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A flat battery is a sure-fire way to ruin your day. You’ll have to wait around for a roadside assistance service to show up (forking out for a hefty fee if you’re not a member) or try and find someone to kick start your battery with jumper cables.
Neither option is ideal. But there’s one way to revive a flat battery yourself without having to rely on outside help: an AGM battery charger.
These handy high-tech devices are capable of consistently and safely recharging any AGM battery, perfect for when you’re running low on juice, or you’ve accidentally let your battery run completely flat. And they’re not just for automobiles, either, as they can charge the leisure battery on your boat or RV as well as the starter battery for motorbikes, jet skis, ATVs, and a whole host of other mechanical toys.
To help you find the best AGM battery charger for you, we’ve put together an insightful buyer’s guide and compiled a list of the top 10 AGM battery chargers on the market in 2020.

Features to Consider
Before you start sifting through our top recommendations, it’s essential to get a little background info on what to look out for. Take the following points into consideration when shopping for an AGM battery charger.
Price
There’s no point forking out $100 when a $50 charger will do everything you need, so look for a charger that covers your core requirements and nothing more. If you plan on using your AGM battery charger frequently, such as to charge the house battery in a boat or RV, then investing in a more expensive model would be worth it in the long run. Conversely, you plan on using your AGM charger on the rare occasion, a budget option such as the AmazonBasics Battery Charger would suffice.
Type
AGM battery chargers come as chargers, maintainers, and re-conditioners, or a combination of the three. Make sure the model you go with covers what you need. See our section on for more info.
Furthermore, some AGM chargers are explicitly built for PowerSports batteries, a special kind of battery commonly found in jet skis, snowmobiles, ATVs, and other small vehicles. PowerSports chargers won’t work on the starter batteries of bigger vehicles like cars and vans.
Discharge Rating
You need to make sure the discharge rating, which is classified in a unit called amps (A), is suitable for your needs. If you’re not sure what you should get, consult the owner’s manual of your automobile or the sticker attached to your battery for more information. It’s crucial to get a charger with a suitable discharge rate; otherwise, the device mightn’t work at all.
Voltage
Another critical consideration is voltage, which refers to the pressure of the power source on an electric circuit. Look at the voltage of your battery—usually either 6/12V, although it may be higher for large batteries such as those used on boats—to ensure you’re buying the correct product. Take the time to investigate your requirements carefully because if you mess up the voltage, the charger won’t work at all.
Safety
Safety is an important consideration, both for you and your battery. A poorly designed, off-brand charger could cause a potentially lethal electrical shock, while a model without an automatic shut-off could overcharge and damage your battery. We only recommend quality products from trusted manufacturers, so your safety is assured if you shop from our list.

Top 10 Best AGM Battery Chargers 2020

1. Best AGM Battery Charger Overall: NOCO GENIUS5

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Why we like it: The GENIUS5 offers smart precision charging that works like a dream on automobiles and big boy’s toys.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / Maintainer / Re-conditioner
Volts: 6 / 12V
Amps: 5A
Size: 4.61 x 3.43 x 7.95 inches
If you’re after a single, high-quality product that does everything you could ever want and more, then you can’t go past the NOCO GENIUS5. As the latest in the company’s highly sought after GENIUS range, this unit is smaller and more powerful than ever before.
The reason the GENIUS product range has achieved such widespread popularity is because these devices offer more versatility than their competitors. The unit will quickly and safely charge just about any AGM battery on the market—think automotive, marine, RV leisure batteries, and more. It even works on lithium batteries as well, which would save buying a new one if you decide to upgrade further down the track.
Another massive plus is the automatic temperature control, which monitors the outside temperature and adjusts the charging rate accordingly. Should you live in an extremely hot or cold climate, the tech will significantly enhance the shelf life of your AGM battery.
For car owners who forget to switch the headlights off, rest assured the GENIUS5 will get her ticking over again. The device charges batteries as low as 1V, so it’s a brilliant ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card when you’ve let your battery run fully flat, and charging cables come included as part of the deal.
It’s not the cheapest option on our list, but well worth the expense for those with demanding needs.
Note that the device is rated for batteries up to 120 AH. If you’ve got something bigger than that, consider upgrading to the [amazon url=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W3QT226″]NOCO GENIUS10[/amazon].

Pros

Charger, maintainer, and re-conditioner in one
Temperature monitoring and compensation
Works on small and large vehicles alike
Good for lithium as well as AGM
Compact design and lightweight

Cons

More expensive than other chargers

2. Best PowerSports AGM Battery: Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer

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Why we like it: The Battery Tender Plus is a user-friendly and highly-effective AGM battery charger/maintainer that gets the job done.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: PowerSports Charger / Maintainer
Volts: 12V
Amps: 0.75 / 1.25A
Size: 11 x 4 x 11 inches
Deltran is one of the biggest names in the AGM charging world, and this model—their flagship product—is a runaway success. The widely popular 0.75 / 1.25A charger works wonders on smaller vehicles like motorbikes and UTVs, and it’s so simple to use even a complete novice could work it out in minutes.
A super basic two-color monitoring light lets you instantly know the state of charge. If the battery level should drop too low, an ISM adaptive charging function will automatically kick start the power again. Then, once the power level maxes out, it’ll switch back to float mode to avoid overcharging and damaging your expensive AGM battery.
The other big reason we rate this unit so highly is its versatility as the Battery Tender Junior works on a wide array of setups—choose from either 6V or 12V and 0.75A or 1.25A and you’re ready to start recharging your rig. Whether you’ve got a flat battery on your jet ski or ATV, or you just need to restore the leisure batteries of your boat or RV, this nifty little unit will get the job done.
Oh, and the fact it’s small, lightweight, and very reasonably priced also adds to the appeal.
Now, note that this model is a PowerSports battery, so it’s not going to work on cars or larger vehicles.

Pros

Available in multiple volts/amps
Automatic charging capability
Easy to use
Reasonably priced

Cons

Only suitable for PowerSports batteries

3. Best Budget AGM Battery Charger: AmazonBasics Battery Charger 12 Volt 2A

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Why we like it: Low cost and highly effective, Amazon does a brilliant basic battery charger for those with modest charging needs.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / Maintainer
Volts: 12V
Amps: 2A
Size: 2.88 x 3.13 x 8.63 inches
If you just want a straightforward AGM charging solution that actually works, you might want to take a closer look at this cost-effective unit from AmazonBasics. Forget about maintaining, conditioning, or any other fancy bells and whistles, because this model does one thing only: charging AGM batteries.
With either 6V or 12V options, it’s compatible with cars, boats, motorbikes, and most other small vehicles, so there’s a good chance it’ll work for you. Of course, you’ll need to check whether 2 amps are enough for your battery as that isn’t quite enough juice for the bigger power banks found on SUVs and RVs. On the flip side, however, if 2 A are too much, you can easily downgrade to save even more (The [amazon url=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTNV9LZ”]0.08A model[/amazon] comes in at under $20).
Worried it might be a little too cheap? Amazon backs the product with a one-year warranty, so you know it’s not going to break straight away.
On the downside, it’s more of a trickle charger than a jump starter, so don’t expect the unit to work on a heavily drained battery. Buy this to keep your batteries well charged rather than to bring them back from the dead.

Pros

Super cheap
Easy to use
Works on a wide range of vehicles
Small and lightweight
One-year warranty

Cons

Won’t charge a heavily drained battery
Not powerful enough for bigger batteries

4. Best Premium AGM Battery Charger: CTEK MULTI US 7002

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Why we like it: The powerful 7A unit charges, maintains, and re-conditions massive AGM batteries with ease.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / maintainer / re-conditioner
Volts: 12V
Amps: 7A
Size: 7.52 x 3.5 x 1.89 inches
If you’re happy to invest a bit more cash in a powerful AGM battery charging solution that’ll last you for years to come, then the MULTI US 7002 from CTEK is about the best money can buy.
The high-tech charger, maintainer, and re-conditioner combo pumps out a whopping maximum level of 7A, which means it’s suitable for starter batteries of bigger vehicles like trucks and oversized RVs. Specifically, the system will recharge any AGM battery under 150AH, even if it’s been left to run down almost entirely flat.
CTEK incorporates an innovative 8-step automatic switch charging system into the design, allowing it to slip between different modes seamlessly for an all-round smoother charge. And that has two distinct benefits for the user: you can set it and forget it plus it’ll extend battery longevity (up to three times the battery life compared to a cheaper charger).  Another plus for folks living in harsh climates is the system adapts to all weather conditions, making it capable of charging efficiently between –4°F and +122°F.
Despite its state-of-the-art functionality, the MULTI US 7002 is remarkably easy to use—the simple interface with big buttons and LED display lights is intuitive for novice and experienced users alike.
The desulphation process used in the re-conditioning mode also works better than most, allowing you to extend the shelf life of your AGM battery longer than ever before. And that reason alone is largely why this state-of-the-art charger can command such a high premium.

Pros

Extends battery life
Doesn’t require any monitoring
Works on big batteries up to 150 AH
Great for harsh climates
Easy to use for novices and pros

Cons

Expensive compared to other chargers

5. NOCO Genius G750

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Why we like it: The G750 does a brilliant job at charging low capacity AGMs, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / maintainer
Volts: 6 / 12V
Amps: 0.75A
Size: 4.5 x 2.7 x 1.3 Inches
If you liked the look of our top pick, the NOCO GENIUS5, but have less demanding charging needs, then the G750 of the GENIUS range is well worth a look. Expect to find many of the same high-tech features and quality craftsmanship as the GENIUS5, but with a lower amperage rating, which equates to a much lower price.
But the lower discharge rate doesn’t mean the G750 won’t be any good for your vehicle as its 0.075 A is ample for charging and maintaining most AGMs, including bigger automobile batteries for cars and trucks. The big difference here is that it won’t charge big batteries that have run completely flat, although you can still use it to revive smaller vehicles such as motorbikes and jet skis (anything up to 30AH can be brought back from the dead).
The system works on a variety of other lead-acid type batteries and has both 6 and 12V settings for optimal versatility. And like other NOCO products, all you need to do is plug it in and let the automated system work its magic.
The G750 comes with a generous 5-year warranty, which is far longer than most options on our list.

Pros

Compact and affordable
Highly regarded brand
Can maintain and charge large batteries
Can charge small batteries from a low voltage
User-friendly automated charging

Cons

Won’t charge big batteries from a low voltage

6. Best AGM Battery Maintainer: Schumacher SC1299 Automatic Battery Maintainer

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Why we like it: The Schumacher SC1299 does just one job, and it does it exceptionally well.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Maintainer
Volts: 12V
Amps: 0.08A
Size: 3.00 x 4.00 x 9.00 inches
Should you already have an AGM battery charger, and you’re looking to add a maintainer to your tech collection, then the Schumacher SC1299 is an excellent choice. Because the product serves solely as a maintainer, it works exceptionally well and comes in at a very reasonable price.
Although the unit runs on a modest 0.08A, that’s more than enough given the task at hand. While chargers require higher amperage to get batteries back up and running again, maintainers only need a small amount to keep them level. The bottom line? 0.08A is pretty decent in this context.
A handy multi-stage charging mechanism allows for optimal precision, which helps enhance the longevity of your precious AGM battery. It’s easy to use, too, with charge status LEDs and a simple interface. And just in case you do mess up and hook the clamps in reverse, a built-in protection device will automatically switch it off to stop you overcharging the battery.
While it does a brilliant job on most vehicles, don’t expect the product to maintain big batteries for trucks, tractors, RVs, and the like. You’ll have to look elsewhere for that, specifically, something like the CTEK MULTI US 7002.

Pros

Purpose-built maintainer
Affordable maintaining solution
Easy to use even for novices
Reverse clamp protection

Cons

Doesn’t charge batteries
Not suitable for large vehicles

7. Schumacher SC1281 Fully Automatic Battery Charger

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Why we like it: This state of the art product from Schumacher is powerful enough to jump start big vehicles.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / jump starter
Volts: 6 / 12V
Amps: 30A (charger) / 100A (jump starter)
Size: 11 x 10 x 8 inches
Weight: 12.65 pounds
Sometimes you don’t have the time or patience to wait around for hours to trickle charge your AGM battery. There will be times when you need to juice up your car battery straight away so you can take it for a spin. And at those times, you need the Schumacher SC1281, a fully automated AGM battery charger that doubles as a jump starter.
A powerful 100A in jump starter mode gives you the energy you need to get the engine ticking over straight away, affording you the freedom to hop in the driver’s seat and get on the road. It’s not just for small cars either, as the SC1281 has enough power to jump-start SUVs and pick-up trucks.
Another great unique feature about this product is its alternator-run diagnostic function, which allows you to pinpoint electrical issues with your battery. The feature is probably best left to the techie types, but it’s nice to have nonetheless.
Of course, the Schumacher SC1281 works wonderfully as an everyday battery charger; its beefy 30 A of power and microprocessor-controlled automated float mode allows you to recharge rapidly and safely. What’s more, the included LED lights, and a simple push start/stop button improve usability.
The only drawback? It might be a little too powerful. You’ll need to carefully check whether the system is appropriate for your battery to avoid frying it through overcharging.

Pros

Able to jump-start cars big and small
Whopping 30A of power
Electrical diagnostic function
Fast and precise charging
Easy to use (aside from diagnostics)

Cons

May overcharge your battery
No maintainer or re-conditioner function
The diagnostic process is complex

8. Best AGM Battery Charger for Boating: Promariner 43021 Battery Charger

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Why we like it: Twenty amps of power allow this heavy-duty device to charge big boat batteries with ease.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / Maintainer
Volts: 12 / 24 / 36V
Amps: 20A
Size: 14.5 x 6 x 8.5 inches
Sailors in search of a turbo-powered battery charger and maintainer for their beloved seafaring vessel have long been turning to Professional Mariner. The industry-leading maritime battery specialist has been producing high-quality products for over 35 years and the Promariner 43021 lives up to their high standards.
This powerful maritime charger is designed to be installed onboard, which negates the need to carry around various portable chargers to kick start your ship. And its impressive in-built energy-saving mode and fast-charging capability allow you to bring your battery back up to full in as little as 8-10 hours—an easy overnight charge.
The fact the company has included an automated multi-stage digital charging function ensures your marine AGM will last longer than ever before, and that’s a definite plus as batteries of this size don’t come cheap. Another cool feature is its ‘distribution-on-demand’ technology, which automatically allocates amperage from your engine starter battery to your house or trolling motor battery as required—a truly high-tech innovation that optimizes efficiency.
The battery charger has been known to overheat, although it does come with a respectable two-year warranty so you can expect to get a good amount of use out of it.

Pros

Powerful 20A for big marine batteries
Multi-stage charging improves battery life
Distribution on demand enhances efficiency
Installed onboard, so no portable battery required
Charges fast from 8 to 10 hours

Cons

Rather expensive
Sometimes overheats

9. Optima Digital 400 12V Performance Maintainer and Battery Charger

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Why we like it: This petite battery charger from Optima packs a punch.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / maintainer
Volts: 16V
Amps: 4A
Size: 8.2 x 3.7 x 7.4 inches
Who said good things had to come in big packages? The Optima 400 is one of the smallest chargers on our list yet pumps out a whopping 4A, enough to bring back most AGM batteries from the dead. The potent little unit has enough juice to restore flat batteries as heavily discharged as 1.25V, far lower than most other chargers on the market.
Aside from being small and lightweight, we also love how the Optima 400 can be set upright on an included stand or hung from above—perfect for home or professional garages with a scarcity of space.
A hybrid LED charging gauge and LCD display lets you monitor the state of charge at any time, making this swanky device more user friendly than most. Furthermore, a built-in battery health and performance monitor enhances the battery maintainer function, allowing you to extend the overall longevity of your AGM.
The unit costs quite a bit more than a basic AGM charger, but it’s worth it for frequent users. Although it comes with a generous three-year warranty, you’ll need to be careful to keep your original receipts.

Pros

Small yet powerful 4A device
Revives car batteries as low as 1.25V
Comes with stand and hook for hanging
LED gauge / LCD display for usability
Works well as a maintainer

Cons

Costs more than other chargers/maintainers
Impossible to claim on the warranty without original receipt

10. NOCO GENIUS2

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Why we like it: The GENIUS2 does a stellar job at fulfilling your everyday charging needs without breaking the bank.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Type: Charger / maintainer / re-conditioner
Volts: 6 / 12V
Amps: 2A
Size: 3.43 x 4.25 x 6.97 inches
While the NOCO GENIUS5, is our favorite battery charger overall, the lower amperage version of the NOCO GENIUS2 is an outstanding alternative for users who don’t need stacks of power. This compact model is significantly cheaper, smaller, and lighter, all valid reasons to purchase it if 2A is sufficient for your needs.
Other than the amperage rating, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the two models. Both have precision charging with an integrated thermal sensor to power you up in any climate, as well as an anti-sulfate re-conditioning function to get your time-worn AGM back into good health. And despite coming in at a notably lower price point, the GENIOUS2 can still revive 40 AH batteries from as low as 1 V. You can even use it on lithium batteries should you decide to make the switch at a later date.
Before you get too excited, remember that 40 AH is well below the average car battery size of 50-100 AH. In short, it’ll work brilliantly on your motorbike or dune buggy but not the family car.

Pros

Small and affordable
Charges, maintains, and re-conditions
Precision charging and temperature control
Revives batteries as low as 1V

