn't quite represent as good value as the Autoglym product at the time of writing, being priced at exactly the same amount per litre, but it shouldn't be ignored.

It had the task of cleaning one of the most difficult-to-clean cars in our line-up: a filthy Renault Megane that in an ideal world, could've done with a full day's worth of detailing and polishing. However, the ValetPro made a great effort to lift the dirt and bring as much shine back to the black paint as it possibly could. It's notably more soapy than the Autoglym ceramic shampoo, and feels less waxy. But if you regularly use a car, it can do a great deal to protect it. I applied it before on our heavily-used Volvo V60 family wagon, and it lasted for well-over a month without needing a wash. Two months on, and you can still see the water beading as a result of the ceramic coat.

Aaron Hussain

Boasting a sweet, candy-like scent, the Mr Pink by Chemical Guys was amazingly soft and the Autoglym noodle wash mitt was gliding through a Cupra Formentor pretty effortlessly. It's an incredibly dull observation, but out of all the shampoos we tested, this one felt the nicest to apply. You can feel the solution marrying itself to the bodywork and brushing off the dirt systematically.

It brought a quick, easy, and therapeutic shine to the Cupra's red paintwork and any bugs, dirt, and even smears were easily removed by the Mr Pink. Any dirty body panels and details were easily dealt with, albeit not quite to the same level of effortless-ness as the Bilt Hamber shampoo. But for what the task was on hand, it came pretty close - even if the Cupra wasn't quite as dirty as the other cars we had. It did however, require a bit more effort than the top end stuff.

If what you're after is scent and soap, look no further than Duel Autocare's Bahama Blue. It had rather a challenging task to deal with, being a Fiat 500 with some stubborn tar and bug marks. It didn't get rid of every last bit, but my word, did it make a great effort at lifting most of it. What's more, the soapiness and delicate approach to paintwork is hugely appealing if you're after an Instagram-able effect.

It's safe to use on almost any car material, from paint to glass and chrome, and albeit after a few rounds of going over, it did a great effort to make a car freshly clean. It isn't as effortless as others, but it did impress us with the end result.

The second Autoglym shampoo on our list comes courtesy of the less-expensive Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner. At just over £11 per litre, it competes at the lower end o the shampoo spectrum and is the slightly older model from the Ceramic-based product.

It has what Autoglym call, a fresh pear scent, and can be used up to 50 washes (on quote). It makes a great case of itself as a regular-use, budget-orientated car shampoo that takes a little more effort than most others in terms of swiping the mitt across the bodywork to lift off dirt, bugs and grime. It's by no-means, a detailers choice as far as shampoos go, but for a quick wash that's functional to most buyers, it does the job perfectly. For the sake of our test, it doesn't perform anywhere near as good as its ceramic offspring.

Gloss effect is another approach to creating a solution for car shampoo, and if that's what you're after, Meguiar's has you covered with its great-value Gold Class shampoo. At just over £10 per litre, it's designed to compete on the lower end of the spectrum, and in that segment, it performs very nicely.

It feels honey-like. It feels glossy and smooth as you run the mitt across the paintwork, and it lifted dirt off like it was lightly-covered dust. It couldn't tackle every last freckle of dirt, bugs, or grime - that's to be expected given the price point, however, it did leave a very nice sense of gloss on my boss's (now sold) Volvo C30 in a sunburst-like orange. If for example, you want a nice, glossy shine for a bit of summer weather, this is the shampoo for you.

If you're not wanting to spend too much on your next car shampoo, Halfords has got your back with its Ultimate Car Shampoo. It doesn't compete with the big boys on either protection or washing power, but it's perfect for the job if you're wanting to remove dirt quickly, efficiently, and without spending a large amount.

If you're familiar with how the Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo or Turtle Wax shampoos feel, you'll get a similar feeling from the Halfords solution. It feels substantial, yet without feeling ceramic-ish or glossy. It's a functional shampoo for functional cleaning jobs, and it's hard to knock it for that.

Aaron Hussain

If you're likely to wash your car more often in the summer, you'll be familiar with dust from the road or indeed the atmosphere. The paint will be warmer, and a lot of cleaning products such as wax aren't suitable for use in direct sunlight, and you'll notice that some shampoos will leave a light stain streak if you don't rinse it in time.

This is where the Soft99 Neutral Creamy Shampoo comes in. It rinses off easily even under direct sunlight, and it's a fabulous option if you have to wash your car in soaring temperatures. At just under £14 per litre, it also represents good value as well. It even doubles as a pre-wash as well as a shampoo, which makes it the most versatile out of the shampoos we've tested. It doesn't have the same sense of smoothness, gloss, or effortless dirt lifting and repellence as the others, but it only falls short by a tiny margin and shouldn't be ignored for the money it's offered at.