The best tar remover for your car 2024

There's no better way to remove embedded tar (or anything sticky and/or adhesive) from a car's paintwork than by using Gtechniq W7 Tar and Glue Remover. This simple yet effective spray will effortlessly dissolve tar, glue and other residue leaving behind no damage to the car. It's safe to use on protective coatings - like ceramic coatings - and waxes and doesn't damage the finish. It is however, not suited for use on PPF films, which is a slight downside.

All you have to do is let the product dwell on sticky contaminants for a few minutes, and rinse away with water for a flawless finish. It's also amazing value for money at under £10 for 500ml of product, which undercuts its competitors, while being just as capable and greatly versatile.

On the pricier end of the spectrum, Gyeon offer a 500ml bottle of its Q2M Tar. It specifies rubber and tar remover, yet it's also capable of removing things like tree sap from your paintwork, should you have been parked under a tree.

It's safe to use on all exterior surfaces, meaning it's also useful for removing old tape adhesive from your windscreen. You've got to let it dwell for 1-2 minutes, which compared to the Turtle Wax product I tested, is remarkably speedy for a tar remover.

If you can come up with any stain or mark left on your paintwork from oil, grease, or tree sap, there's a strong chance that Autoglym's comprehensive Intensive Tar Remover will be able to take care of it. The brand outlines that pretty much anything you can think of can be removed by this stuff.

This includes the usual things such as tar, oil, grease, or petrol stains. But it also goes onto say that pen marks on your seats and gum can be removed by a dab of this Tar Remover, which is really outlining it's variety of capabilities. What's more, it represents excellent value for money at just over £11 for 500ml, making it a great go-to option.

Instead of tackling tar removal after cleaning your car, Chemical Guys has a shampoo designed to loosen tar and dead insects during the normal washing stage. This will quicken the process rather than having to apply tar remover and remove the debris before the washing and shampooing stages.

The lubrication offered by this shampoo will safely lift these deposits while also thoroughly cleaning the surface. If needed it can be diluted 6:1 into a bottle and applied through a spray bottle.

Turtle Wax's Tar and Glue remover comes on the budget end of the spectrum and is designed for sticky glue residues and road tar deposits and is suitable for paint repairs and wheel refurbishes. I decided to put it to the test by addressing a gripe on my classic car.

This product was tested in removing duct tape residue off the sunroof of a Mercedes 230E (don't ask how it got there). After following the instructions, I sprayed, left to dwell for several minutes, then wiped away with a microfibre towel. Because some bits were missed, the process had to be repeated a second time before every last bit of tape residue was gone. But I was surprised at how easy it was to remove the residue, which goes to show how capable this Turtle Wax tar remover is.

Not much spray had to be used around two circulations of the sunroof, and the paint was left clean and without any evidence of damage or marks. It did, however, leave an incredibly strong smell to anything that microfibre towel touched thereafter, so you have to be careful about where you put it once you've finished. Nevertheless, the Tar Remover did its job supremely well and is well worth your money if you have to remove the tape, or indeed tar, off your bodywork.

Review by Aaron Hussain

Citrus-infused cleaners are well worth considering for car cleaning duties. Not only do they smell like oranges, but they're also excellent natural cleaners that cut through grease without being too aggressive to paintwork. This will be useful to many because a lot of cars will or might have delicate paintwork, such as single stage finishes.

ValetPRO Citrus Tar and Glue Remover is one of our favourite offerings, simply because it represents great value for money while also being a mild cleaner that's very effective at lifting tar and glue. It's also very easy to use as you simply have to spray, let it dwell for a bit before wiping away with a microfibre towel.

Suitably named ObliTARate, Auto Finesse's answer to the tar remover question comes in the form of this 500ml bottle that's not only suitable for exterior paintwork, but also all exterior surfaces of a vehicle in general.

This means it's ideal for use on plastic trims, glass, and much more, should any residue from the road or adhesives remain stuck on there. Auto Finesse also say it's ideal for removing such residue from paint protection films as well, without damaging your protective layer.

If you're stuck as to what to apply your tar remover with, Car Gods has you covered as its Tar Dissolver can be applied using a microfibre towel, soft brush, or even a sponge. It's also safe to use on glass and some exterior plastics like many of its competitors, which is useful for cleaning all over your vehicle.

It can tackle a multitude of things from diesel deposits, adhesives, oil, or greasy film. You are instructed to not use the product under direct sunlight or while the exterior surfaces are hot, as this'll affect the product's dwelling. And while it's safe to use on most exterior plastics, rubber seals and clear plastics aren't suited to this product.

A huge bottle of product which represents excellent value for money - five litres of Tar-Dah for a hair under £20. This makes it imminently better value than the other tar removers on this list.

What's more, it will be able to effortlessly remove a load of tar from a car. Apply some product to a cloth and let it dwell for up to five minutes before wiping it off with a separate cloth. It's safe for all exterior surfaces and it's effective against tar, grease and dead insects. Note however, it will also lift waxes, so it's worth taking care if you've just given your vehicle a fresh coat of wax.

At a shade under £7 for 300ml of this aerosol can, you don't necessarily need to break the bank to get rid of tar. This simple aerosol from Simoniz can be sprayed onto tar, sap and glue to remove them in as little as a minute.

Interestingly, this product can also be used around the home too, it's great for sticker marks and is safe to use on wood, tiles and glass. So, if your tables or windows need sticky bits removing from, this could be your one-stop answer that's ideal for both the car and your house.