Cons

Modest 2 A discharging rate
Doesn’t work on batteries over 40 AH

AGM Battery Charger Buyer’s Guide
It’s always wise to do a little background research into a product before pulling the trigger and making a purchase. We’ve done the legwork for you by compiling this in-depth guide on everything you need to know about AGM battery chargers. Read on to become an expert on AGM batteries and how those techy types manage to keep them adequately charged.
What Is An AGM Battery?
AGM, which stands for absorbent matt glass, is a type of lead-acid battery that’s especially common in automobiles, from motorbikes to cars and oversized trucks. The key to the AGM’s success is its absorbency—it’s capable of soaking up the sulfuric acid inside through superfine fiberglass mats, which prevents the corrosive acid from spilling or leaking.
As a result, AGM batteries can withstand an enormous amount of bumps and vibrations, far more than most other battery types on the market. And for that reason, coupled with a relatively cheap manufacturing process, they’re the electric battery of choice for just about anything that moves.
Amps and Voltage
We pay close attention to amps and voltage in all our reviews, as these are two critical factors that determine whether a product will be right for you.
Voltage (V)is the pressure an electrical current is under when it passes through a circuit board. In simpler terms, you can think of voltage as kind of like a system. American homes run on a 120V system, which powers all the appliances you use in your day-to-day life. Generally speaking, however, in the automotive space—think RVs, cars, boats, etc.—we tend to use 12V, although lower (6V) or higher (24V / 36V) isn’t unheard of either.
Amps (A) basically refer to the electrical flow or power of the charger, and the higher the amperage, the more powerful it will be. Small AGM batteries like those found in motorbikes are fine to be charged on something as little as 0.75-1.25A, while bigger batteries might need 3A or more. If you have to charge an extensive battery system on a heavy vehicle like a yacht, then you might need as much as 20A (like the Promariner 43021 Battery Charger, for example).
Understanding Amp Hours
Whether it’s AGM, another lead-acid type, or even lithium, we use the term Amp Hours (AH) to refer to how much power you can draw from a battery before it runs flat.
To give you a rough idea, a small motor found on something like a dirt bike or jet ski will have a starter battery of approximately 30 AH. Bigger vehicles require more amp hours in the starter battery to get the engine running, with most cars sitting somewhere between 50 and 100 AH. The leisure batteries of boats, RVs, and off-grid homes will be bigger still, sometimes up to 200 AH and with multiple cells connected to the same system.
Note that some AGM battery chargers are rated for use up to a maximum number of AH. If you’ve got a bigger battery than that, you’ll need to find a more powerful charger.
AGM Battery Charger Types
There are three different types of AGM battery chargers, each of which performs distinct functions. It’s quite common for a unit to do the job of more than one type; for example, charger/maintainers are particularly prevalent.
Chargers
These are by far the most common variety, and they do precisely what the name implies: recharge an AGM battery to top it up or bring it back into a working state.
AGM chargers are specially designed to run on the correct level of voltage and amperage to safely and efficiently restore power to an AGM battery. Using any other kind of charger could damage or destroy your AGM, so never try to mix and match.
Maintainers
Battery maintainers, as the name suggests, maintain the current level of the charge in the battery—it won’t go up nor down.
But why would one want to maintain the same battery level, you may ask? Well, when AGM batteries are kept in storage for a lengthy period, the battery will slowly discharge and eventually run flat. Over discharging an AGM battery will damage the system and significantly reduce its lifespan, and an AGM battery maintainer will prevent this from happening.
Re-conditioners
Again, re-conditioners do exactly what they claim: re-condition a badly worn and poorly performing battery back into a more effective state. Over time, contaminants will build up inside a battery cell and prevent the unit from producing the optimal amount of power—and eventually, it could even stop working entirely. The re-conditioner uses a high-tech system to clean out the blockages and improve the overall performance of the affected battery.
These dedicated devices are commonly found in auto-repair shops. The fact they’re rather expensive and not entirely necessary for day-to-day use means they’re not widely purchased for domestic purposes, although you will find a few combo options on our list.
PowerSports Batteries
PowerSports batteries are specifically designed for small, outdoor leisure machines like ATVs, ski mobiles, jet skis, and low-horse-power motorbikes. Some battery chargers, such as the Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer only work with PowerSports batteries. Therefore, if you buy one to use on your car battery, you’ll only be wasting your money as it won’t work at all.
Battery Jump Starters versus Battery Chargers
Generally speaking, battery jump starters are a different product altogether, one that’s designed to immediately pump enough power into your AGM battery for you to start using the vehicle straight away. Battery chargers, on the other hand, will slowly recharge a low (or perhaps even fully flat) battery over time, anywhere between two and twelve hours.
However, some manufacturers combine both functionalities into the same product. See our review on the Schumacher SC1281 if that sounds like something you need.
The Benefits of Owning an AGM Battery Charger
The primary purpose of owning an AGM charger is the ability to recharge your vehicle battery once it runs flat or dangerously low. AGM batteries need to be charged slowly with the correct amperage and voltage; otherwise, you could end up damaging or ruining it. Attempting to charge an AGM battery with any other kind of charger that isn’t specifically built for the purpose is asking for trouble.
Having an AGM charger at home is convenient, as it allows you to recharge your battery without removing it from the engine bay or getting the car towed to an auto repair shop.
Aside from recharging your battery, AGM chargers have another useful purpose: monitoring. Many varieties come with an electronic display that tells you the current level of charge and can give you an indication of how badly worn out your battery is. That way, it won’t come as a surprise when it comes time to buy a new one, and you can budget your expenditure accordingly.
Using an AGM Battery Charger
Non-mechanically minded folks don’t need to worry about wracking their brains to comprehend an overly complex system because AGM battery chargers are remarkably easy to use. Although the exact process varies between models, the general procedure is to connect the cables to your battery, plug the charger into the power grid, and switch the unit on.
High-quality AGM battery chargers will automatically shut off at the appropriate time to avoid overcharging the battery. Furthermore, the better models have in-built microprocessors that gather information about the relevant elements within the battery and regulate the correct voltage and current. In this situation, it’s just a matter of ‘set it and forget it.’
There are a few simple things to remember, however:
Clean the cable connectors before using them because dirt and dust can accumulate and significantly reduce the efficiency of the charger.
Always connect the cables to the car battery before plugging it in and turning it on. You don’t want to be handling a live current under any circumstances.
It’s best to wear a thick pair of gloves while connecting the cables. A thin layer of dried sulfuric acid, which looks like a chalky white powder, may accumulate on the battery, and it’s best not to let this come into contact with your skin. Alternatively, you can carefully wipe it clean with a rag.
Remember to connect the positive and negative cables into the right port—there will be a marking engraved into the battery. No matter what battery you buy, the red cable will be positive, while the black cable will be negative.
When to Charge Your AGM Battery
Most AGM batteries reside within the engine bay of an automobile, and these generally don’t need to be charged up at all (at least not manually, anyway). A car’s alternator draws electricity from the pumping pistons inside the engine to recharge the battery as you drive, which means you don’t have to worry about it. However, if you run the A/C too long or forget to turn the headlights off, then you’re battery will run low, and you’ll need to recharge.
Leisure batteries, AKA house batteries, which are used in boats and RVs, will also usually (but not always) draw power from their gasoline-operated engines. However, as the engine isn’t running all the time, it’s often necessary to charge them from an external source, the most efficient of which is the AGM battery charger (solar panels can only provide so much juice).
AGM batteries shouldn’t be discharged more than 50% to avoid permanent damage over time. The avid sailor and RVer has a voltage meter installed in their rig and knows to stop drawing power and start recharging once it hits 12.05V in order to preserve the longevity of their battery.
The Charging Time
The amount of time it takes to charge an AGM battery depends on several factors—the battery capacity, condition, and the charge rate—so it’s impossible to provide an exact figure. Expect to wait anywhere between two and twelve hours for a full charge up. A high-end AGM battery charger will automatically shut off when it reaches the optimal level, which makes life easier.
Of course, you don’t need to recharge a battery fully to start your car. Many cars can start with a battery voltage as low as 11.9V.
The Best AGM Battery Chargers
If you’ve made it this far through our guide, you’re now something of an expert on AGM batteries and the best ways to charge them. Whether you just want to maintain or re-condition your AGM to extend its shelf life or you need to charge it regularly from the mains, there’s an AGM battery charger out there to suit your needs.
Take the time to mull over our meticulously researched top 10 list of AGM battery chargers to find the device that best works for you. More

Cars and Coffee. Cruise Night. Hot August Nights. They all have, well, a lot in common actually. A lot of noise, people kicking tires, and chocolate-covered hands way too close to freshly polished chrome. They also have cars that shine and sparkle better than when they were brand new.
Whether you are in the show, in the parking lot, or just want your car to stand out while running errands, achieving that shine on your ride is always a worthy endeavor. The good news is that there are a ton of products, collectively called spray waxes, that can condense the hours it takes to get that sparkle down to minutes.

An Introduction to Spray Wax
We get it. You are busy. Way too busy to spend an entire afternoon with a clay bar, a tub of paste, and a pile of clean rags. That’s why we wrote this guide. Keep going to read about the main features of spray wax, and browse through our top ten picks. If you have a few spare minutes, get some tips and in-depth knowledge in our complete guide below.
Benefits of Spray Wax
If you want a full breakdown, check the bottom of the page here. The short of it is that spray wax is faster than traditional wax, but still offers great short term protection from the elements. Using spray wax is easy, good for your paint, and is a great way to get things shiny in a now sort of way.
What Spray Wax Isn’t
Spray wax shines your car, protects the paint, and makes it easier to keep clean, but it’s not a replacement for a good wax job. It’s also not a cleaner. You use a spray wax to keep your clear coat awesome between detailings and after washing. If you spend any time online reading reviews, you’re going to read reviews hating on spray wax because people didn’t understand that it’s not a deep cleaner.
Apply spray wax to a clean car with good paint. Yes, even the ones that say they are also cleaners. Stuff like Shine Armor claims to be a cleaner and a wax, but they are only talking about a bit of dust or spotting. Rubbing dirt and grime into your paint will scratch and destroy the finish. Best case scenario: if you wax a dirty car, you apply a nice protective layer to the dirt. Don’t be like the people who can’t read directions and yell about it online.
Key Features of Spray Wax
Spray waxes have a handful of features that make them great. Let’s break them down real quick so you know what to expect. We’ll touch on how spray waxes do these things down below if you really want to know the science stuff.
Protection from Water
Waxes repel water, which is great for protecting your ride from mud and other liquid stains. Water protection helps eliminate water spots after a wash too. That makes it easier to keep a car clean with a quick rinse.
Protection from UV
UV damages a car’s finish, so the more you can do to protect your paint from the sun, the better. Some sprays are specially formulated to offer better protection against UV, like the Car Guys product we recommend.
Protection from Dust and Debris
When the wax is applied, no matter the form, it hardens over time to form another layer of protection from scratches and chips. Products with ceramic, like the Meguiar’s spray wax here, offer better debris protections than pure carnauba like the Mother’s.
Make Your Car Shiny
Like a treasure from a sunken pirate ship, or something like that, Wax makes your paint pop. Spray wax is a great, quick way to get the most out of the clearcoat. Unfortunately, there is usually an inverse correlation to the amount of shine you will get and the amount of work you’ll have to do. Torque makes a product that takes longer to use, but looks fantastic.
How to Choose the Best Spray Wax
There are hundreds of spray waxes on the market, and most of them are really similar. That makes it super irritating to pick the best, so we broke it down into three main categories. How good the protection is, how easy it is to use, and how good your car will look.
Durability
Durability is the combination of how good the wax protects against different elements and how long it lasts. Good UV protection becomes useless if it washes off after the first rain.
Ease of Use
The number one reason to use a spray wax over a paste wax is the speed and convenience it offers over the more traditional method. If it takes a ton of work and time to use a spray wax, it will need to do something else outstanding to justify buying.
Looks
Spray wax has to make your car look good. That’s the bare minimum, but there’s some nuance to it. Some waxes offer a higher level of shine, some work better on dark colors, and some are better for certain surfaces like plastic or rubber.
As a note, when it comes to looks, we’re going to use subjective terms like deep. In general, there are two desirable finishes. A deep, glass-like shine tends to result from a thick, even coating of material. A shallower, glossier “wet look” shine is still really good looking. It just will lack the mirror finish that a more expensive process will get you.
As we mentioned before, hundreds of these things are on the market, and they all claim to be the best. The truth is they might have things that make them better in certain areas, but nothing is the greatest at everything. We reviewed and ranked 10 of the best, so it’s easy for you to choose one and shine.

Top 10 Best Spray Waxes 2020

1. Best Overall Pick: Car Guys Hybrid

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Why we like it: It’s legitimately hard to find bad things to say about the Car Guys Hybrid Spray. It looks great, protects well, and even smells good.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
Few products on our list offer great water resistance, great UV protection, and extra scratch resistance. The Car Guys spray does. It’s not the longest-lasting, that would be the Torque further down, but it will get you through a few months without reapplying.
Ease of Use
It’s safe for all surfaces, so you don’t have to be careful spraying. The sprayer is excellent, so you don’t have to fight with it. You can finish an average-sized car in 15 minutes. You can even use it to help dry your car, so you don’t have to worry about completely drying off after a wash.
The only thing to watch out for is heat. Most spray waxes don’t do well in the heat, so it’s not something that you can really avoid. The Car Guys spray is just extra unfriendly if it’s too hot.
Looks
Your car will look fantastic. This hybrid spray has carnauba for that deep shine and builds up enough of a layer to hold that mirror finish for a long time. The Shine Armor Polish might look better at first, but the Car Guys will still have kept your car looking good after a month.
Our Thoughts
It’s really simple. If you just want to get a great spray and not think too hard about it, Car Guys is perfect. The only thing we don’t love is the price; there are cheaper sprays that work almost as well—namely, the Turtle Wax Ice. The sprayer on this unit is nicer, though, and honestly, that makes the price difference worth it. It’s amazing how frustrating a gunked up sprayer can be.

Pros

Looks great
Easy to apply
Offers good protection

Cons

Could cost less
Sensitive to heat

2. Best Budget Pick: Lucas Slick Mist

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Why we like it: The Lucas Slick Mist works excellently and is nearly half the price per ounce compared to average spray waxes.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
The Slick Mist doesn’t have any advanced UV protection and it’s not formulated for scratch resistance. It does offer really great water resistance, however, allowing it to hold up even after multiple washes. The instructions suggest reapplying it every month, but you’ll be able to get away with a lot longer.
Ease of Use
Good sprayer? Check. Applies evenly in a single coat? Check. Doesn’t need an excessive amount of buffing to look great? Check. Ok for use on most exterior materials? Check. Just make sure your car is dry before applying it.
Looks
One of the best things about the Slick Mist is that it still makes your car look awesome despite being cheap. Usually, the shine is the first thing to go when we talk about inexpensive sprays, but Lucas seems to have worked that kink out. You can even use it to shine stainless and chrome, and nothing beats the look of polished chrome against mirror-finished paint.
Our Thoughts
Every so often, a product comes along to remind us that we’re in the future now. Go back twenty years and try to tell someone there’s a really cheap, easy to use spray that will make your car look just as good as it did in the showroom. You’d be laughed out of the building.
The only way it could be better and the only thing keeping this spray wax from the top spot is the lack of advanced protection. Both the Car Guys and the Turtle Wax have that extra bit of durability for protecting your paint. If they somehow added the same coating to this product, we don’t think you’d see anything else being used at car shows.

Pros

Very inexpensive
Easy to use
Gives a very decent shine

Cons

Low UV protection
Car should be completely dry before applying

3. Best Basic Protective Wax: Turtle Wax Ice

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Why we like it: Turtle Wax Ice offers a great balance between shine, protection, and price.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
The UV and scratch protection are great, but where this spray wax shines is in water protection. Few products will make water bead and roll like Turtle Ice will. It doesn’t seem to last as long as other sprays, but as long as you reapply it monthly, you should enjoy some really top-notch protection.
Ease of Use
It’s in the time it takes to get a good finish with the Turtle Ice that the flaws start to show. If you don’t buff it long enough, you get streaks. Don’t get us wrong; it’s still a lot faster and easier than a traditional paste job, but compared to the options from Lucas or Meguiar’s, it can feel like forever. Also, the spray drips. You’ll notice we talk about the sprayer a lot. Use the Turtle Wax to learn why we emphasize the value of a good sprayer.
Looks
Assuming you get the streaks out, see above, the Ice looks great. However, just because of the risk of haze or streaks, people with lighter colored cars will probably be happier than people with dark colors. The extra water protection will help keep your car cleaner though, and means won’t have to work as hard to keep your car looking great.
Our Thoughts
When it comes to value, you have two options. The Lucas spray wax looks great and is easier to apply. If you are all about detailing your ride before a show, get that one. The Turtle Wax offers really great protection for the cost, though.
If you want to better protect your paint and don’t care as much about the shine, get this one. The other choice you have is to pay a lot more and not have to compromise, but who wants to pay more?

Pros

Good UV protection
Inexpensive
Great water protection

Cons

Takes a while to buff
Sprayer could be improved

4. Best Premium Pick: Shine Armor Quick Coat

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Why we like it: Shine Armor’s 3-in-1 technology makes it about as close as you can get to a single bottle detail spray. It cleans, shines, and protects with minimal effort.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
The strength and protection that Shine Amor offers are best in class. It lasts a long time, it’s probably the best UV protection you can get in a spray bottle, and it will stand up to a hard wash. The only thing that it’s not great at is water-repelling. The Turtle Wax is better at that.
Ease of Use
Shine Armor gets points off for being temperamental. You can’t use it on a wet car, or a hot day, or directly in sunlight where different areas can dry at different rates, or with a standard terry cloth. It’s just really important that you do it their way. The good news is that if you follow the directions, it’s a fast, painless process. It’s part cleaner, though you shouldn’t rely on it. Treat it more like a detailing spray, you wouldn’t use it to clean your car, but you would use it to touch up your car.
Looks
The shine is deep, lasts forever, and unlike the rest of the sprays, you can even rejuvenate an older finish. It’s not the best tool for rejuvenation, but it will improve an old paint job. The only thing better is also made by Shine Armor, and it’s down here on our list. Largely the difference is in the carnauba content. The more pure wax offers a better shine but doesn’t offer the protection this does.
Our Thoughts
Oh man, this is a great product. It’s a dream to use, as long as you follow the directions. It lasts for months, and you definitely won’t be using it as often as other products. And it looks really good, can it do no wrong?
Well, it turns out that if you spend a whole bunch of money, you get a pretty good product. It’s the most expensive spray per ounce on our list, and it’s even on the higher end of detail products in general, save the F11 types, but we won’t go there. That makes it really hard to justify.
It’s so expensive because it comes in a tiny bottle. Not only do you have to pay a lot per coating, but you also have to buy it more often. It’s hard to justify the cost when stuff like the Lucas Slick Mist is so much cheaper and still works fine.

Pros

Beautiful shine
Is a mild cleaner in addition to being a finish
Great UV protection

Cons

Expensive
The bottle is tiny compared to everything else

5. Best for Car Shows: Chemical Guys Banana Spray

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Why we like it: The Chemical Guys Banana Spray is fun, and sometimes that’s what you need in today’s world. Oh, and also, it will make your car look great with minimal effort.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
The durability is fine. It’s on par with other wax heavy sprays like the Mother’s California Spray. Beading will be good, but not as good as ceramic or hybrid sprays. UV protection is ok but not as good as formulated sprays. It will last six weeks or less. That’s just a downside to the high wax content sprays; without additives to make it harder, it will wear off a lot faster.
Ease of Use
We are going to compare it to the Mother’s product again since they are both high wax content sprays. In this category, that’s a good thing, because these are some of the easiest to use sprays out there. Spray on, wipe off. It takes minutes, and your car will shine.
Looks
Do you like shiny? Because the Bana Spray brings the gloss. It’s not a deep shine like the Shine Armor Polish, and it won’t make any attempt to restore your clear coat like the Shine Armor Quick Coat will. But it will make good paint pop. It nails the “wet look” on plastics and vinyl too, so go wild with it.
Our Thoughts
The Car Guys wax is still easy to use and offers better protection. Lucas Slick Mist is just as fast and versatile but costs less. Neither of them smells like banana, and neither of them will spark conversation like the Banana spray. That makes this the perfect thing to take with you when you go to Cars and Coffee. You can shine your car while people ask you dumb questions, and you can lure in that barista you like with the smell.

Pros

Smells like taffy
Really nice shine
Easy and fast to apply

Cons

Doesn’t offer great protection
More expensive than Mother’s, which is pretty much the same but doesn’t smell like taffy

6. Fastest Spray Wax: Meguiar’s Quick Wax

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Why we like it: The Quick Wax is formulated to be wiped up before it dries, making application super fast.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
It’s about the same as the Lucas Slick Mist. You’re not going to get the best protection from a product that’s meant to be a fast shine. Turtle Wax Ice and Car Guys have better water protection, and formulated products like Shine Armor are better for UV. It will also only last about a month. All in all, it’s not terrible, but you will want more if your goal is durability.
Ease of Use
It’s not the easiest thing on the list, but it is the fastest. You can do two coats and get a really nice shine in the time it takes you to prep for other sprays. There’s nothing really special about the process; it works the same way as the Lucas Slick Mist. It’s just that the combination of slow dry time, fine spray, and low streaking make it a bit faster to use.
Looks
If you have a new car, it will keep it looking new. If you have great pain already, it will keep it looking great. If you have an oxidized clear coat and tons of scratches, it will make it look like you poured some water on an old paint job. The Quick Wax will never build as thick as other waxes, so it won’t ever look as good. It’s ok, but like the Turtle Wax, it’s not great.
Our Thoughts
The Meguair’s Quick Wax is a purely middle of the road product. It’s something you buy if you don’t really care to have the best, but still want to keep your car waxed between detailings. Avoid Concours events, and you’ll be thrilled.

Pros

Very fast to apply
The bottle is large and easy to use
Inexpensive

Cons

Durability could be improved
The Car Guys spray is only a few dollars more, is very similar in application, and is a better product

7. Best Spray Wax and Wash Combo: Meguiar’s Premium Wash and Wax

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Why we like it: This kit comes with everything you need to make your car look stunning, including buckets and rags.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
The wax this kit comes with is one of the most protective on the market. It’s right there with the Shine Armor or the Turtle Wax. Meguiar’s calls it a unique special ceramic hybrid, but it’s pretty much the same as any hybrid wax. That’s a good thing because those types of waxes offer the best durability out there.
Ease of Use
I mean, the kit comes with everything you need, which is awesome. But the wax isn’t friendly to plastics, so you have to make sure to keep it controlled. It also takes a long time. The product can dry almost immediately, meaning you can only work in small areas at a time.
Looks
Looks great. It’s not the deep, beautiful shine of something like the Shine Armor Polish, but you get that satisfying glossy wet look that lasts for a long time.
Our Thoughts
If you are just getting into detailing your car, or just need a really handy kit, Meguiar’s has your back. This kit includes buckets, rags, wash, and wax. The wax is one of their better ones, the wash works well, and the wash mitts make something fun to use once before throwing away and replacing with some high-quality sponges.
The price is a bit of a gut punch. This is the most expensive entry on our list, but that’s because of the amount of stuff you get. Per ounce, the wax is average in price, and you are basically getting the buckets and towels for free. We think it might be expensive to just buy for yourself, but it would make the absolute perfect gift for someone who just got a new car.

Pros

Comes with everything you need to wash and wax
The wax offers great protection
The wash is good too

Cons

It takes a long time to do it right
The initial price is high

8. Best High-Quality Shine: Shine Armor Polish

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Why we like it: The Shine Armor Polish is probably the closest you can get to a traditional paste job when it comes to brilliance.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
Shine Armor Polish has no additives for UV protection, and it doesn’t get as hard as ceramic or hybrid sprays, but the water beading is fine. This product really is very close to a traditional paste wax. You get a fantastic shine, really good water control, and ok dust protection. That comes at the cost of the sciency stuff other sprays like the Meguair’ s Premium Wash and Wax or the Car Guys sprays have.
Ease of Use
Usually, high-end sprays like this are harder to use, but the Shine Armor Polish’s simplicity saves it from that fate. It’s just as easy as the Banana Spray or Lucas Slick Mist. It does take longer if you want to really buff out any hint of streaking. Most of the cheaper sprays it’s just not worth doing, but this is one of the best looking products on our list. It’s worth the extra five minutes.
Looks
Oh man, we’re just going to say it. The Shine Armor Polish is the best looking spray on this list. It’s hard to make that claim because there are many great looking products in today’s world. Car Guys makes a great product that will give you a beautiful shine. So will the Torque Mirror Shine, and per ounce, both are cheaper. But if you need the absolute best of the best in the looks department, here it is.
Our Thoughts
It’s another expensive product in a tiny bottle from Shine Armor, and if you read our thoughts on the Quick Coat, then you can probably guess our thoughts on the Polish. It’s great, but probably not worth it unless you really, really want that super shine. That’s it, enough said.

Pros

Easy to apply
Beautiful
Mildly restorative

Cons

Expensive
Not very good protection

9. Longest Lasting Spray Wax: Torque Mirror Shine

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Why we like it: The Torque Mirror Shine is a good looking wax that will protect your car longer than most sprays.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
It says six months on the bottle, and the Torque is probably the only spray wax that can get close to that claim. That’s fantastic. You can’t get better longevity out of a spray bottle, not even the Shine Armor.
The protection layer is not as hard as other sprays. You might get some dust and water sticking, but at the same time, no spray will protect your car past a month or so. The time between coats might make the average protection over the course of a year way better with the Torque unless you religiously apply wax.
Ease of Use
Like the other higher-end products, the Torque is temperamental and needs a perfect vehicle to work. They recommend multiple coats, multiple buffing sessions, and only apply the product after a complete clay bar session. Frankly, it’s a pain in the butt to get the Torque spray’s full benefits, and that’s only marginally acceptable because you don’t have to do it nearly as often as other sprays.
Looks
People will argue all day whether a polymer shine, like this product, or a heavy wax shine like the Shine Armor Polish, is better looking. Either way, you are going to get that mirror shine if you use the product correctly.
Our Thoughts
The Torque spray is meant to compete with the “professional” sprays like the F11. It totally does, in the sense that it’s a bit overpriced, and there are much cheaper sprays that look just as good.
That being said, the Torque Spray is an excellent product. If your car is new and you want to keep it looking new as long as possible, you won’t be disappointed.

Pros

Great shine
Lasts a long time
A little bit of product goes a long way

Cons

Expensive
Takes a long time to apply correctly

10. Easiest to Use: Mother’s California Spray

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Why we like it: Mother’s California Spray if you just want to take a few minutes to wax, and don’t expect much more from it.
Editor’s Rating:

Durability
It will last a month, offer adequate water protection, mild UV protection, and dust will be marginally easier to wipe off. In other words, it’s fine but doesn’t stand out in any way. The only thing that makes it worthy of our list is that it’s cheap and comes in a big bottle. You can overcome the durability limitations by applying it frequently without feeling bad.
Ease of Use
We call a lot of things easy to use. That’s largely because that’s the whole point of spray waxes, and the truth is the Mother’s isn’t the best. It’s more or less tied with any of the other spray-on, wipe off waxes. The Lucas product on our list is just as easy, and the Banana Spray is just as easy and smells like banana.
This spray wax gets to be called the easiest to use because it is the stand out feature of the California Spray wax. It cleans, it polishes, and it takes minimal buffing to avoid swirls.
Looks
Your car will look great after using the Mother’s California Spray. It’s a high wax content spray, and it’s going to make your clear coat shine. The issue is that it’s not going to last as long as others. Again, though, you get a ton of it for cheap, so just reapply when necessary.
Our Thoughts
The Mother’s Spray Wax is the definition of perfectly adequate. It does what the label says, and nothing more. It won’t surprise you, it won’t let you down, and it costs exactly what you think it should cost.
What that makes it really good for is a baseline for everything else. If you are just getting into detailing, or want to learn about how different products work, then get the Mother’s and have at it. That way, when we say things like “the Shine Armor might not be worth the extra price,” you can be like, yeah, because the one from Mother’s isn’t that much worse. Conversely, when we praise the Lucas Spray for their sprayer, you can be like, yeah, because most sprayers are garbage, and I hate them.

Pros

Inexpensive
Meets expectations
Easy to apply

Cons

Sprayer is garbage
Doesn’t offer great protection or great anything, really

All About Spray Wax
Wax is one of those things that’s easy to understand on the surface, but gets super deep the more you look at it. We aren’t going to get into the chemistry of it, but we do want to set you up with all the knowledge you need to argue about it with your friends.
What Does Wax Do Anyway?
A car’s finish has a bunch of layers, and all of them have different attributes. The primer creates a surface that paint can bond too and sticks to the metal. The paint gives it color. The clear coat makes it shiny and protects the paint.
Each layer has defects because nothing in life is ever perfect. Wax fills in those defects so that dirt and water can’t get trapped in them. If you are a visual learner, let Bart from Donut Media explain it. He’s talking about ceramic finishes specifically, but the underlying principles are the same.
Spray Wax vs. Paste Wax vs. Liquid Wax
Wax comes in three main flavors. (Note: please don’t eat the wax!) Wax comes either in spray form, paste form, or a liquid. Sometimes it’s not really a liquid, it’s more like a gel, but for this article’s purposes, a gel is a liquid. If you want to venture into the world of other waxes, we here at AutoQuarterly already have a guide to set you up right here.
Paste Wax
Paste wax is a lump of goop that sometimes has the consistency of a crayon, and sometimes has the consistency of a good flan. Ideally, it’s in-between the two. It all depends on the brand and temperature.
To use paste wax, you have to spend a ton of time spreading an even layer over your car’s entire surface, then wiping off the excess. Remember Karate Kid? Wax on, wax off. That’s how traditional wax, an ancient martial art, works.
The hard work translates to the most durable, shiniest finish you can get. Nothing compares to a good old fashion shine and wax.
Spray Wax
This entire article is all about spray wax, so hopefully, you have a pretty good idea what it is by now. It’s like paste wax, but you can just spray it on and wipe it off. No super long wax on, wax off martial art practice session.
The downside is that it’s never going to be as durable or as long-lasting as a paste job. You won’t build up the layers needed to get that miracle shine, and it won’t get hard enough to save you from the elements. It’s absolutely perfect if your car just needs some shine maintenance, though.
Liquid Wax
Wax as a liquid is the balance between spray and paste. It’s a little easier to use than the paste, but it still takes longer than the spray. You get a good layer of protection, but it’s not as good as the paste layers.
The Compounds in Spray Waxes
Modern spray waxes vary significantly in composition. In ye olden days, carnauba was king. It’s wax made from palm trees. Nowadays, you got ceramics, polymers, and whatever weird stuff is in Meguair’s green bottle wax. So what do they do?
Natural Wax
It turns out that wax occurs all over nature and is used by plants and stuff for the same reason we use it for our cars. It repels water and keeps things clean. Like we said before, carnauba comes from palm trees. Natural waxes don’t last as long, which we point out a lot during the review section. They do look great. That’s why waxes like Shine Armor Polish rate higher in the looks department.
Synthetic Wax
Better living through chemistry is a saying made famous by DuPont. They make finishing supplies, so they know. Polymer waxes have come a long way since they made that slogan in 1935, and some people prefer the look and advanced protection that synthetic waxes offer. Torque makes a great synthetic spray, but most waxes we reviewed are hybrids between synthetic and natural. That gives you the natural shine and synthetic protection.
Ceramic
Ceramic is the newest player in the finish scene. It’s harder than even the hardest waxes and is a super cool word to have on a wax bottle. The truth is that unless you are getting a hardcore ceramic coating, the amount of ceramic in a spray wax isn’t enough to make a huge difference.
Products like the Shine Armor Quick Coat have ceramic in them and do offer some of the best protection, but one of the biggest benefits of a ceramic finish is the amount of time they last. Spray waxes don’t last.
How to Use Spray Wax
Spray wax is easy to use. So easy, we can run you through the entire process here and feel confident you can get great results no matter what product you choose.
Gather the Materials
First, make sure you have a bunch of clean microfiber towels. The Car Guys spray comes with some if that makes your life easier. Other useful things include a handful of old rags, just for cleanup, and a drying cloth just in case there’s water hidden somewhere.
Wash Your Car
This can be as complicated or as easy as you want. There’s plenty of waterless washes out there that work fine or products like the Meguair’s kit we recommend come with a whole car wash kit. Popular Mechanics has a pretty good rundown of how to get great results.
Read the Directions
We all know you will wait until the last minute to read the directions. That’s fine. Though do your best to read them before actually applying the wax. It’s just that every product is a little different, so you want to make sure there isn’t some secret to it that can make your life way better.
Dry Your Car
Air dry, chemical dry, sunlight, shammy, use whatever works best for you. Even if the spray wax you grab says it works on wet surfaces, we guarantee it will work better on a dry surface.
Apply the Wax
Some waxes you apply by spraying onto a rag and then messaging into the paint. Other’s you just spray onto the paint directly. Either way, work in small areas to avoid streaks due to the wax drying out.
Wipe Off the Wax
This is where the directions will help. Some waxes need to dry partially before being wiped off. Others, like the Lucas spray, can be wiped off immediately.
Buff if Necessary
Waxes like the Banana spray can be buffed to a mirror polish after spraying. Again, read the directions. Buffing will make sure you get the most shine you can get.
Apply Another Layer of Wax to Any Bald Spots
Some products, like the Torque, simply suggest applying another layer to the entire car. Most of the time, you just look for a dull spot and touch it up. That’s it, enjoy the sparkle.
Ready, Set, Spray
Spray wax is the best way to keep your car looking great between hardcore detailings. That means you have no excuse. Go blind people during cruise night; it’s the right thing to do. More

You’ve heard of a car cabin air filter. It’s mentioned every time you stop by your local mechanic for an oil change. But what is it, and why is it so important? You might also be wondering how often you should change it, and how to choose the best cabin air filter for your car. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn more about cabin air filters and see our top picks for 2020.

How to Choose the Best Car Cabin Air Filter
Before jumping into our picks for cabin air filters, let’s talk about the different types to choose from and what key factors to consider when buying a new cabin air filter.
Types of Cabin Air Filters
You know that it’s the time to invest in a new cabin air filter for your trusty four-door, but how do you know which type of filter is best? While each type of cabin air filter is designed to handle dust and odors, not all do so in the same way.
Charcoal Cabin Air Filters
Charcoal cabin air filters catch dust and debris while also absorbing nasty fumes and unpleasant odors. For the best results, charcoal cabin air filters should be changed once per year or every 15,000 miles.
Activated Carbon Cabin Air Filters
Activated carbon filters work the same way as charcoal cabin air filters but use activated carbon to absorb airborne contaminants that pass through your vehicle’s ventilation system.
Particle Cabin Air Filters
Particle cabin filters trap tiny particles before they enter your car. These filters are ideal for filtering out pollen, dust, smoke, mold spores, and other small particles.
Electrostatic Cabin Air Filters
Each layer of an electrostatic cabin air filter is electrostatically charged so that the filter can trap ultra-fine particles, including cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, mold spores, bacteria, and diesel carbon.
HEPA Cabin Air Filters
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. These filters provide a filtration efficiency rate of 99.7% at 0.3 microns, blocking out allergens like pollen and dust. However, they’re not as good when it comes to filtering out harmful odors.
Key Features to Look For in a Car Cabin Air Filter
Much like anything, there are a few key features to look out for when buying a car cabin air filter:
Compatability
Each model of car requires a specifically-sized air filter. While a brand may claim to have a universal fit, that’s not necessarily true. Before you commit to buying a cabin air filter, check if it’s compatible with your car.
Protection
Cabin air filters are designed to block out dust and dirt particles. Some are also able to take on foul odors. If you’d like a cabin air filter that can protect against even finer particulates and more pungent odors, be sure to buy a filter like the K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter.
Longevity
While some cabin air filters need to be changed after one year or 12,000 miles, others can last for even longer.
Driving Conditions
Do you live in an urban environment plagued by pollution? Then consider a HEPA-rated filter like the Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter. If you don’t, an air filter like the Spearhead Premium Breathe Easy Cabin Filter may fit the bill better.
We have sorted through the bestsellers and forever favorites to find the best car cabin air filters of 2020. Check out our top picks below!

Top 10 Best Car Cabin Air Filters 2020

1. Best Overall Pick: Spearhead Premium Breathe Easy Cabin Filter

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Why we like it: The Spearhead Premium Breathe Easy Cabin Filter uses three layers of filtration to protect against dust, allergens, and fumes. It also lasts longer than most other cabin air filters.
Editor’s Rating:

The Spearhead Premium Breathe Easy Cabin Filter is an excellent buy if you’re in the market for a reasonably priced cabin air filter that uses activated carbon to protect against dust and odors. Unlike other cabin filters, the Spearhead Premium Breathe Easy Cabin Filter also features honeycombed charcoal weaves engineered to last up to 25% longer than other filters.
Compatability
This filter works with a range of vehicles. Whether you’re the proud owner of a Dodge Ram pickup or have a Subaru Forester sitting in your driveway, this cabin air filter will be sure to please.
Protection
The Spearhead Premium Breathe Easy Cabin Filter boasts three layers of filtration: one for dust, an antimicrobial filter to block allergens, and an adsorption filter to soak up some foul odors. It’s also densely packed with activated carbon and uses industrial strength electrostatic media to trap even the smallest particles.
Longevity
If you want an air filter that will last longer than the standard 12,000 miles, this air filter is an excellent choice because it uses honeycombed charcoal weaves to last up to 15,000 miles.
Driving Conditions
If you live in a highly polluted area, this air filter will do just fine. If you’re trying to combat smells, though, this air filter may not be the pick for you. While it does feature a layer specifically designed to soak up odors, it cannot soak up stronger scents like diesel fumes or passing fast food smells.

Pros

Uses activated carbon
Multiple filtration levels
Lasts 25% longer

Cons

Doesn’t offer strong odor protection

2. Best Budget Pick: EPAuto CP134 Premium Cabin Air Filter

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Why we like it: If you’re hoping to get the most bang for your buck, look no further than the EPAuto CP134 Premium Cabin Air Filter and its wallet-friendly price tag.
Editor’s Rating:

The EPAuto CP134 Premium Cabin Air Filter uses activated carbon to provide cleaner airflow. It’s also straightforward to install and is able to improve HVAC performance.
Compatability
This cabin air filter works with nearly every vehicle on the market, making it an easy pick if you’re looking for a cheap cabin air filter.
Protection
Using activated carbon, the EPAuto CP134 Premium Cabin Air Filter is able to prevent dust and debris from entering your car’s interior. It’s also able to stop foul odors, though not altogether.
Longevity
While the EPAuto CP134 Premium Cabin Air Filter should last a year, you’ll probably have to replace it before then. Fortunately, because it’s priced so low, purchasing more than one in a year isn’t too costly.
Driving Conditions
You can expect this cabin air filter to handle most driving conditions. While it’ll undoubtedly provide cleaner airflow, it won’t necessarily stop bad smells altogether.

Pros

Low price
Improves HVAC performance
Prevents dust and debris in cabin

Cons

Won’t stop odors altogether
May not last a year

3. Best Premium Pick: K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter

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Why we like it: The K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter is the best of the best. Though it does cost a pretty penny, it’s well worth the investment.
Editor’s Rating:

There’s a reason the K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter is the first on our list. This cabin air filter is designed to protect against just about everything. From dust to mold, this air filter has got you covered. Of course, several other features are worth mentioning when it comes to this premium car cabin air filter.
Compatability
The K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter is compatible with a number of vehicles, including Toyota, Subaru, Land Rover, Jaguar, Lexus, and Scion models. If you own a car made by another manufacturer, K&N does offer additional cabin air filters to choose from.
Protection
This air filter uses state-of-the-art filtration technology and an electrostatic charge to protect against mold, dust, mildew, fungi, germs, and other pollutants. Equip your vehicle with this cabin air filter, and you’ll experience a noticeable difference in smells.
Longevity
Unlike other cabin air filters, the K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter is washable. That’s right, you heard it here. This cabin air filter can be washed and reused multiple times, making it extremely eco-friendly.
Driving Conditions
This electrostatic cabin air filter will do fine in just about any driving situation. Whether you’re in a polluted city or a rural area, you can count on this filter to protect your vehicle from particles and odors.

Pros

Uses advanced technology
Is washable, re-usable
Protects against smells

4. Best for Allergies: Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter

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Why we like it: This car cabin filter is HEPA-rated and is designed to trap even the smallest of microscopic pollutants.
Editor’s Rating:

Pollutants are no match for this HEPA-rated cabin air filter. Opt for the Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter, and be confident that you’re protecting your car’s interior. Though, do keep in mind that this air filter did impact airflow for some customers, making it a poor choice for city slickers in the summer months.
Compatability
The Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter works with many different vehicles, Toyota and Lexus, included. If you don’t see your vehicle listed, check out the Bosch Automotive Store to find a compatible cabin air filter.
Protection
This filter comprises three layers and provides the cleanest air possible with 99.97% efficiency at 0.3 microns. Its support layer supports and protects the surface of the filter while the HEPA layer traps microscopic pollutants like pollen, mold, and other common allergens. Its last layer, a static cotton layer, is designed to improve particle-holding capacity and prolong the filter’s life.
Longevity
Bosch recommends replacing your cabin air filter every 12,000 miles or per your vehicle owner’s manual for maximum efficiency.
Driving Conditions
As we mentioned earlier, if you live in a polluted area, opting for a HEPA-rated filter makes for a great choice. Unlike other filters on the list, the Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter is remarkably efficient at providing you with the cleanest of clean air.

Pros

HEPA-rated
Protects against common allergens
Remarkably efficient

Cons

Can restrict airflow

5. Best Two-Pack: Puroma Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon

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Why we like it: The Puroma Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon comes with not one but two air filters. Buy ahead and save both time and money.
Editor’s Rating:

For less than $15, you’ll get two cabin air filters when choosing the Puroma Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon. Enjoy enhanced HVAC performance and easy installation. Do be aware that the filter might smell the first few times of use. Don’t worry, though, the factory-fresh odor will wear off.
Compatability
This filter works with most Toyota model years, along with many other vehicles. To be sure it’s a match for your car, though, make sure to check your trusty owner’s manual.
Protection
The Puroma Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon features an activated charcoal layer that efficiently removes dust and particles, keeping them well entering your vehicle’s interior. The car cabin air filter also features advanced filter technology to provide you and your passengers with a healthier in-car environment.
Longevity
While these filters are meant to last 12,000 miles, they can stop working efficiently before that. Fortunately, with two in the pack, that’s not much of an issue.
Driving Conditions
Pairing an activated charcoal layer with advanced filter technology makes this filter a good choice for areas where fine particles or debris might be a problem. It should have no problem combatting smells, either.

Pros

Includes two cabin air filters
Used advanced filter technology
Works with most Toyota models
Features an activated charcoal layer

Cons

Odd smell first few times of use
May need to be replaced before 12,000 miles

6. Best Activated Carbon: Kootek Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon

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Why we like it: The Kootek Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon is well priced, comes with two cabin air filters, and uses activated carbon to combat smells.
Editor’s Rating:

The Kootek Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon is a do it all kind of cabin air filter. It doesn’t come with an outrageous price tag, features two cabin air filters, and uses a slew of technology to ensure that it actually does what it’s supposed to. One of its only potential downfalls? This filter can slow down airflow on a hot summer day.
Compatability
The Kootek Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon is compatible with most vehicles. Before purchasing, we do recommend confirming this.
Protection
The Kootek Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon is made up of 24 layers. Each layer is densely packed with baking soda and activated carbon to trap particles and prevent bad smells. Too much pollution can impact the efficacy of this cabin air filter, though.
Longevity
While the Kootek Cabin Air Filter with Activated Carbon is meant to last a year, the more polluted an area you live in, the less likely it is to reach that 12-month mark as trapping larger particles will impact the filter’s longevity.
Driving Conditions
If you live in a polluted area, this is not the best car cabin air filter for satisfying your needs. The more pollution this cabin air filter faces, the less likely it is to last for a full year. In hotter weather, this cabin air filter can also slow down airflow, which is not what you want to hear when getting behind the wheel on a hot summer day.

Pros

Comes with two air filters
Uses activated carbon
Protects against pollution

Cons

May not last a year
Can slow airflow

7. Best Against Pollen: Mann-Filter CUK 2939 Cabin Filter

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Why we like it: For allergy sufferers, we would like to introduce you to the Mann-Filter CUK 2939 Cabin Filter. Unlike other cabin filters listed, this one uses consistent filtration to take on everyday allergens.
Editor’s Rating:

The Mann-Filter CUK 2939 Cabin Filter is designed to filter out pollen, spores, dust, and harmful gases. For allergy sufferers, its consistent filtration performance is worth rejoicing over. Unfortunately, shipping problems have been reported when ordering this filter. For some, while it arrived on time and in good condition, it didn’t come adequately wrapped inside of the box.
Compatability
This filter was made to fit most Volkswagen and Audi models. Though it is possible, it might work in your car. To confirm, check your owner’s manual.
Protection
The Mann-Filter CUK 2939 Cabin Filter uses activated carbon from MANN-FILTER to prevent almost 100% of particles from entering your car. Whether it’s pollen or soot, count on the premium activated carbon layer to protect you and your passengers from tiny particles, and even harmful gases and unpleasant odors.
Longevity
To ensure optimal performance, you should change this filter every year. Fortunately, it’s easy to install and doesn’t require a mechanic’s touch.
Driving Conditions
With its well-equipped carbon layers, this cabin air filter will work well even in polluted environments. It’s even able to take on the foulest of smells, making it a safe city dweller option during summer.

Pros

Uses activated carbon
Prevents allergens from getting in your car
Easy to install

Cons

Shipped without a bag

8. Easiest to Install: ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter

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Why we like it: The ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter is a suitable pick for Honda owners because of its modest price and its ability to prevent 99. 5% of all dust, pollen, air pollution, allergens, pet dander, and other airborne contaminants from getting into your car.
Editor’s Rating:

This cabin air filter means business. Whether it’s dust or air pollution, the ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter is no match for it. Unfortunately, however, this cabin air filter isn’t as good as stopping unpleasant odors.
Compatability
The ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter works with all Honda models. Remember, though, this is always worth confirming before pressing the buy button.
Protection
When it comes to dust or other air contaminants, the ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter has what it takes to stop them. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for smells. Whether it’s smoke or diesel fumes, this cabin air filter likely isn’t capable of stopping it.
Longevity
The ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter will last a full year or 12,000 miles. For the best results, make sure to change it on time.
Driving Conditions
For polluted areas, the ECOGARD XC36080 Premium Cabin Air Filter is a good pick. If you live in an area that doesn’t always smell like a bed of fresh flowers, though, this might not be the cabin air filter for you.

Pros

Protects against air contaminants
Isn’t expensive to buy
Works in most Honda models

Cons

Doesn’t protect against odors

9. Best for Odors: EPAuto CP285 Premium Cabin Air Filter

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Why we like it: This cabin air filter uses both baking soda and carbon to make sure it keeps the air in your vehicle clean.
Editor’s Rating:

The EPAuto CP285 Premium Cabin Air Filter fits in several different kinds of cars, is modestly priced, and uses baking soda and carbon to prevent particles and smells from entering your car’s cabin.
Compatability
Whether you drive a Toyota or a Subaru, this car cabin air filter is likely to do just fine in your car. Also worth mentioning? The EPAuto CP285 Premium Cabin Air Filter is very easy to install, meaning there’s no reason to stop at the local mechanic next time you need a new cabin air filter.
Protection
The EPAuto CP285 Premium Cabin Air Filter uses carbon and baking soda to trap particles and prevent smells. While it does a great job of preventing particles from entering the vehicle’s cabin, it’s no match for more potent fumes.
Longevity
Like other cabin filters on the list, the EPAuto CP285 Premium Cabin Air Filter should be changed yearly.
Driving Conditions
For polluted areas, the EPAuto CP285 Premium Cabin Air Filter is an okay choice, though you could certainly do better by opting for a HEPA-rated filter like the Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter.

Pros

Will put a stop to particles entering your car
Uses baking soda and carbon
Easy to install
Cheap price

Cons

Doesn’t offer strong odor protection

10. Best for Air Flow: FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter

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Why we like it: The FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter filters up to 98% of dust particles and is used in 80% of all vehicles built since the 2000 model year.
Editor’s Rating:

The FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter is a champ when it comes to combatting debris, preventing odors, and improving airflow. Not to mention, it comes accompanied by a price tag that won’t break the bank.
Compatability
This cabin air filter can be used in 80% of all vehicles built since the 2000 model year, meaning there’s a good chance it will work in your car. To be sure, take a gander at your owner’s manual before purchasing. If your vehicle is older than that, this cabin air filter simply won’t work.
Protection
This cabin air filter uses Arm & Hammer baking soda combined with carbon to clean the air flowing through your car’s ventilation system. In doing so, it more airflow for better performance while also preventing musty odors from taking residence inside the vehicle.
Longevity
The FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter is easy to install and, unlike other cabin air filters on the list, should be changed every 15,000 miles.
Driving Conditions
This cabin air filter is able to remove 98% of dirt, dust, and airborne allergens from the air passing through your car’s ventilation system. Whether you’re in a densely populated city with bumper to bumper traffic or find yourself winding along a scenic road, you can breathe easy knowing the FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter was designed to reduce your exposure to airborne contaminants.

Pros

Easy to install
Lasts longer than other cabin air filters
Uses baking soda
Works in 80% of vehicles

Cons

Only works in 2000 model years or newer

Your Guide to Buying the Best Car Cabin Air Filter
In this section, we’ll take a deep dive into the different features you should consider when choosing the best car cabin air filter for your car.
What to Look for in a Cabin Air Filter
If your vehicle is a 2000 model year or new, it likely came standard with a car cabin air filter. However, there’s little to no chance that the salesperson who sold your car explained what it does, when to replace it, and what to look for in your next car cabin air filter. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered.
When it comes to buying a new car cabin air filter, you need to consider what features are most important to you. For some drivers, a filter that catches dust and allergens is all they need. For others, combatting musty odors is an absolute must. You also need to consider the air quality of where you live. If you live in an area with poor air quality, you might want to invest in a cabin air filter that’s better able to catch dust, dirt, and other tiny particles before they even enter your car’s cabin.
With four different types of car cabin air filters available, you will have plenty to choose from. Fortunately, with cabin air filters like Bosch 6055C HEPA Cabin Air Filter and the K&N Premium Cabin Air Filter on the market, there is no shortage of right products to choose from.
Benefits of Car Cabin Air Filters
There are more reasons than one to keep your car outfitted with a clean cabin air filter. Not only will it improve your car’s airflow, but it will also help put a stop to allergens invading your interior. If you’re looking to protect your engine from dust and other particles, you should make sure to check out our list of the best engine air filters.
Increase HVAC Performance
Can you remember the last time you replaced your cabin air filter? If you’ve never replaced it, chances are it’s a mess. Unfortunately for you, that mess can negatively impact HVAC performance by not supplying enough air to your car’s interior. To increase HVAC performance, regularly change your car’s cabin air filter. Not sure how often that should be? Not to worry, we’ll get there below
Say Goodbye to Foul Odors
If you’re met with a musty smell every time you get behind the wheel, it’s time to get a cabin air filter replacement. To say goodbye to foul odors behind the wheel of your car, opt for a filter replacement that has activated carbon or charcoal to absorb foul odors.
Breathe Easy
Allergy sufferers can attest that being hit with a coughing or sneezing fit is never fun, especially when on a long drive. Consider a carbon air filter designed to trap dust, pollen, and other allergens to help you breathe easier next time you take the wheel.
Car Cabin Air Filter FAQ
Unsure of what a cabin air filter does? How often your car’s cabin air filter should be replaced? In this brief FAQ, we’ll answer the most commonly asked questions about cabin air filters.
What Does a Cabin Air Filter Do?
Your car’s cabin air filter cleans the air that comes through your car’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system and is designed to catch dust, pollen, and other airborne material. Some cabin air filters, like the Mann-Filter CUK 2939 Cabin Filter also prevent foul odors.
Do All Cars Have a Cabin Air Filter?
A majority of cars come standard with a cabin air filter. If you’re unsure if your vehicle has a cabin air filter, check your owner’s manual.
How Often Should I Change the Cabin Air Filter in My Car?
If you still have that owner’s manual handy, finding the answer to this question should be easy. Typically, though, manufacturers recommend changing the cabin air filter in your car every 12,000 or 15,000 miles.
Does a Mechanic Have to Change the Cabin Air Filter?
Sure, a mechanic might tell you otherwise, but you don’t need one to change the cabin air filter in your car. Changing your cabin air filter yourself can save you both time and money. Rather than waiting at the mechanic and forking over a pretty penny, change the cabin air filter yourself. Do so in as little as 15 minutes, and without having to pay a sizeable fee.
How do I Change the Cabin Air Filter in My Car?
First, figure out where your cabin air filter is. Most are located behind the glove compartment, or beneath the windshield. Changing your car cabin air filter doesn’t require many tools, and can be done quickly. Just check out this video
Does the Cabin Air Filter Affect My Car’s AC?
Of course! That’s why it’s so essential to change your cabin air filter regularly. If your car’s filtration system is clogged, it will lead to a lack of airflow. For maximum airflow and better ventilation, change your cabin air filter regularly.
Keep the Air in Your Car Clean!
Now you have the inside scoop on what a cabin air filter is, why it’s essential, and how often you should be replacing the one in your car. Not only that, but we’ve given you the inside track on some of the best options currently on the market today. With this information in hand, you can be confident when purchasing a new cabin air filter for your car. More

Everyone wants a car that looks brand new even after years of ownership and thousands of miles on the clock. The simplest way to keep your paintwork looking sharp is to keep it protected by a strong clear coat varnish.
A quality clear coat refreshes and protects the factory paint job on your car, makes colors more vibrant, and creates a shell over the bodywork, shielding your ride from minor scratches, dings, and other damage. Keep reading to see

Picking the Best Clear Coat For Your Car
A clear coat is exactly what the name suggests it is. It’s literally a clear coat of paint, with no color or other pigmentation added to it.
Clear coats are applied to your car as a final step, on top of the other layers of paint. Because it has zero pigment and is completely clear, a clear coat sits on top of the existing color and acts as a varnish or second skin. Here is what you want to keep in mind while shopping for clear coat paints.
Finish and Gloss
One of the biggest reasons to buy a clear coat is to enhance the look of your paintwork. Some clears have higher gloss levels than others, for example, SpeedoKote Ultra High Gloss Glamour Clear has one of the highest levels of gloss we’ve ever seen, and that leads to a much better-looking finish. Obviously, this also means a little more work to polish it out, but we think it’s worth the effort.
How the Coat is Applied
There are three ways to apply clear, by spraying it on and wiping, by rattle-can spray, and by professional paint spray-gun.
The first two methods are generally more suitable for single panels and spot work because you’re not going to get the same even coverage as you would with a spray-gun. But there’s a cost investment with spray guns, and it might not be worth picking up an expensive kit just to apply a clear coat to your car every couple of years.
Ease of Application
Spray cans or hand-applied clears are also much easier to apply. A spray clear requires a lot of initial setup and might lead to other issues like ambient temperature control or extensive preparation.
Toughness and Resistance
The second reason to apply a clear coat is to protect your car’s finish. If you’re not looking to maximize gloss and finish, you’re probably looking for the best protection you can find.
A clear like KBS DiamondFinish is incredibly tough, giving the best level of protection against impact damage, environmental issues, and chemicals.
Lifespan
No paint job lasts forever. The lifespan of a clear is based around many factors, but can include the quality of the application, where the vehicle is stored, how often you drive it, and environmental factors like how hot your summers are and how acidic the local rain is.
Most good clear coats will last at least a year or two, and some can last up to five.
Cost
No one has an infinite budget, and monetary cost is an obvious concern when you’re buying a new product. Most clears aren’t expensive, especially spray application clears. A lot of the cost can come from supplementary costs, like cleaning materials, spray-gun attachments, and more.
Types of Top Coats
Not all clear coats are created equal. There are different types of clear coat varnish, which are all suited for different situations.
Topcoat Clear Coat
A topcoat clear coat is what can be thought of as the standard clear coat. It’s generally applied as a last step by the manufacturers, over the base paint. Topcoats are normally simple to polish, give a glossy finish, and dry fast.
Turbo Clear Coat
Turbo coats are designed for a quick fix. They’re great for repairing paintwork after a crash, and help to cover superficial damage from scratches and dents. Turbo coats need a lot of polishing, but dry fast and buff to a glossy finish.
Glamor Clear Coat
A glamor clear coat is moisture resistant and takes a long time to dry, but buffs to a super glossy, showroom finish.
Higher-Solid Clear Coat
Expensive, and harder to apply because of the thickness and the extra drying time, higher solid coats provide the best level of protection, and are the correct choice if you live in an area with tougher weather conditions.

Top 10 Best Clear Coats for Cars 2020

1. Best Overall Pick: SpeedoKote SMR-130

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Why we like it: Trusted by professionals, SpeedoKote is diamond hard and buffs to a professional shine, without the hard work that a lot of other brands demand.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
The biggest reason we rate SpeedoKote so highly and the main reason it’s at the top of our list is the incredible level of protection it offers.
Once SpeedoKote has been applied correctly, it dries into a rock hard armored shell, which provides protection against almost everything your vehicle could face out on the road. SpeedoKote is the full package. It’s tough against impact, has fantastic UV sun damage protection, oil and chemical defense, including road cleaning chemicals, and one of the strongest weather resistances on the market.
How it Looks
Compared to other clear coats, SpeedoKote acrylic urethane clear coat goes on incredibly smoothly, and dries to a very high gloss, top quality shine. Once it’s dry, SpeedoKote is easy to buff, without many of the issues you might face from cheaper brands, for example, major smearing. That makes SpeedoKote a great product for amateurs as well as professionals.
Car detailers, driving teams, and other experienced professionals trust SpeedoKote to protect their vehicles. If it’s good enough for a seven-figure track car, it’s good enough for you.
Ease of Use
The only real downside with SpeedoKote products is how difficult they are to use. They are designed as a professional level solution, which means you’re going to have to have a decent setup to apply it correctly. The minimum is a garage and a spray gun, but being able to control the temperature and minimize dust particulates is also recommended.
The package comes with one gallon (128 ounces) of clear coat mixture and one quart (32 ounces) of activator. The product is mixed in a 4:1 ratio, which activates it and gives you a short window to spray it down. Once the coat is applied, it touch dries in minutes, and it is ready to buff in as little as 4 to 6 hours.
SpeedoKote should be applied at a temperature between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. When you’re mixing, it’s also worth being careful about how much you use. The standard gallon is generous and far , so it’s deceptively simple to over mix and end up with waste. SpeedoKote clear coats can be more expensive than other products, but when you factor in the long shelf life, one purchase could easily keep your car safe several times over.

Pros

Fantastic protection against everything
High gloss, beautiful finish
USA made, to match US car standards

Cons

Needs a spray gun to apply

2. Best for Paint Matching: Dupli-Color Clear Exact Match Top Coat

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Why we like it: Dupli-Color is designed to match perfectly to your existing car’s color. If you need to touch up damage or color match a panel, choose Dupli-Color.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
Dupli-Color has been in business for 60 years, and it shows. This clear coat requires the standard 3 layers to provide sufficient protection, but once those layers have been applied the resulting finish is a tough and hard-wearing glossy shell.
It’s resistant to all of the usual suspects, protecting your paintwork from weather effects, salt, oil, chemicals, UV, scratches, and dings. While it doesn’t have the same level of protection as some more dedicated clears, you can always choose to apply more layers if protection is something you need.
How it Looks
Dupli-Color is a premium automotive clear coat, and it shows. When you order it, you order based on the existing paint job. Dupli-color can be ordered to precisely match the shade list of your vehicle, and each spray is formulated to provide the best finish possible, down to the precise year your car was made.
Spray cans like these can be harder to apply evenly over large areas, so we recommend a clear coat like this one for smaller touch-up jobs. If you need to cover an entire car, or you’re respraying several major panels, it could be worth either purchasing or hiring a spray gun, or going to a professional.
A rattle can like this is never going to match the appearance of a clear coat applied using a spray gun, and might require more buffing for an even finish. But with a little care and elbow grease, a can or two of Dupli-Color will leave your car looking fantastic, with a strong, clear gloss shine.
Ease of Use
Dupli-Color clear coats are made to color match your car’s existing paintwork, down to the year it rolled off the assembly. It’s compatible with all standard OEM paint finishes, and it’s designed to be used after you apply a new layer of spray paint. The list of compatible vehicles goes back over 50 years, so no matter what you’re driving you’ll be able to find the perfect coat.
Spray cans are the easiest type of clear coat to use, so even first-timers should be able to get an even finish. Dupli-Color cans are designed specifically for use on bodywork, with an EZ touch 360 nozzle which is simple to use and lays down the clear coat evenly, minimizing streaks and other problems. Be careful in cooler weather though, as that can cause the nozzle to clog.
Unlike a lot of clear coats, Dupli-Color dries incredibly quickly. Some coats can take upwards of a day to dry fully, but Dupli-Color is touch-dry in 30 minutes, and ready to handle in 60 minutes. Most clear coats need multiple layers, and the short drying time means you could do this in a day, saving you massive amounts of time and getting your vehicle back on the road as fast as possible.
The downside of spray cans is that they’re not designed to cover an entire car’s bodywork. Instead, it should be used for small scale touch-up jobs, body damage, and matching car accessories.
On the upside, you get a lot of paint for the money, and it’s very reasonably priced, making this the perfect choice for protecting repairs or damages.

Pros

Suitable for any vehicle, with any paint job
No mix, no fuss, easy to spray and apply
Dries incredibly fast

Cons

One can will only cover one panel with three coats, on average
You might have to abandon the can with a small amount left in it, because of spatter

3. Best Premium Pick: KBS Coatings 8304 DiamondFinish Clear Coat

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Why we like it: A super hard coat that’s designed for performance and great for harsh weather
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
KBS DiamondFinish makes good on its name. Once it’s down and dried, it’s almost invincible. It’s a single part formula with 60 percent solids. This leads to a much tougher finish than you find with two-part, unmixed clear coats, which are most other clear coats on the market.
The coat itself is flexible, which minimizes chipping, peeling, and flaking. Sometimes, clear coats need replacing way before they should because of a scratch or chip that spreads, and this minimizes that.
It boasts strong environmental protection, including UV. It’s great against oxidation and yellowing, and resistant to harsh weather. Finally, the coat is highly heat resistant, which means this is suitable for the protection of cylinder heads and engine blocks.
How it Looks
We’re not going to lie. Compared to high-gloss performance clear coats, KBS DiamondFinish doesn’t have quite the same level of shine.
It’s only a semi-gloss finish, and will be ready to polish within 24 hours of application. With this in mind, it’s better for vehicles aimed at the race track and performance cars whose paintwork is already high-gloss, or vehicles that are going to see a lot of hard wear and tear, like trucks and vans.
Ease of Use
Despite being designed for industrial use, with applications that go beyond cars and vans and into domestic and marine machinery, KBS DiamondFinish is surprisingly simple to use.
You’re still going to need a spray gun or roller brush to apply this, but unlike a lot of other clear coats, it’s very user friendly. For a start, it can be used directly on metal, so you can treat chrome and other exposed metalwork as well as engines in the same coat without worrying about flaking or peeling.
Two, it can be applied directly over existing paintwork. Some clear coats need a brand new coat of paint to effectively bond, and if applied over existing paint that’s been dry for longer than a few days, won’t lay correctly and will quickly peel back.
Supposedly, KBS DiamondFinish can be used with minimal surface preparation, letting you spray this directly onto your car. Though we would still prepare the area properly, wiping everything down to remove all particulates and other foreign objects that could cause a poor finish.
You can buy exactly what you need, with pint, gallon, and quart options available, and you don’t need any extras or additives because it all comes as one ready-mixed package.

Pros

Unparalleled protection
Heat and corrosion resistant
Simple to apply for such a strong product

Cons

Expensive
Only a semi-gloss finish

4. Best Budget Pick: USC Spray Max 2k High Gloss Clearcoat

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Why we like it: If you need to clear coat your car, but don’t have the options for something like SpeedoKote that requires expensive paint guns, USC Spray Max 2k is the next best thing. It’s as simple as using a can of spray paint, but still gives excellent results.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
For a single application spray, USC Spray Max 2k offers really good protection. The chemical resistance and all-weather coverage of the coat is really high, so this is great if you live somewhere that sees a lot of rain and snow. Like all clear coats, scratch resistance is down to how many layers you use, so if you’re worried about pebbles, debris, or branches damaging your paintwork, buy extra and put down at least 3 layers.
There is a slight issue. Lack of UV coverage. Most modern paints are a lot more UV resistant, but if you’re driving an older vehicle and want to preserve the color of your paintwork, you might want to look at another product.
How it Looks
Once it’s dry, USC Spray Max leaves your car with a high gloss, durable finish. As one of the more basic spray cans, you’re not likely to get the same finish you would with a higher-end product.
You also need to leave the coat for at least a week before wet sanding or buffing it to a polish. But with a little love and TLC, the results will come close to much more expensive products, for a lot less hassle and cost.
Ease of Use
Compared to most clear coats, USC Spray Max 2k is ridiculously easy to use. When your car is prepared, you activate the paint by pulling out the tab from a can, then giving it a good shake, just like spray paint. This breaks the internal seal and starts mixing the components. Packs start at two cans, which is enough for around one coat on an average-sized sedan.
The cans are light and easy to hold, with a special nozzle that’s different to regular spray cans. It’s designed to work just like a spray gun nozzle, so you get a level, even and clear flow. It only takes a few minutes to cover a panel, making this by far the simplest product on our list.
Spray Max 2k is great for quick jobs, touch-ups and repairs. As this is a rattle-can, it’s not suited for full-body coverage. If you’re careful it might be possible, but expect to have to buff out some streaks and runs. At this point, it might be worth considering whether you’d be better served dropping a little more cash on an air compressed spray gun and something like SpeedoKote.
This clear coat can be applied to almost all vehicles without worry, and adheres to the basecoats on all vehicles with very little preparation. Just remember that once you’ve pulled the tab on the can the contents will start to cure, so has to be used within 48 hours of breaking the seal. That means, if you need to apply multiple coats from one can, you should budget time accordingly.

Pros

Simple to use and simple to apply
Works on top of any base coat
Budget cost

Cons

Only lasts 48 hours after activation
Not suited for full vehicles

5. Best Anti-Corrosion: POR-15 45718 Top Coat Gloss Clear

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Why we like it: A dedicated anti-corrosion topcoat that can extend the life of metal that’s dying to rust.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
POR-15 is designed to prevent corrosion and other direct, physical threats to the paintwork of your vehicle. That makes this a fantastic option if you’re commonly driving longer distances, or driving on roads where you can expect your car to face chemical hazards.
As mentioned, this can also be used on bare metal, so it’s great for sealing aluminum parts on an engine, or areas that have been chromed.
One warning. Direct contact with oil will break down the clear coat. A quick spray down will fix the issue, but it’s something to bear in mind.
How it Looks
Despite being a clear coat that’s designed to fight against rust, the finish is really good. It blends well and buffs out easily, with no dry lines. Once it’s polished, you’ll be left with a high quality and super glossy finish.
Ease of Use
Ready to use out of the can, POR-15 can be used on paint or straight onto bare metal, with no primer or undercoat needed. Both common application options of spray can or ready mixed paint are available.
For best results, wipe down the area you’re treating, and make sure you thoroughly clean off any rust first, because it doesn’t bond well at all with rust. It’s also worth applying an anti-rust solution once the area has been stripped down, like POR-15 rust preventative spray, to keep it clear for longer.
While the formula has generally good adherence, for best results spray onto dry area, and don’t overspray, as it can dry to a gummy finish.

Pros

Excellent anti-corrosion and anti-rust formula
Easy to use, with rattle-can and paint options
Can be applied straight to bare metal

Cons

Oil attacks the formula

6. Best for Wheels: VHT SP184 Clear Coat for Wheels

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Why we like it: Expensive wheels need specialist protection, and VHT SP184 offers everything you need on the road. Heat shielding, chemical resistance, and general protection. It’s all there.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
The wheels on your car take the most beating. It stands to reason, as they’re the part that’s in contact with the road. Anything that gets kicked up, whether it’s dirt, oil, or chemicals, or even just plain old water spray, is going to hit them first and hit them hard.
That means wheels can age a whole lot quicker than the rest of your car, and if you’ve invested in a decent set of alloys, watching them dull down or even corrode is heartbreaking.
The main threat your wheels will face on the road is road-based chemicals and oils. VHT SP184 is designed to be chemical resistant, and works on all steel and aluminum wheels.
The powerful formula resists cracking and fading, resists oxidation, and is strong enough to stand up to the rigors of long drives, salt, dust, even large stones. Finally, it’s temperature resistant up to 250 degrees, so the finish isn’t going to bubble or warp even if you’re running big sports discs and have to slam down on your brakes in an emergency situation.
How it Looks
VHT SP184 clear coat is a wet-look clear gloss. It’s designed to be used straight over paint, especially VHT’s wheel paints, which can be bought alongside the clear.
As it’s so simple to use, it’s easy to get a professional finish, even if you’ve never done anything like this before. The finish lasts a long time, and even after several months will look like new after a quick wash and polish.
Ease of Use
VHT clear coat is a can based spray. It’s simple to use, and can be sprayed directly onto bare metal, primer, or finished paint straight out of the packaging. With a clear coat, especially a wheel paint like this one, most of the finish can be attributed to the preparation. Start by sanding down, cleaning, and degreasing your wheels.
Once the wheels are prepared, spray a single light coat for coverage. VHT clear coat is touch dry in around thirty minutes, and dries completely overnight. Once that initial coat is dry, spray a second, thicker coat for protection and finish.
Spray paints like these are more susceptible to runs, and you need to be especially careful when you’re using these as you’re not spraying onto large, flat panels. Make sure to spray from at least 12 inches away. It’s better to apply multiple smaller coats rather than one heavy one.
A single can is probably not enough to cover a large set of wheels, especially if you drive a larger vehicle or a truck. Plan for at least two, possibly three cans.

Pros

Incredibly easy to use
Good resistance to everything your car will face on the road
Nice finish

Cons

Can nozzles can occasionally jam

7. Best Anti-Rust: Rust-Oleum Automotive Gloss Clear Body Coat

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Why we like it: A dependable and easy to use spray with fantastic rust protection
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
Rust-Oleum’s acrylic lacquer formula is very durable and offers long-lasting protection against all the usual threats, including UV, weather, and scratching.
On top of the standard protection offered by clear coats, Rust-Oleum also offers great protection against rust, hence the name. Considering that rust is one of the issues that can cause the most damage with older cars, anything that can help you prevent that damage on your classic piece is great.
How it Looks
Rust-Oleum’s low volatile organic compound blend comes out shiny and sharp. It’s easy to polish, by hand or machine, and the rich formula can be buffed to an incredibly high-gloss finish.
Ease of Use
Rust-Oleum comes ready to use straight out of the tin. It’s easy to apply and sprays on smooth, but  requires a paint spray-gun system.
Once it’s down, it’s touch dry in about half an hour and ready for more coats. Even better, with Rust-Oleum, unlike a lot of clear coats, there’s no recommended number of coats. That means you can lay down as many coats as you want, until you’re happy with the look and the level of protection you’re getting.
It works on almost all acrylic enamels, so should work with your manufacturer, unless you’re rolling in some super-obscure bespoke paint job. Even then, it should be fine. Just check with the manufacturer first.

Pros

Light formula is easy to spray
Can be thinned out as needed
Dries to a protective shine that’s easily buffed

Cons

Packaging is terrible

8. Best Full Kit: Color N Drive Deep Gloss Ceramic

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Why we like it: If you don’t have any of the gear needed to apply a clear coat from your own home, this kit by Color N Drive has everything you need for the job, start to finish, in one box.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
Contrary to what you might think, a hand-applied clear coat can almost give you the same level of protection as a professionally applied clear that’s been laid down with a spray-gun.
Once applied, this clear coat can last for up to 5 years. It’s supposed to last for around 150 washes,  according to the manufacturers, which translates out to washing your car about once every two weeks. However, if it’s not applied correctly or you face a lot of tough situations and rough weather it can start to peel sooner, after around one or two years.
The protective coating is acid rain resistant, water and dirt repellent, as well as UV and calcium resistant.
How it Looks
Considering this is a clear that’s designed to be applied purely by hand, the result is impressive. It’s a deep, glossy shine that bonds with an enhances the color of any standard manufacturer’s paintwork.
Ease of Use
Color N Drive Deep Gloss is specifically designed to be as simple to use as possible. The idea is that someone with zero experience in car detailing could use this. The boxed kit contains everything you need to treat and coat your car with a solid, long-lasting clear coat.
To use, you clean the car down, making sure that the surface is clean and free from anything that could cause the coat not to bond. Then spray it down with the included pre-treatment solution and spread it. Once dry, spray the ceramic clear coat over your car and spread this evenly with the included tools.
Once the first coat is dry, repeat the process, then polish up to an even and glossy shine. It’s as simple as that. The kit supposedly contains enough solution for treating two cars, so you can quite easily treat your partner’s vehicle in addition to your own, or save the remainder and re-treat your own in a year or two.
The only downside is how time-consuming the process is. Because you’re not using power tools, it can take a good half of a day to finish the whole process. But considering you should only have to do this once every few years, that’s not a huge ask.

Pros

Incredibly simple to use, and the whole kit is provided
Good protection
Decent finish, with a high gloss

Cons

Takes a little more elbow grease than some clear coats
Bond might fail if the initial surface isn’t cleaned properly

9. Best for Gloss: SpeedoKote Ultra High Gloss Glamour Clear

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Why we like it: A ridiculously glossy, professional finish, balanced by the cost and fact that it’s a professional standard product that’s difficult to use.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
SpeedoKote Glamour Clear has a high amount of solids, which translates to increased protection over lower solid clears.
The finish is tough, even after only the two recommended coats, and it has exceptional UV resistance, which is great as you’ve probably bought this with an eye to protecting the valuable look of your car.
The only downside with high solid clears is their increased tendency to peel, so you might need to reapply this a little more often than other choices.
How it Looks
Let’s be fair, if you’re spending the money on SpeedoKote Ultra High Gloss, you’re buying it for the look.
This clear coat is an elite level product that will give you a show level finish. It has the highest level of gloss and distinctness of image (DOI) out of any product on the market. DOI is how much light scatter you get from a surface, and the ridiculously high DOI of this clear coat means that you’re going to end up with a mirror finish on every panel, every time.
Compared to other clear coats, you’re also looking at better than average leveling and high levels of gloss retention. Both of these things make this ideal for restorations of older paintwork, or regular re-application in the case of track cars.
For professionals, the formula can be mixed at different thicknesses, letting you fine-tune the curing time and finish, and set it precisely to the look of your ride.
Ease of Use
To go alongside the professional quality finish is a professional difficulty of application. As with all SpeedoKote products, to apply this clear you’re going to need garage space and a spray-gun system.
According to SpeedoKote themselves, the best way to apply this clear coat is with a spray-gun with a specific 1.3mm tip. Apply the first coat, then flash harden with a heat gun and leave for 10 minutes, before applying a second coat and leaving to dry.

Pros

The single best finish on the market
Ultra-high gloss protective shell
Good protection, especially against UV damage

Cons

Very expensive
Harder to apply than other clear coats

10. Best for General Use: TopCoat F11 Polish and Sealer

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Why we like it: If you’re unsure about which clear coat to buy, and you don’t know what’s going to suit your vehicle, TopCoat F11 is a solid bet. It’s designed to be simple to use, and work on almost anything, including cars, boats, planes, even fabrics.
Editor’s Rating:

Protection
Once treated with TopCoat, your paintwork is protected from the full range of problems your car might face on the road, including dust and debris, bird droppings and bug residue, acidic rain, and weathering.
The application process also helps to cover up existing damage, including paint imperfections, scratches, and spiderweb cracks.
TopCoat F11 is designed to work with more than just cars. It can apply a protective, hydrophobic coating to almost anything, including bikes, planes, boats, and other vehicles. It also works on non-porous building materials (anything not brick or concrete) and even fabrics. That means you can buy a kit and treat everything you have. Restore the water-resistance of biker jackets, gloss to leathers, even spray down your garden shed for extra protection.
How it Looks
TopCoat F11 is a combined sealant and polish. Because of this, getting a glossy, even finish is incredibly simple.
It’s a single-step process that naturally improves color, hides imperfections, and brings paintwork up to a gleaming shine. It’s also designed to work alongside waxes and other polishes, lowering the time that it takes to wax your car by as much as half.
Ease of Use
TopCoat F11 is probably the simplest clear coat on our list. It’s a one-step application process that works on anything without and special preparation. But it’s still recommended that you clean down your car before application as you would with any other clear.
It contains no volatile organic compounds, solvents, or abrasives and it’s odorless, meaning it can be safely used in tightly enclosed spaces without ventilation. F11 can also withstand high temperatures, making it safe to use on your engine, brakes and other parts that are exposed to heat, as well as on grills and stoves around the home.
Finally, F11 is designed as a wax replacement, which means it polishes as it’s applied. You’re still going to need to go over the finish with the right tools, but it does save you time and money on wax.

Pros

Incredibly easy one-step application process
Good value for money
Suitable for use on almost anything

Cons

Not as protective as dedicated clear coats

What You Need to Know When Buying a Clear Coat for Your Car
Every clear coat is different. From the method of application to the finish, every individual brand does things differently. Here’s what you need to know:
Why Does My Car Need a Clear Coat?
Clear coats massively increase the protection your car has from damage to the exterior. A good clear coat can protect your car from the elements, including acidic rain and from paint fading through the sun’s UV rays. Thicker clear coats can even protect your paintwork from scratches and other visible damage, whether that be stones kicked up whilst driving, bushes and branches, or simple day to day wear.
There are two reasons you might need to purchase and apply an aftermarket clear coat is simple.
First, some car manufacturers apply a thin clear coat or don’t apply one at all. Because of the benefits of a clear coat, if you know that your car doesn’t have the protection of a clear coat paint job, buying and applying one yourself is a smart choice.
Second, like all paintwork, a clear coat slowly but surely wears out over time, meaning that it needs to be reapplied every few months to every few years, depending on outside conditions. With an older vehicle, or if you regularly drive on roads that are heavily salted, oily, or treated with chemicals, reapplying a clear coat to keep your paintwork protected is a smart investment.
What Are the Benefits of a Clear Coat?
Clear coats sit on top of your paintwork and act as another defensive layer, but they also have other benefits, including:
Increased Durability
The main benefit of a clear coat. Another layer of paint protects the pigmented paint underneath, meaning that damage that would otherwise leave visible scratches or dents will just hit the clear.
Enhancing Existing Paintwork
A clear coat is much cheaper than a complete respray or spraying a panel. If you have a vehicle with tired or old looking paintwork, a clear coat can bring out the color and shine of existing paintwork.
Manufacturer’s Necessity
Some paints require a clear coat. For example, illusion powders need a clear coat because a clear coat has different light refraction properties to paint, setting off the paint underneath.
Hiding Minor Damage
Scratches and other tiny imperfections in the paintwork might not normally be seen but are visible when you’ve recently had the car waxed. These imperfections ruin an otherwise perfect finish, but a clear coat will fill in these gaps and help hide the issues.
Selling Your Car
People buy with their eyes, and first impressions matter. A lot of the time, people decide whether they want the car in the first few seconds, and will only be put off if they find something wrong. Making your vehicle look as glossy and clean as possible can tip the scales when it comes to the buyer getting out their credit card.
How Do I Prepare My Car for Applying a Clear Coat?
Like all paint jobs, the key to an even and attractive clear coat is all about preparation. Make sure you have everything ready before you begin.
Check your base coat for imperfections. Clear coats will do nothing to hide bumps, smears, swirls, or dirt. It can potentially make the issue worse by highlighting these problems, and once the clear coat is down, there is nothing you can do to fix the problem besides strip the paintwork down to nothing and start again.
If you can, test your clear coat before you spray anything valuable. You can test on a scrap piece if you have anything available, or a piece of flat, glossy card.
Most clear coat varnishes require multiple layers. Start light and build up. Applying a heavy first layer can cause shrinkage in the paint, which might lead to early cracks or peeling.
Spray at a distance of around 6 to 8 inches, unless your specific product says to do differently. Any closer can cause bubbles or dripping, and too far can lead to irregular coverage.
Your last coat should look the same as it will once the coat is dry. If your final layer of clear coat isn’t glossy, reapply the coat or stop and assess what’s going wrong.
Prepping your car when you spray your clear coat also depends on how you’re applying it. There are two situations when you will be applying a clear coat; when you’re re-spraying a panel or a whole vehicle or spraying clear coat over the existing paintwork to spot fix.
How to Apply a Clear Coat Over New Paintwork.
Begin by following the manufacturer’s instructions for the base coat of paint you are applying to your vehicle.
Once the basecoat has dried for the appropriate amount of time, make sure it is clean and dry.
Apply the clear coat straight over the top, as if it was another coat of paint.
Some clear coats may require multiple layers. Check the manufacturer’s instructions before applying.
Once the clear coat is applied, leave to dry, then buff to a shine.
How to Apply a Clear Coat Over Existing Paintwork or Repair a Patch of Damaged Clear Coat.
Begin by wet sanding the area that needs to be sprayed until it’s smooth.
If reapplying clear coat over an existing surface, you will also need to feather the edges where the new clear coat meets the old.
Clear the area to be treated with a degreasing finish cleaner.
Once the degreasing cleaner is dry, wipe the area down to make sure it is free from dust.
Apply your clear coat as you would any other vehicle paint.
Once My Clear Coat is Applied, Can it Be Waxed?
Almost certainly. A clear coat is just another coat of paint, and applying a good quality wax on the top of a well-applied clear coat can act as another level of defense.
If you’ve recently applied a clear coat, it’s best to leave your car for 4 to 6 weeks to give it time to fully cure. Once a decent time has passed, you’re free to buff your pride and joy to a gleaming shine as much as you want.
It’s still worth checking the instruction of your favorite wax, because some waxes can be too high grain or rough for a thinner clear coat. Modern clear coat paints can be crazy thin, down to as little as 30 microns, (30 millionths of one centimeter) thick.
It’s also worth being careful when applying the wax, as rubbing too hard or using a rougher cloth for a long time in one area can wear away a newer clear coat before it has time to properly treat and harden.
What Can Cause My Clear Coat to Peel Off?
No clear coat is going to last forever, and a sign that your clear coat needs replacing is peeling, either in one place or across the whole body of your vehicle. Here’s a few things that can cause a clear coat to start peeling:
Environmental damage: This is one of the most common causes of a clear coat starting to peel. Ultraviolet light from the sun is an oxidizer, and over time it’s going to damage your clear coat by burning the external surface, making it rough and turning it white.There are two ways to deal with this. The first is to minimize sun exposure by keeping your car out of the sun when it’s not being used (another reason to clear out your garage.) The second is to wax your car often, which provides a second barrier against UV damage.
Impacts from debris can cause a tiny chip in your clear coat, which can start to peel away from the rest of the car. If you have a single small peeling area, it’s possible that your paintwork was hit by something like a small pebble. If this is the case, you probably don’t need to replace the whole coat, and can just touch fix it.
If you’ve recently received your car from the factory, and the clear coat is already starting to peel, there might have been an issue in the factory. The most common cause of this is the clear coat being applied a little too long after the main paintwork was finished.
Where is the Best Place to Apply My Clear Coat?
A clear coat, like all types of spray painting, is susceptible to environmental conditions. Excess heat or cold, humidity, or strong wind conditions can ruin the finish before you even apply the first layer of varnish. It’s best to apply your clear coat in a garage if possible, because that gives you the best control over your environment.
If you don’t have access to a garage, wait for a day that has mild weather with low wind conditions. This is going to minimize the chances that you’re going to have issues when applying your clear coat. But this is still risky. No one can control the weather, and a sudden rain shower or burst of wind can spoil everything.
Do I Have to Mask My Windows when Applying a Clear Coat?
Yes. Just like when you’re painting bodywork with color paint, you will have to mask your windows to prevent the clear coat from getting onto the glass.
Once you’ve covered your window with masking film, you’re free to coat your car with a clear coat. It’s always worth leaving the masking film in place until the clear coat is completely dry.
If you do make a mistake and end up with clear somewhere on a window, it buffs easily out of glass with ultra-fine steel wool (0000 gauge is the recommended,) and some warm soapy water.
Can I Still Use Car Washes After I’ve Treated My Car with a Clear Coat?
This is a difficult question. Whilst car washes themselves aren’t going to damage your clear coat, if any dirt or grain is picked up during the process and ground against the bodywork, it will almost certainly cause damage to your clear coating.
Modern car washes have systems built into them that pick up when the machinery has grabbed hold of a pebble or some dirt, so this is less of a problem with machine car washes than you might think.
The problem is manual car washes. It’s much easier for a person with a cloth to pick up a tiny stone and carve a layer out of your clear coat without noticing. The worst part of this is that you might not notice until a few days later when it starts to peel away, and at that point there is nothing you can do except strip your paint down and start again.
If you regularly take your car to a manual car wash, this is something you need to think about. As we’ve mentioned earlier, even using a cloth that’s too rough can take the surface off of a clear coat, so make sure that the people washing your car are using soft towels and mild waxes.
Final Thought
If you’ve got the tools, a clear coat that is applied using a spray-gun, like either of the SpeedoKote products in our list, are easily the best choice.
It leads to a better finish and a tougher, more protective coating. While it takes a little more effort and set up, the results are more than worth it, and pay for themselves ten times over. More

Let’s face it: some car horns aren’t loud enough. If your car horn isn’t loud enough, it can be a safety hazard. If you’re in a noisy area and other drivers can’t hear your horn, it can lead to an accident. Many people are quick to write off train horn kits as obnoxious and unnecessary, but they can save your life.
Shopping for train horn kits can be tricky. First and foremost, train horn kits are commonly known as trumpet horns and air horns. This is because most train horn kits use an air compressor to project a loud sound, and they typically resemble a trumpet. If upgrading your factory-standard horn has been on your mind, read on.

Factors to Consider When Shopping for Train Horn Kits
There are a lot of things to consider when shopping for train horn kits. They all have different parts and require different installation processes. There are a few essential factors that tell you a lot about a train horn kit and what it has to offer.
Voltage
We’ll start with the voltage. Train horn kits come in a few different voltage settings. Luckily, most train horn kits run on 12-volt car batteries, and most vehicles use 12-volt batteries. Still, some batteries can reach up to 24 volts, so you’ll need a train horn kit that’s compatible. For this reason, you’ll come across products that run on both 12 and 24 volts. Be sure to know the voltage of your car battery before purchasing one of these kits.
Decibels
Decibels measure the noise level of a sound. For example, a sound that’s 150 decibels is louder than a sound that’s 100 decibels. This also applies to how far sound travels.
OEM car horns, excluding commercial trucks, typically have horns that produce around 106 decibels. Train horns, on average, are 150 decibels. This sound level gives them the noise level of a train, which is why they’re referred to as train horn kits.
Number of Horns
While most train horn kits come with one trumpet-style horn, this isn’t always the case. You’ll come across train horn kits that come with more than one horn, and two or three horns are often better than one. Why? Because if you have more horns, there can be more bass and a more comprehensive range of tones. While more horns aren’t always louder, they’re better at projecting low and high tone sounds.
High tone sounds are higher in pitch and travel across a shorter distance more effectively. High tone horns are great for short distances and alerting drivers in your vicinity. Low tone horns produce more bass, which carries the sound further. Low tone horns can also be heard from far away, but they’re not as loud. So, if you have a horn that can do both, it’s more useful than having a horn that produces only a single tone, as you can adapt to the situation you’re in.
Installation
Every vehicle is different, which makes it difficult to determine if you’ll be able to install a train horn kit on your own. The good news is that most products come with the parts you need, and they can fit different vehicle types. Still, some train horn kits are harder to install than others. We’ve grouped each train horn kit into one of three categories: beginner, advanced, and expert.
Beginner
Beginner horns are simple and straightforward products. Everything you need comes with the train horn kit, so you don’t need to worry about getting particular parts. Beginner train horn kits are also easy to mount and can be attached to different locations. With a beginner train horn kit, you won’t need much help, and it can be done in your driveway.
Advanced
Advanced train horn kits are more complicated. The compressor kits might require additional components, and they can take all day to install. Instead of needing an hour or two, advanced train horn kits require more care and attention. Still, advanced train horn kits come with everything you need and instructions, so you can still get it done on your own.
Expert
Expert level train horn kits are difficult to install, and if you don’t have automotive experience, it’s a good idea to seek professional help from an experienced mechanic. These train horn kits usually require additional components to install, and they’re more expensive. While they’re difficult to install, they’re often the best train horn kits you can find.
Price
Train horn kits have a wide price range. While many products are affordable, some products are expensive. A cheaper train horn kit is often one that doesn’t need an air compressor, and is less loud as a result. A more expensive kit is often better for larger commercial vehicles, but usually has the additional expense of needing extra parts or expert installation. To make your shopping experience more streamlined, we’ve grouped each train horn kit into one of three categories:
$: Around $30
$$: Around $75
$$$ Around $100
With these factors in mind, shopping for train horn kits should be more straightforward. If you want a more in depth look at the process, we have a full guide below that runs through everything in more detail. Now, we’re going to take you through the ten best train horn kits available and provide you with shopping tips along the way.

Top 10 Best Train Horn Kits 2020

1. Best Overall Train Horn Kit: GAMPRO 12V 150db Air Horn

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Why we like it: The GAMPRO 12V 150db Air Horn is a well-rounded train horn kit that gives any vehicle an aggressive appearance. We love how it sounds as aggressive as it looks.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $
Decibels: 150db
Volts: 12V
Horns: 1
Installation: Advanced
The GAMPRO Air Horn is a reliable and robust product. It’s made with high-quality materials, like chrome zinc, which is resistant to corrosion from harsh weather. This coating also keeps the horn safe from premature rusting. The chrome zinc coating can also be found on the compressor. Materials aside, it produces a mighty 150 decibel sound that other drivers can hear, even in noisy environments.
It comes with everything you need right out of the box. All of the mounting hardware is included, and the installation process is simple. It can be mounted on most vehicles, but it’s more suitable for large trucks than it is for passenger cars or motorcycles.
What Sets it Apart
This kit is unique because of the chrome zinc coating. Many train horn kits use chrome horns, but zinc is not standard in less expensive products. So, seeing chrome zinc being used on an affordable train horn kit is nice to see.
Things to Consider
Although it’s excellent, it’s too big for motorcycles and passenger cars. It’s impossible to fit the horn under your hood, so you’ll need to mount it on your hood or roof. While this is acceptable on larger vehicles, it makes the horn look out of place on smaller vehicles. Plus, because of the black color, it stands out a lot.
If you need a smaller and compact horn that can fit under your hood, the Hella Twin Trumpet 12V Horn Kit is a great alternative. It’s not as loud, but it’s better suited for smaller vehicles.
Who It’s For
This air horn is an excellent choice for people that live in areas with rough weather. The chrome zinc coating is superior for most situations and can handle snow, rain, hail, and high winds. Also, because of the coating on the air compressor, it can survive high-head conditions under the hood of your vehicle.

Pros

Loud 150 decibel sound
Sleek black color
Durable chrome zinc material
Air system and mounting parts are included

Cons

Not suitable for passenger cars
Not suitable for motorcycles

2. Best Train Horn Kit for Passenger Cars: Hella Twin Trumpet High/Low Tone 12V Horn Kit

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Why we like it: The Hella Twin Trumpet 12V Horn Kit is a great product that allows passenger cars to benefit from a loud train horn. We love
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $
Decibels: 110
Volts: 12
Horns: 2
Installation: Beginner
The Hella Twin Trumpet 12V Horn Kit is an excellent set of twin trumpet horns. This train horn kit is designed for passenger cars, light trucks, vans, and other automotive 4-wheel vehicles. The reason this horn kid works well for smaller vehicles is because it can be mounted in a few different places. One example is how they can be mounted right in the engine bay.
It is also compact, but still produces a loud sound. The low tone and high tone horns blend well, making a unique sound that other drivers can recognize. This train horn kit also comes in a few different color options, so if you are mounting them on your grille, you can create some interesting combinations.
What Sets it Apart
This kit is unique because it can be used on passenger cars. Sure, any horn can be mounted to any vehicle, but these horns are compact enough to fit under the hood of most vehicles. This is important for passenger cars because large train horn kits can look out of place.
Things to Consider
Although it’s a great product in many ways, the sound is lackluster. Both horns only produce 110 decibels of sound, which pales in comparison to full-size train horn kits. Still, for passenger cars, there aren’t a lot of options in this regard without having to mount it to the hood.
If you have a larger vehicle or a commercial truck, a full-size train horn kit is a better alternative. A great example is the VaygWay Air Horn. While it produces a sound on-par with full-size train horn kits, it’s small enough to mount on passenger cars.
Who It’s For
This train horn kit is an excellent choice for people that own passenger vehicles. While they work well for most makes and models, they’re best suited for smaller cars.
This train horn kit is also an excellent product for shoppers that don’t want to worry about air compressors. This train horn kit can replace your OEM horn and runs off of your car battery, with no need for air.

Pros

Fits under the hood of passenger cars
Excellent low and high tone sound
Different color options to match your vehicle’s paint
Corrosion-resistant materials
Durable copper wires

Cons

Not as loud as full-size train horn kits
Relies on two horns instead of one

3. Best Premium Train Horn Kit: MPC M1 3-Trumpet Train Air Horn Kit

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Why we like it: This is one of the best train horn kits you can find. It comes with three horns that offer multiple tones, and a full-size compressor is included.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $$$
Decibels: 150db+
Volts: 12
Horns: 3
Installation: Expert
MPC M1 3-Trumpet Train Air Horn Kit is an excellent train horn kit that comes with everything you need. It has three powerful horns that produce enough bass to be heard even in the loudest environments. The train horn kit also comes with brackets, mounting equipment, and an air system. While there are a lot of parts, it’s not difficult to install in your driveway, but you will need some automotive knowledge.
It’s made with high-quality materials. You get 12 feet of 10 gauge wire, making it easy to install on larger vehicles. There are also a handful of assorted clamps and fuse protectors to make sure your vehicle doesn’t get damaged, even if you make a mistake.
What Sets it Apart
What really sets this apart is the air system it comes with. While it’s common to see smaller train horn kits come with an air system, larger products usually don’t. This train horn kit comes with an air system that runs up to 110 PSI, so you don’t need to worry about buying one separately.
Things to Consider
The MPC M1 3-Trumpet Train Air Horn Kit comes with everything you need, but it’s expensive. The high cost is based on the air system it comes with, so if you already have one, you should consider a different product like the Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn.
Who It’s For
The MPC M1 3-Trumpet Train Air Horn Kit is a great product for people that need a complete and premium train horn kit. Large train horn kits don’t usually come with air systems, so this is a great choice for people that don’t want to shop for additional parts.

Pros

Comes with three powerful horns
Full-size compressor is included
Corrosion-resistant material

Cons

Expensive
Not suitable for passenger vehicles

4. Best Budget Train Horn Kit: Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn

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Why we like it: This kit is very impressive for its price. We love how you get high-quality materials at a bargain.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts:
Price: $
Decibels: 150
Volts: 12
Horns: 1
Installation: Beginner
The Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is a simple train horn kit that’s well-made. The horn is made with stainless steel and coated to prevent elemental damage. Even in blizzard-like conditions, this horn can be used without needing to worry. This train horn kit is also easy to install. It comes with everything you need right out of the box, and you can do it in your driveway.
While the Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn performs well, it also looks beautiful. It’s big enough to look good on larger vehicles. The compressor comes in a shiny red color, and the horn is chrome.
What Sets it Apart
The Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is unique because it’s portable. A portable train horn kit sounds strange, but it’s helpful if you have more than one vehicle. A great example is if you have a vehicle you plan to leave in the garage for cold winter months, and another one you use in that period. Since the kit gives you everything you need, it can be switched to a different vehicle in less than an hour.
Things to Consider
The Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is a great kit, but it’s too big for passenger cars or motorcycles. Sure, the horn kit can be attached to any vehicle, but it looks out of place on smaller cars.
If you like the trumpet-like design but need a smaller horn, the VaygWay Air Horn is a great alternative. It’s as loud as bigger trumpet horns, but it has a compact design that fits well on motorcycles and passenger cars.
Who It’s For
The Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is a great choice for anyone that needs a budget-friendly train horn kit for a commercial or light truck. It’s as loud as other horns for a lower price, and it fits well on vehicles of all sizes.

Pros

Durable chrome materials
Weather-resistant
Comes with a compressor
Comes with wires, mount, and required hardware

Cons

Too big for smaller vehicles

5. Zone Tech 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn

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Why we like it: Zone Tech did a great job with this train horn kit. While it’s difficult to install, it works as well as expensive train horn kits for half the cost.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $$
Decibels: 150d
Volts: 12
Horns: 1
Installation: Expert
This is a high-quality horn that has a subtle shine to it. The chrome material is resistant to most weather conditions and doesn’t dull or rust. This train horn kit can also fit most vehicles, including trains, trailers, motorcycles, vans, boats, trucks, and commercial vehicles. Unfortunately, it’s too big to fit on smaller passenger cars.
The Zone Tech 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is also easy to install. All of the parts you need come in the box, including the compressor and mounting parts. As long as you have the tools, it can be done in your driveway. While it’s a simple product, it performs as well as top-tier train horn kits.
What Sets it Apart
This is an excellent product because the compressor is on-par with more expensive train horn kits. One of the first things to go on most train horn kits is the air system, but Zone Tech made a durable and affordable compressor. While it’s small, it gets the job done and lasts a long time.
Things to Consider
It’s not perfect though. While the compressor and horn work well, the horn is difficult to install. Most single-horn products take less than an hour to install, but this train horn kit is time-consuming.
If you like this horn but need one that’s quicker to install, the Zento is a great alternative. It’s almost identical to this train horn kit, but it’s easier to install.
Who it’s For
The Zone Tech 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is a great product for people that need a high-quality train horn kit for a low price. You’ll have to spend a lot of time getting it installed, but if you’re patient, it’s worth the time and money. It performs as well as premium train horn kits.

Pros

Powerful and loud full-size horn
Durable materials resistant to corrosion
Fits most vehicles

Cons

Not a great fit for passenger cars
Difficult to install on most vehicles

6. Cobra Tuni Air Horn Kit

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Why we like it: The Cobra Tuni Air Horn Kit caught our attention because of its safety features. We love how there are copper wires, fuse protectors, and brass pins to prevent battery damage.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $
Decibels: 150db
Volts: 12V
Horns: 1
Installation: Beginner
The Cobra Tuni Air Horn Kit is simple and powerful. It has a good sound range that travels a great distance and comes with everything you need. The train horn kit includes an air system, mounting brackets, nuts, and bolts. This makes it an easy product to install in your driveway, and it shouldn’t take more than one hour.
It’s also made with high-quality materials. The stainless steel parts are resistant to high winds, rain, snow, and even hail. The horn is also small enough to fit well on light trucks, vans, and motorcycles.
What Sets It Apart
It’s unique because it comes with high-end features for its low price. It comes with a built-in fuse protector to make sure you don’t blow a fuse and damage your vehicle. All of the connections are also made with high-quality copper wire and brass pins that are safe for your vehicle’s battery. It’s one of the most reliable train horn kits you can use.
Things to Consider
The Cobra Tuni Air Horn Kit uses high-quality parts, but it’s not big enough for large trucks or commercial vehicles. When used on larger vehicles, it looks out of place, and the lack of bass causes engine noise to drown out the sound of the horn.
If you’re shopping for a commercial vehicle, or diesel truck, the Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn is a great alternative. The price isn’t too much higher, and you’ll need your own air system, but it’s better for commercial vehicles.
Who It’s For
This is a great product for people that need an affordable and reliable train horn kit. The copper wire, brass pins, and fuse protector make it safe to use and install on most vehicles. For the price, it’s unique to see these types of safety features implemented. It makes the installation process less of a headache, even if you make a mistake.

Pros

Low price
Corrosion-resistant
Quick installation
Comes with everything you need

Cons

Too small for large trucks and commercial trucks

7. Loudest Train Horn Kit: Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn

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Why we like it: The Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn comes with a lot of horns that produce a distinct sound. We love how loud this train horn kit is and how quickly it commands attention.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $$
Decibels: 150db
Volts: 12V and 24V
Horns: 4
Installation: Expert
The Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn is a powerful and premier train horn kit. It comes with four horns that produce a loud sound with great bass. The horn kit is also made with high-quality steel parts. From the mounting hardware to the horns, every piece of steel is resistant to harsh weather conditions. High winds and blizzards won’t come close to damaging this horn.
The Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn also comes with most of what you need to install it. You’ll need your own onboard air system, but all of the mounting hardware and screws are included. The installation can also be done in your driveway. Naturally, it’s quite a bit harder than single trumpet horns, but it’s possible.
What Sets it Apart
The Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn is unique because of the number of horns it comes with. It’s common to see train horn kits that come with 1-3 horns, but with this kit, you get four. An extra horn doesn’t seem like much, but it provides additional base and more sound protection over greater distances.
Things to Consider
The Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn is great, but it doesn’t come with an air system. This means you’ll need to find one yourself if you don’t have one already. So, while the cost of the horn kit is low, this product can end up costing additional money as compressors are expensive.
If you like the sound quality of this train horn kit, but don’t have your own compressor, the MPC train horn is a great alternative. While it only has three horns instead of four, it comes with an air system.
Who It’s For
The Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn is a great horn kit for expert shoppers looking to upgrade. If you’re already running an air system, you’ll have everything you need to install the horn. If you already have a train horn kit installed, but it’s not loud enough, this product is worth it.

Pros

Comes with four powerful horns
Sleek black style
Louder than most train horn kits
Compatible with more than one battery type

Cons

The air system is not included
Not suitable for small vehicles
Difficult to install

8. Best Train Horn Kit for Commercial Vehicles: Grand General Chrome Train Horn

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Why we like it: This kit looks as nice as it sounds. It boasts an impressive three horns and can run on multiple PSI settings.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $$$
Decibels: 140+
Volts: 12V
Horns: 3
Installation: Expert
The Grand General is an impressive train horn kit. It comes with three trumpet style horns that project a powerful sound. Unlike most single trumpet horns, you can customize the sound however you want. The additional horns provide a range of bass to project low tones, and you can change how loud the horns are because it operates between 70-140 PSI.
The kit is also made with commercial-grade materials. The horns are made with stainless steel that’s resistant to rust, and the chrome-brass horns work in all weather conditions. This train horn set also comes with most of the parts you need to install it in your driveway, except for the air compressor and hoses.
What Sets it Apart
It’s unique because you have a lot of choices. Many train horn kits rely on one blaring sound, but you can choose the noise level and bass level. This is a great feature if you’ll be driving through congested metropolitan areas in the day and long highways at night, giving you a chance to adjust it to produce the sound you need.
Things to Consider
Overall, this is an excellent train horn kit, but it’s not easy to install. To make matters worse, it doesn’t come with everything you need to use it. The air compressor is not included, and you’ll need to use your own hoses.
If you’re looking for a simple train horn kit that comes with everything you need, the Zone Tech 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn is a great alternative. It has a similar sound output but is far easier to install and needs no extras.
Who It’s For
The Grand General 69991 Chrome Heavy Duty Train Horn is a great choice for people with commercial vehicles. Heavy trucks and 18-wheelers are loud vehicles, so you’ll need a horn that other drivers can hear over the roaring diesel engine. While it can work on passenger cars and light trucks, it looks and feels out of place.

Pros

Comes with three powerful horns
Shiny chrome finish that’s Corrosion-resistant
Perfect for commercial vehicles

Cons

Only suitable for commercial vehicles
No air system included
Difficult to install

9. VaygWay Air Horn

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Why we like it: The VaygWay Air Horn is impressive because of the noise it produces from its compact size. We also love how straightforward the installation process is and how inexpensive it is.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $
Decibels: 150db
Volts: 12V
Installation: Beginner
The VaygWay Air Horn is an affordable and straightforward train horn kit. It comes with everything you need to install it right out of the box. While it’s affordable, the sound and quality is on-par with more expensive brands. It produces up to 150 decibels of sound and uses high-quality materials that are resistant to the elements.
The VaygWay Air Horn is also compact and designed for any vehicle that uses a 12-volt battery. So, the horn can be used on cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, motorcycles, vans, busses, and more. Overall, it’s an excellent product that offers great value.
What Sets it Apart
The VaygWay Air Horn is unique because of its price and compact size. The low price makes it appropriate for any budget, and the small size helps it fit most vehicles. Even if you use it on a passenger car or motorcycle, it doesn’t look out of place.
Things to Consider
The VaygWay Air Horn is excellent for its price, but there are a few drawbacks worth noting. First and foremost, it’s not as durable as more expensive train horn kits. While it’s still fairly durable, plastic parts simply don’t last as long as steel or stainless steel. The other issue is the need for a 12V battery. Some train horns rely on either a battery or compressor, but you’ll need both for this product.
If you’re looking for a train horn kit that has better parts, the GAMPRO Air Horn is a great alternative. It’s similar in price but uses chrome zinc instead of plastic.
Who It’s For
The VaygWay Air Horn is a great train horn kit for casual shoppers. It’s a great item to experiment with to determine if a train horn kit is a good fit. Plus, if you have a smaller vehicle, you can still find value in this horn kit because of its compact size.

Pros

Compact size
Suitable for most vehicles
Corrosion-resistant materials
Quick installation with everything in the box
Low price

Cons

Not as loud as other train horn kits
Not as durable as other products

10. Carfka Air Train Horn Hit

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Why we like it: We like the Carfka Air Train Horn Kit because it’s easy to install and affordable.
Editor’s Rating:

Quick Facts
Price: $
Decibels: 150db
Volts: 12V
Installation: Beginner
The Carfka Air Train Horn Kit is a unique train horn that’s big, loud, and easy to install. It’s made with durable chrome zinc materials that don’t succumb to rust easily, and it’s loud enough to be heard in noisy areas. The train horn kit also comes with all of the parts you need to install it. It comes with mounting parts, copper wires, fuses, and an air system.
While the Carfka Air Train Horn Kit comes with a lot of parts, nothing is particularly complicated to install. As a result, the installation can be done in your driveway, as long as you have a few tools handy.
What Sets it Apart
The Carfka Air Train Horn Kit is unique because it comes with enough parts to be able to mount it anywhere on your vehicle. It can be mounted underneath your car, under the hood, on the roof, on the side of a motorcycle, or even on your door. While it’s large, it’s a versatile train horn kit.
Things to Consider
The Carfka Air Train Horn Kit performs as advertised, but some of the features are useless. While it can be installed anywhere, that doesn’t mean it should be installed everywhere. For example, it looks funny under the hood of passenger cars or on the side of motorcycles.
If you drive a smaller vehicle and want a more compact train horn kit, the VaygWay Air Horn is a great alternative. It’s small enough to fit under the hood of passenger cars, and it’s as loud as larger train horn kits.
Who It’s For
The Carfka Air Train Horn Kit is a great choice for shoppers that need a cheap and reliable train horn kit. While some of the materials are cheap, it gets the job done without breaking the bank. Still, it’s best suited for large trucks, commercial trucks, and boats.

Pros

Low cost
Loud sound
Easy to install
Comes with everything you need for installation

Cons

Some of the materials are cheap
The horn feels flimsy

The Complete Guide to Train Horn Kits

When you have the best train horn kits in front of you, it’s easier to make a decision. Still, you need to be careful when selecting a train horn kit. You want to make sure you know all of the facts and what works for your vehicle. So, we’re going to take you through a handful of shopping tips to help you narrow your options down.
Choosing the Right Train Horn Kit for Your Vehicle
The best place to start when you’re shopping for a train horn kit is with your vehicle. Before you decide on a product, it’s essential to know which train horn kits are compatible. There are a few different types available, so we’re going to take you through a few examples.
Motorcycles
We’ll start small with motorcycles. Motorcycles are small vehicles, so you’ll need a compact train horn kit. While motorcycles are small, their engines produce a lot of noise. For this reason, many motorcyclists rely on train horns. Unfortunately, this makes shopping for one tricky because you need the sound of a full-size train horn in a small package.
If you have a motorcycle, hope is not lost. The VaygWay Air Horn is an excellent choice because of its size and volume. It’s smaller than most train horn kits, so it won’t look ridiculous on your motorcycle, but it creates the same level of noise.
Passenger Cars
Many people believe that train horns are reserved for trucks, but that’s not the case. Everyone can benefit from a train horn kit, even if you drive a coupe or sedan. Your options are limited because most products won’t look right on a small vehicle, but some train horn kits can be mounted under the hood or on your grille.
The Hella kit is a great choice because it comes with two loud horns that fit under the hood of any vehicle.
Pickup Trucks
Pickup trucks are a fan-favorite for train horn kits. Their size makes them appealing because they can mount most products on the roof, and it adds to a truck’s aggressive look. Plus, some pickup trucks are diesel, so they need a louder horn.
If you have a pickup truck, there are a lot of options. You can go with a train horn kit that’s affordable and easy to install, like the Cobra Tuni Air Horn Kit or a more complex product like the Vixen Horns VXH4124B Train Horn.
Commercial Vehicles
Commercial vehicles rely on loud engines that create a lot of noise. For this reason, commercial trucks typically have train horn kits to make sure other drivers hear them. Still, some commercial vehicles don’t come with loud enough horns.
If you’re shopping for a commercial vehicle, you’ll need a loud and capable train horn kit. While most train horn kits are noisy, a product that has more than one horn is more suitable. The Grand General Chrome Heavy-Duty Train Horn is a great choice. It comes with three stainless steel trumpet horns that can survive any weather condition and be heard in all environments.
Finding a Train Horn Kit You can Install at Home

If your current horn is damaged, or you’re not looking to spend all day installing a train horn kit, getting your hands on one that’s easy to install is essential. What counts as easy-to-install depends on your technical know-how, so we’re going to take you through the best horns for each difficulty level.
Beginner Level
If you’re not great at working on cars, don’t sweat it, there are plenty of train horn kits that are hassle-free to work with. Still, you’re going to need some tools and the courage to assemble a product. You’ll also want to look for products that don’t require an air compressor because they make things complicated.
A great beginner level horn to start with is the Hella kit, because it doesn’t require an air compressor to function.
Advanced Level
Advanced level train horn kits are the most common products you’ll find. Advanced train horn kits can be done in your driveway, but you’ll need to connect an air compressor. This makes the installation process difficult, so you’ll want to look over the instructions carefully.
The most straightforward advanced train horn kit to install is the Zento Deals 12V Single Trumpet Air Horn. While it uses a compressor, it comes with everything you need and easy to read instructions.
Expert Level
Expert level train horn kits sound intimidating, but they can still be done at home if you have the parts you need. What makes these train horn kits challenging to install is their lack of an air system or complicated installation process.
Luckily, there is one horn that comes with everything you need right out of the box. The MPC M1 3-Trumpet Train Horn Kit is an excellent example of an expert level product that’s still relatively easy to install.
FAQ
Are there Laws for Train Horn Kits?
Train horn kits are loud, and the United States government has taken steps to reduce the public’s exposure to loud noise levels. Some U.S. states have laws in place to keep horns below 110 decibels, but every state is different. Luckily, every state has its noise codes available online. Usually, you won’t have any problems if you use your horn correctly.
What is a Safe Decibel Level?
If you’ve ever had your eardrums ring, you know that some noises are too loud. This makes train horn kits dangerous if you blast the horn for too long because they’re 150 decibels. Luckily, short bursts typically won’t cause you or anyone else harm.
How Loud are Train Horn Kits?
Train horn kits are very loud products. OEM horns are typically 106 decibels, but train horns reach up to 150 decibels. So, what does 150 decibels sound like? Think of a jet taking off. Not only is that loud, but it’s loud enough for people within 200 yards to hear you loud and clear.
Is a Train Horn Kit Necessary?
If you’re looking to upgrade your factory car horn, you’re probably wondering if train horn kits are necessary. While some people view them as obnoxious, they can keep you and other drivers safe by commanding attention. Also, if you drive a vehicle with a loud engine or exhaust, a train horn kit can make sure drivers know you’re honking the horn.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right train horn kit is not always easy. There is a lot to consider. You want to make sure that you have the know-how to get the job done and that it’s loud enough for other drivers to hear. Luckily, after reading this guide, you know everything you need to know about train horn kits.
Always be sure to shop based on your needs and vehicle. While some train horn kits work for some, it might not fit your vehicle. As long as you shop carefully and keeping your needs in mind – and know what to look for – finding the best train horn kit is a breeze. More

Do you remember the very first time that you got behind the wheel of your car? Whether you bought new or used, the interior of your car was likely clean, polished, and awaiting your arrival. Though, over time, it’s more than likely that your car’s interior has transformed into a mess of fast-food wrappers, loose papers, and this morning’s coffee receipt.
It’s about time you prioritize the cleanliness of your car’s interior, though. Not only will keeping your car clean make for a more enjoyable drive for both you and passengers alike, but it will also improve the longevity of your car’s interior.
Fortunately, there are an endless number of car interior cleaners on the market. Not all car interior cleaners were created equally, though. If you’re on the hunt for the best products to keep things spick-and-span, check out our comprehensive buyer’s guide, which also covers all of the tips and tricks you need to keep the interior of your car cleaner than ever.

The Complete Guide: How to Keep Your Car’s Interior Clean
We have sorted through the bestsellers and forever favorites to find the best car interior cleaners of 2020. Check out our top picks below!
Picking the Best Car Interior Cleaners of 2020
When it comes to choosing the best car interior cleaner for your car, there are several things to consider. Not only should you think about how often and what types of messes you anticipate cleaning, you must also think about the cost of a product, what it does, and how easy it is to use.
Versatility
Some car interior cleaners are more versatile than others. While some cleaners are made specifically for cars, others can also be used on boats, planes, and even on indoor surfaces in your house. From leather cleaners to plastic cleaners, the best car interior cleaners are the ones that can be used in a multitude of ways.
Ease of Use
Cleaning the interior of your car shouldn’t be complicated. The products you use to clean the interior of your car shouldn’t be complicated either. When buying a car interior cleaner, consider how it must be used. Is it a simple disposable wipe? Or does the cleaner require you to have additional tools on hand?
Protection
Several car interior cleaners not only clean the interior of your car but also provide it with lasting protection after you’ve given it a thorough scrubbing. Such cleaners can also help to ensure the longevity of your car’s interior, making them a particularly valuable product.
Affordability
Even if you’re a car enthusiast, you likely don’t want to spend more than you have to when purchasing car interior cleaners. Fortunately, today’s market offers several options to pick from, all of which range in price. Whether you’re currently pinching pennies or are ready to treat yourself, you’ll be sure to find a car interior cleaner that doesn’t break the bank.

Top 10 Best Car Interior Cleaners 2020

1. Best Overall Car Interior Cleaner: CarGuys Super Cleaner Kit

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Why we like it: There’s a reason CarGuys has dubbed this car interior cleaner as a super cleaner. This all-purpose cleaner is for use on multiple surfaces and even comes with its own microfiber towel.
Editor’s Rating:

The CarGuys Super Cleaner Kit isn’t like other car interior cleaners. Instead, it’s better. Using the latest advancements in nanotechnology, this multi-surface car interior cleaner effectively lifts away dirt and grime without requiring the use of additional solvents or tools. Not to mention, the CarGuys Super Cleaner Kit can be used on different types of surfaces, including fabric upholstery, leather, vinyl, plastic, and more.
Versatility
When it comes to versatility, this car interior cleaning kit knows just how to please. Because this car interior cleaner uses the newest advancements in nanotechnology, it’s able to effectively clean a variety of surfaces, although if you need a specific product for every surface, check out this full cleaning kit.
Ease of Use
This car interior cleaner is remarkably easy to use. First things first, vacuum all loose dirt and debris from your vehicle’s interior. Then, spray the cleaner directly onto the included cleaning cloth and wipe down the interior of your car. For surfaces with more grime, spray the cleaner directly onto the surface and scrub with the cleaning cloth. When you’re ready to dry, simply turn over the cleaning cloth and buff dry.
Protection
There aren’t many downsides to the CarGuys Super Cleaner Kit until it comes to protecting your car’s interior from future grime. While some car interior cleaners offer a layer of protection against accumulating dirt, the CarGuys Super Cleaner Kit does not.
Affordability
The CarGuys Super Cleaner Kit comes with one 16 ounce bottle of cleaner and one microfiber cloth. Though the kit does come with two products, some might consider it costly. As effective as this cleaner may be, it’s more expensive than other products.

Pros

Comes with towel
Cleans multiple surfaces
Leaves clean finish
Easily removes stains

Cons

Pricey
No protective coating

2. Best Kit for Cleaning the Interior of Your Car: Meguiar’s Complete Car Care Kit

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Why we like it: For new and seasoned car owners alike, this car care kit makes taking care of your car easier than you could have ever imagined.
Editor’s Rating:

Not everyone wants to spend a considerable amount of time researching the products they use to clean their car. There are also those who don’t have the time to spend finding the perfect mix of products to use on their car’s interior. For those in need of an all-encompassing car cleaning kit, Meguiar has got you covered. This kit includes 12 premium car cleaning products, each of which will clean and protect the interior of your car.
Versatility
Seeing as this kit comes with 12 products, you can count on it achieving a 10/10 when it comes to versatility. Use the Quik Detailer to clean the inside of your car’s interior, then opt for the PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish to revitalize the plastic in your car. No need to buy a separate liquid cleaner with your microfiber towels.
Ease of Use
Each of the products included in Meguiar’s Complete Car Care Kit is fairly easy to use. Most of the products included in the kit are sprays, and only require that you use a microfiber towel. Always be sure to read through a product’s directions before using it, as some of these products can damage materials that they’re not intended for.
Protection
This car cleaning kit boasts several products designed to protect your car’s interior. Not only do the wax bricks help to protect your car’s interior from blemishes and discoloration, but many of the included cleaning sprays are also able to quickly remove the contaminants taking up residence in your car’s interior.
Affordability
This car cleaning kit does come at a price. Though considering this kit boasts 12 premium car cleaning products, it’s easy to understand why Meguiar’s Complete Car Care Kit is more expensive than other car interior cleaners on the market.

Pros

Great price
Easy to use
Includes everything

Cons

Takes up space
Bottles can leak

3. Best Budget Car Interior Cleaner: Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant

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Why we like it: Boasting a wallet-friendly price tag and multiple uses, this car interior cleaner is a great pick for budget shoppers.
Editor’s Rating:

Chemical Guys know what it takes to create an effective car interior cleaner. Not only is the Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant able to effectively remove dirt, dust, and oils, but it’s also designed to protect the interior of your car from UV rays, dust, and dirt.
Versatility
The Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant is the ultimate car interior cleaner. Formulated using a unique set of conditioners, this car interior cleaner is meant for use on dashboards, door panels, steering wheels, shift knobs, seats, glass surfaces, and LCD screens. Furthermore, consider that this spray is able to not only clean but protect your car’s interior, and it’s safe to say that Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant was created with versatility in mind.
Ease of Use
Much like other car interior cleaning sprays, the Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant is very simple to use. First, grab a clean microfiber towel and spray it two to three times. Then, wipe down the interior of your car to remove dirt, dust, and body oil. Once you have finished wiping down the interior of your car, use the other side of the microfiber towel to buff out excess product.
Protection
If your goal is to maintain the original appearance of your car’s interior, look no further than the Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant. Equipped with premium sun blockers and UV reflectors, this car interior cleaner not only cleans but also protects your vehicle’s interior from damaging sunlight. Meanwhile, enzymatic odor eliminators put a stop to unpleasant orders, replacing them instead with the fresh scent of baby powder or pineapple. Keep in mind that for some, these scents can come on strong, so sensitive noses beware.
Affordability
For budget shoppers, Chemical Guys InnerClean Interior Quick Detailer and Protectant is a great option. The product is available in multiple sizes, each of which is affordably priced. To really get the most bang for your buck though, opt for the 1-gallon container. Although if you just need a quick clean, you might prefer a smaller bottle of liquid cleaner.

Pros

Excellent UV protection
Quick and easy to use
Lifts and removes dirt
Anti-static technology repels dust

Cons

Strong scent

4. Best Leather Cleaner for Leather Car Interiors: Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner and Conditioner Complete Leather Care Kit

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Why we like it: This car interior cleaner is pH balanced, making it the most effective for cleaning leather car interiors. It’s also formulated to preserve your car’s leather interior while so it continues to look as fresh as the day you picked it up from the dealership.
Editor’s Rating:

The Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner and Conditioner Complete Leather Care Kit aren’t like other car interior cleaners on the market. Instead, it was dutifully crafted with leather car interiors in mind. Proper cleaning is absolutely crucial to keeping your car’s leather interior in pristine condition, making this car interior cleaner a valuable addition to your car care kit.
Versatility
Since this product is exclusively for leather, if you’re the proud owner of a sedan outfitted with fabric upholstery, this car interior cleaner just isn’t for you. Unless you have a boat outfitted with leather seating or have a house full of leather sectionals, you won’t get much use out of the Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner and Conditioner Complete Leather Care Kit unless you have a car with a leather interior.
Ease of Use
Using the Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner and Conditioner Complete Leather Care Kit does take a considerable amount of time and effort. To get started, you need not only the leather cleaning kit, but also a leather cleaning brush, a microfiber towel (we’d recommend these) and a microfiber pad.
Spray the leather cleaner directly on to the bristles of the leather cleaning brush. Then, scrub the interior of your car. Once you have finished, use a microfiber cloth to wipe up excess product. After you’ve wiped away any extra product, use a microfiber pad to evenly spread the leather conditioner over the interior of your car.
Protection
If you want to keep the leather interior of your car in top-notch condition, it’s important to choose car interior cleaners that were created with leather in mind. While the leather cleaner lifts and separates dirt and grease taking up space within the pores of your car’s leather interior, the leather conditioner replenishes essential nutrients like Vitamin E that are regularly depleted by harsh elements like the sun. Use the Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner and Conditioner Complete Leather Care Kit and your car’s leather interior will feel clean, look great, and be protected from everyday wear and tear.
Affordability
This car interior cleaning kit comes with not one, but two bottles: a leather cleaner and a leather conditioner. Fortunately, the kit is affordably priced, particularly when you consider each product has been formulated in such a way that you can get expect to get several uses out of each bottle. Consider that this car interior cleaner will also help ensure the longevity of your car’s interior, and this leather cleaning car interior kit becomes an even better buy.

Pros

pH balanced
Lifts and suspends dirt and oils
Reduces UV damage

Cons

Requires extra tools
Time-consuming to use
Strong smell

5. Easiest Car Interior Cleaner to Use: Armor All Car Cleaning and Leather Wipes

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Why we like it: Armor All Car Cleaning and Leather Wipes are convenient, affordably priced, and made to keep your car’s interior clean.
Editor’s Rating:

If you’re chasing after that freshly detailed look but aren’t ready to bog yourself down with a laundry list of different car interior cleaners, then consider the Armor All Car Cleaning and Leather Wipes. Made for those looking for an easy-to-use car interior cleaner, these wipes make keeping your car’s interior clean an absolute breeze.
Versatility
While the cleaning wipes remove dirt and grime, the leather-specific wipes are primarily meant to clean, condition and protect the leather interior of your car. Though the cleaning wipes can be used on multiple surfaces, the leather wipes are truly meant for leather surfaces only.
Ease of Use
Using these wipes is as easy as opening the moisture-locking lid, grabbing a wipe or two, and wiping down the interior of your car. Once you’ve finished having done so, simply dispose of the wipe and you are good to hit the road.
Protection
These wipes provide minimal protection. Unlike other car interior cleaners on the list, these wipes are made to clean the interior of your car, and not much more. Though the leather cleaning wipes can help protect against spills and stains, they won’t provide nearly as much protection as a leather-specific car interior cleaner would.
Affordability
With two containers and 30 wipes per container, Armor All Car Cleaning and Leather Wipes seem like a great deal. To really determine their cost though, it’s worth considering how often you plan on cleaning the interior of your car. Though these wipes are definitely on the cheaper side, it’s going to take more than one wipe to clean your car’s interior, meaning that you could polish off these car interior cleaning wipes within just a few cleanings.

Pros

Convenient to use
Remove dirt and grime
Safe for delicate surfaces
Outfitted with moisture-locking lid

Cons

Doesn’t offer protection
Takes several wipes to clean

6. Most Versatile Car Interior Cleaner: Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer

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Why we like it: Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer is an all-in-one car interior cleaner that uses built-in antimicrobial technology to clean the interior of your car while also preventing unpleasant bacteria growth on the surface of your car’s interior.
Editor’s Rating:

If you’re in the market for an all-in-one car interior cleaner that’s as affordable as it is versatile, Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer makes for a good choice. This car interior cleaner uses Microban protection to prevent dirt, grime, and bacteria from building up in your car’s interior while also using powerful odor neutralizers to keep your car smelling fresh. It contains special UV blocking agents, odor neutralizers, and anti-static additives to really ensure that it’s getting the job done properly too.
Versatility
We said it before and we’ll say it again, this product is versatile. Though it was formulated to clean your car, it also provides continuous protection from bacteria, protects against sun damage, and prevents static from overtaking your car’s interior.
Ease of Use
Much like other car interior cleaning sprays, Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer is very easy to use. Spray Adam’s Interior Detailer with Microban onto the surface of your car’s interior, use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the interior of your car, and then use the clean side of the cloth to remove any residual cleaning fluids. Watch out though, the sprayer on this bottle can malfunction, leading to inconvenient leaks and poorly distributed product. To get the most out of Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer, consider having a second spray nozzle on hand.
Protection
From its antimicrobial technology to its UV blockers, Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer makes nary a compromise when it comes to protecting the interior of your car. Count on this car cleaning solution to not only clean up messes but also prevent the buildup of dirt and grime.
Affordability
Considering the many uses this one-step car interior cleaning solution has to offer, its price really isn’t too bad. Spend less than $20 to enjoy a full 20 ounces of this car cleaning solution.

Pros

Built-in antimicrobial technology
Features powerful odor neutralizers
Safe to use on multiple surfaces

Cons

Sprayer can malfunction

7. Best Car Interior Cleaner for Plastic Surfaces: Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant and Polish

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Why we like it: The plastic surfaces in your car deserve just as much care as leather and fabric. Fortunately, Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant and Polish is more than capable of getting the job done.
Editor’s Rating:

Your car is likely outfitted with a considerable amount of plastic. Though spraying that plastic with a blast of universal cleaner might sound enticing, household cleaning products are not formulated with your car’s interior in mind. Instead, opt for a car interior cleaner that was designed specifically to clean and protect the plastic surfaces throughout your car’s interior.
Versatility
Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant, and Polish was originally developed for the aviation industry. Clearly, its use extends well beyond the aviation industry. The product can be used on any plastic surface. Use it to clean vinyl windows, laminated surfaces, and even computer screens such as the navigation system of your vehicle.
Ease of Use
Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant, and Polish comes outfitted with a convenient aerosol applicator and takes minimal effort to use. Simply point the canister at the plastic surface you would like to clean, spray, and wipe away the spray using a microfiber cloth.
Protection
Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant, and Polish isn’t just for cleaning the interior of your car. It also provides long term protection for plastic surfaces and will help to ensure your car’s interior holds up for miles to come. By sealing the pores of the plastic surfaces throughout your car’s interior with a micro-thin layer of protective wax, this car interior cleaner helps plastic resist damage caused by debris, oil, and scratches.
Affordability
We won’t beat around the bush, the Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant, and Polish is expensive. For budget-conscious shoppers, the price of this car cleaning solution may have your jaw hitting the floor. However, if you’re committed to keeping the interior of your car clean and protected, this product is well worth the spend.

Pros

Protective wax seals plastic
Leaves plastics vibrant
Convenient aerosol applicator

8. Best Microfiber Towel for Cleaning Your Car: Chemical Guys Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towels

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Why we like it: Every car owner should have a set of high-quality microfiber towels on hand. Not only do these towels come in multi-packs, but they’re also extremely absorbent.
Editor’s Rating:

Cleaning your car with a roll of paper towels isn’t only wasteful, it can also scratch interior plastics and screens. That’s why we recommend stocking up on microfiber towels for cleaning your car. Fortunately, these microfiber towels from Chemical Guys are more than capable of handling the job. Whether you’re wiping down leather or plastic, these microfiber towels will be sure to please even the choosiest of car enthusiasts.
Versatility
Chemical Guys Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towels are capable of handling multiple surfaces, whether that means cleaning the interior of your car or using them to wipe down your computer screen. Choose these wipes and we can promise you’ll find yourself using them around the house faster than it takes to get from 0 to 60 mph behind the wheel of your favorite sportscar.
Ease of Use
Using these towels really comes down to what type of product you’re using them with. Before cleaning the interior of your car, be sure to understand how best to use microfiber towels alongside of the car interior cleaners you will also be using.
Protection
This may surprise you, but these towels do offer a considerable amount of protection in the way that they resist scratching car parts. Outfitted with silk banded edges and featuring premium microfiber materials, these towels are scratch and lint-free. Remember to tag the tag off the towel before using it. Forget, and you could risk compromising the scratch-free nature of this microfiber car towel.
Affordability
These towels definitely cost more than your average hand towel. Though, that shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Do you really want to wipe down your car’s interior using a subpar towel you dug out of the clearance bin at Walmart? No, probably not. That’s what makes these towels well worth the price. Sure, they may be expensive, but they’re also banded with silk, lint-free, and able to withstand multiple cycles in the washer.

Pros

Extremely absorbent
Comes in a pack of 3 or 6 towels
Silk edges mean scratch-free results
Able to pick up dirt

Cons

Requires laundering
The tag can be problematic

9. Best Car Interior Protectant: 303 UV Protectant Spray

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Why we like it: This car interior cleaner features powerful UV blockers, repels dust and stains, and can be used on multiple different surfaces.
Editor’s Rating:

Imagine it’s a sunny day. You throw on your shades, get behind the wheel and you’re good to go. What about the interior of your car, though? Is there such thing as protecting your vehicle’s interior from the sun’s harmful UV rays? You betcha. Originally engineered for aerospace and aviation, 303 UV Protect Spray is designed to protect your car’s interior from harmful UV rays. Not to mention, this spray is formulated to repel dust and stains too and can be used on vinyl, fiberglass, carbon fiber, rubber, plastic and finished leather surfaces.
Versatility
If you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck, get ready to put 303 UV Protect Spray at the top of your shopping list. Not only is this car interior cleaner able to protect your car’s interior from UV rays, but because it’s water-based, it can also be used on athletic equipment, patio furniture, and more.
Ease of Use
Using 303 UV Protect Spray is as easy as spraying your car’s plastic surfaces down and then wiping them completely dry. Keep in mind that this car interior cleaner does not air dry and that additional buffing with a dry cloth can increase the longevity and effectiveness of the dry.
Protection
Protectant is in the product name, so you better believe 303 UV Protect Spray was formulated to take care of your car’s interior. This car interior cleaner is not only able to protect against fading, discoloration, and cracking caused by UV rays but it’s also formulated to keep dust and stains at bay.
Affordability
When it comes to pricing, 303 UV Protect Spray is costly. Though it comes with 32 ounces of UV protectant spray, it does so for a price. For those looking to save their pennies rather than spend them, 303 UV Protect Spray can be a pricey option. It’s not necessarily a bad value, though, as it will help to ensure the longevity of your car’s interior.

Pros

Provides UV protection
Repels dust and stains
Leaves matte finish
Non-toxic
Easy to use

Cons

Expensive
Does not air dry

10. Best Portable Vacuum for Car Interiors: Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner: High Power Corded Handheld Vacuum w/16-foot cable

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Why we like it: Not everyone has the time to visit the local car wash for a quick vacuum, so a quick once-over with a portable vacuum can really clean things up.
Editor’s Rating:

There’s something about sitting in your car, opening a bag of potato chips, and then proceeding to drop that bag on the floor in front of you. Just imagine, heaps upon heaps of potato chip crumbs taking up residence in your car’s interior. That’s what makes having a portable car vacuum cleaner on hand so convenient. Fortunately, this one comes with a convenient carry bag and doesn’t need an external power source.
Versatility
This vacuum cleaner can really suck up just about anything. From tiny crumbs to clumps of dog hair, you can count on this vacuum cleaner to rid your car’s interior. Don’t overlook the multiple attachments that this vacuum cleaner comes with, either. Multiple nozzles and a built-in LED light will allow you to vacuum all of the hard to reach nooks and crannies in your car as well.
Ease of Use
Using this car vacuum is as simple as plugging it into the 12V lighter port of your car and turning it on. With 16-feet of cable, this vacuum cleaner also makes cleaning the entirety of your car’s interior quick and easy. The only trouble with this vacuum, really, is deciding where to put it as it is somewhat bulky. Our tip? Leave it in the garage.
Protection
Though this vacuum doesn’t offer long-lasting protection, there are many reasons to vacuum your car’s interior on a regular basis. In doing so, you’re removing dust and debris from the interior of your car. Not only does that help keep your car clean, but it also helps to ensure the longevity of soft surfaces like carpets and seats.
Affordability
This Portable Vacuum Cleaner costs about what you expect. Though it’s certainly not dollar-store-cheap, its price in no way rivals that of a Dyson. Unfortunately, though, you’ll still have to buy additional products like this cleaning kit to take care of the hard surfaces in your vehicle.

Pros

Comes with carrying bag
Plugs into 12V lighter port
Built-in LED light
Multiple nozzles

Guide to Buying the Best Car Interior Cleaners
In this section, we will review what you should consider when choosing the best car interior cleaners for your vehicle.
Tips for Cleaning the Interior of Your Car
Cleaning is less of a chore when you know how to do it well. Be systematic with your car cleaning and follow these tips to help save time and energy.
Before using a new product, always do a patch test. Test the product in an inconspicuous area of your car’s interior to confirm it doesn’t negatively impact the fabrics or plastics in your car.
Car interior cleaners vary when it comes to application. Get in the habit of reading the directions before cleaning the interior of your car. Remember to pay attention to specific techniques mentioned in the directions too.
Before you go through the trouble of bringing out your cleaning supplies, make sure your car is free of trash, debris, and your everyday items. Doing so will not only make cleaning your car faster but will also prevent you from losing track of items in your car.
Having multiple microfiber towels on hand is very important. Use them to distribute car cleaning solutions throughout the interior of your car and to wipe away excess products.
If you’re having trouble reaching a particular space in your car, try using a thinner vacuum nozzle to clear out dirt and debris.
Consider cleaning your car at regular, scheduled intervals. Making a habit out of car cleaning makes it easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Types of Messes are You Cleaning?
There’s a benefit to understanding what types of messes you expect to clean up in your car. If you work with your car and anticipate having to clean the interior of your car throughout the day, a product like Armor All Car Cleaning and Leather Wipes may be the best option for you. On the other hand, if you’re a parent and regularly anticipate having to track down crumbs, a portable vacuum cleaner might be the best option for you. Regardless, understanding the types of messes you expect to clean up allows you to buy products that are designed to fit your exact car cleaning needs.
How Often Do You Plan on Cleaning?
If you plan on cleaning your car multiple times per month, keep in mind how much a product costs versus how much product you get and just how far that product goes. If you plan on cleaning the interior of your car regularly, it might be worth it to buy something with all of the products you need like Meguiar’s Full Cleaning Kit. It shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, but it should last for a decent enough period of time so that you’re not regularly robbing your savings account on the quest to keep your car clean.
How Much Time Do You Want to Spend Cleaning?
For a car enthusiast, cleaning your vehicle’s interior can serve as a moment of zen. For others, cleaning their car is a chore. While car enthusiasts may not be opposed to using multiple types of interior cleaners when cleaning, others might prefer an all-in-one product like Adam’s Microban Interior Detailer because of its ability to clean and protect simultaneously.
Wrapping Up
Cleaning a car’s interior is an inconvenient chore that’s made much easier by having effective products at your disposal. Whether you require a full cleaning kit, a liquid cleaner, or you just need some microfiber towels, the right tools for the job will have you spick-and-span in no time. More

Camping is the most relaxing experience you can have without four margaritas and a hot tub. Or with four margaritas, we don’t judge your camping preferences. Setting up camp can be a chore, though. You have to find a place where the ground isn’t covered in ants, fight with tent poles, yell into the darkness when you find out your camp hammer didn’t make it into the stake bag, etc. Wouldn’t it be nice if your tent was just attached to your car and set up in minutes?
Good news, that’s exactly what a rooftop tent is.

Choosing the Right Rooftop Tent
This guide is here to help you get out there and make the most out of the beautiful rock we call Earth. In it, you’ll find quick info on choosing the perfect rooftop tent for your situation. Following that will be a review section where we will look at ten of the best tents on the market right now. Finally, at the bottom, we have an in-depth section so you can fine-tune the decision-making process. First things first, though: are you sure a rooftop tent is for you?
Why Rooftop Tents Are Awesome
We go over the finer points and compare the pros and cons here, but this is a quick start guide. We’re comfortable just telling you that rooftop tents are awesome and totally worth it. Be honest, what would you rather do? Sleep above the critters on a clean mattress, or sleep on the cold lumpy ground with the bugs? Kind of a no brainer.
The biggest downside is the cost. Rooftop tents start at a thousand dollars and go up from there. It’s still a lot cheaper than an RV or travel trailer. They are way more convenient than an RV, too, since unless your only car is a Pinto, there’s a rooftop tent that will work on your roof.
Soft Shell vs. Hard Shell Tents
Rooftop tents come in two main flavors. Soft shell tents are more like traditional on-the-ground tents. They are made of fabric and have poles that you have to snap into place. Hard shell tents use the hard case as the roof. Some you open like a briefcase, and some just pop up vertically. Here’s a quick comparison:
Hard Shell Tents
More aerodynamic when traveling
Faster to set up
Better weather protection
Soft Shell Tents
Cost less
More spacious
Take up less space when packed
Weight
A roof rack can only support so much weight, so when you buy a tent to mount to the roof, you need to pay attention to the numbers. Specifically, the dynamic weight your roof rack can support, the weight of the tent itself, and the total weight your car can support.
We’ll get more into mounting specifics in the deep dive at the bottom here. To keep it simple, your car’s rack has a dynamic weight, that’s how much weight it can carry while moving. Don’t get a tent that weighs more than the dynamic weight capacity. The static weight is usually many times the dynamic weight, so the total weight probably won’t be an issue. Just google your car model’s total roof weight capacity and double-check before you load it full of your entire lead fishing anchor collection.
Size
When it comes to choosing the right size, it’s all about balancing the amount of space you want and what will fit your vehicle. A small vehicle won’t be able to fit a larger tent, it’s just not possible. To get the most space, you’ll need a tent that both takes up more roof space, and folds out. That’s where the most significant advantage of the soft shell design comes into play.
Other Considerations
The most significant things to think about are type, weight, and size, but that’s not all. The following considerations probably won’t be the deciding factor, but they can help sway you one way or the other after narrowing down the options to a few.
Expected Weather
Most tents are three-season rated, which basically means they aren’t useful if it gets super cold and windy. A four-season rated tent is thick enough and sturdy enough to survive a blizzard. A three-season can survive a few winter outings, but serious winter campers will want to shell out for something a bit sturdier.
Creature Comforts
By their nature, rooftop tents are more comfortable than their ground-based counterparts. Some tents feature pockets and awnings that make setting up a base camp easy. Some rooftop units feature extra-thick mattresses. A unit with a nice ladder makes your life easier than buying a unit with a ladder that takes more work.
Ease of Setup
The speed and minimal effort required to set up camp using a rooftop tent is one of their bigger selling points, but they still vary wildly model to model. Hard shell pop up tents can be set up in seconds just by undoing the latches. Other, less expensive soft shell tents are a lot more like setting up a conventional tent. You have to open up the base and install the tent poles.
In this section, we put together a variety of great rooftop tents and reviewed them. We’ve rounded up great soft shell tents, hard shell tents, budget tents, and premium tents. There’s even a couple high tech hybrids. Hopefully, this will give you a great overview of what’s out there, and help you choose the perfect tent for your situation.

Top 10 Best Rooftop Tents for Your Next Adventure 2020

1. Overall Best Rooftop Tent: Tuff Stuff Ranger Overland

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Why we like it: Tuff Stuff’s RTT is the perfect balance between cost, space, quality, and comfort.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 2 and a child/dog
Weight: 150lbs
Footprint closed: 56” x 48”
Footprint open: 56” x 96”
Minutes to set up: 15
Highlights
The Tuff Stuff is really the perfect tent for someone just getting into the rooftop tent world. It comes with everything you need, including an install kit with tools. Nothing else does that. It’s also big enough for a small family, and comes with its own annex room for extra storage.
Review
If you just want to buy a rooftop tent and be done with it, get the Tuff Stuff Ranger Overland. It’s the entire RTT experience for a very, very reasonable price. It comes with its own annex room, something that you’d typically have to buy extra. It also comes with its own installation tools, which is nice.
What propels the Overland towards the top of our list is how well rounded it is. It’s not the best at anything. It’s not as spacious as the CVT, it’s not very lightweight – any hard shell like the SkyCamp 2.0 will survive the elements better, and there are cheaper units. At the same time, with the Ranger Overland, you aren’t compromising on any of those categories either.
It is spacious. You get a full 52″ of height to sit up and have morning coffee, and with the included annex room, you don’t have to store your clutter in the same tent compartment as you. The box doesn’t say four-seasons, but it is well built enough to withstand the winter. The material that it’s made from, 420D polyester/canvas, is plenty waterproof and sturdy enough for wind and snow. You get to be mighty comfortable during the wind and rain too, the included foam mattress is one of the thicker ones on the market.
There’s only one thing that might annoy you: the ladder. It comes with a sliding ladder that doesn’t offer enough mounting and height options. Bring a shovel with you to dig out underneath it, or swap it for an aftermarket telescoping ladder, and you’ll be fine. Honestly, the fact that our only nitpick is that the ladder isn’t amazing should tell you all you need to know.

Pros

Excellent value
Easy to install
Made of good quality materials
Lots of extras included

Cons

Ladder could be better
Too heavy for smaller vehicles

2. Tepui Explorer Ayer

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Why we like it: Small, tough, and four-season-ready are the final words when it comes to the Tepui Explorer Ayer. All for a really fantastic price.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 104lb
Footprint closed: 42”x48”
Footprint open: 84”x48”
Minutes to set up: 10
Highlights
Tepui is one of the leaders in quality rooftop tents. The only reason this one doesn’t rank higher is because the competition is so dang good.
Review
The Tepui Explorer is a really fantastic tent. This tent rates highly based on its features, price, and quality.
One thing really holds it back, however, and that thing is the size. It’s tiny. Like really tiny, it has a smaller sleeping area than the SkyCamp Mini. At the same time, that might be its best feature. You can easily mount this to any car, just like the SkyCamp Mini, but it’s one-third of the price. It’s more than one third the quality, though, so the value is through the soft, canvas roof.
Unlike other soft shells, the Explorer Ayer is four seasons ready. It has a heavy-duty cover/awning/rain fly that will keep the wind, snow and rain off. The whole thing is made of Tepui’s favorite ultra-durable fabric blend. There’s not much more to it, it’s a basic, high-quality tent that sleeps two for cheap. It even has a great ladder, something that Tuff Stuff could learn from.

Pros

Very lightweight
Easy to find online
4 season ready

Cons

Tiny
Takes longer to set up than others

3. Best Premium Rooftop Tent: iKamper SkyCamp 2.0

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Why we like it: The SkyCamp 2.0 is simply one of the best rooftop tents you can buy.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 4ish
Weight: 160lbs
Footprint closed: 55”x80”
Footprint open: 100”x80”
Minutes to set up: 1
Highlights
The Skycamp sets up in one minute. You just open it up, and you are good to go. It’s also the most spacious hard shell tent on this list, and one of the most spacious that’s for sale.
Review
iKamper makes an appearance on this list 3 times. That’s because they all have quality and comfort that just surpasses everything else. The X-Cover is the nicest soft shell tent you can get, and the SkyCamp Mini is the coolest tiny tent ever. Meanwhile, this SkyCamp 2.0 is luxury defined.
Start with the fact that it has a full king-size mattress. See, the SkyCamp is more of a hybrid than a full hard shell design. It’s a big indestructible briefcase when it’s packed away. When you open it, though, it folds out like a soft shell and doubles in area. A process that takes seconds, by the way. With an interior roof height of 48” you won’t be standing up inside, but you’ll definitely be able to sit up and have a beer while watching the sun go down.
The downside is the price. This is a premium product, and it has a premium price tag, so it’s not surprising that the unit is expensive. It is such a good unit though, they thought of and solved a ton of problems that you probably didn’t even know were problems. Stuff like the ladder rungs have a slight angle, so you know the perfect position to set it at, and the back is padded so you can use it as a headboard.
If the price is the biggest issue, then choose if you want to sacrifice durability or luxury. If you can sacrifice luxury, go for the HyBox. If you don’t need the hard shell, iKamper makes the soft shell X-Cover. If you can’t live without either, you won’t be disappointed in the Skycamp.

Pros

A lot of space, especially for a hard shell
Extra comfortable
Ultra-fast set up
Four-season ready

Cons

Expensive
A bit on the heavy side

4. Best Hybrid Rooftop Tent: iKamper X-Cover

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Why we like it: Like the iKamper SkyCamp, the X-Cover is one of the best RTTs on the market. It’s just soft-shelled instead of hard.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 4-ish
Weight: 120lbs
Footprint closed: 47”x75”
Footprint open: 82”x75”
Minutes to set up: 5
Highlights
The X-Cover has all the benefits of a soft shell rooftop tent. It’s light, compact when folded but spacious when open, and can be totally opened up for maximum ventilation. Unlike most soft shell tents, though, it can be set up in a few minutes. Due to the combination of its soft-shell design and its quick deployment, it’s referred to as a hybrid rooftop tent.
Review
iKamper’s second entry on this list is the X-Cover. It’s easiest to compare it to the SkyCamp, because honestly, they are nearly identical in terms of perks. Same ladder, same amazing king size mattress, same high-quality construction. The X-Cover has some advantages over the SkyCamp, though. First off, it’s cheaper. Second, it has more room inside of it. It takes full advantage of the interior height, unlike the SkyCamp’s lean-to design. Finally, it weighs 40lbs less. That’s an extra case of wine you can take with you.
It’s not as durable or compact as the SkyCamp, and it takes longer to set up. That being said, the X-Cover is still the fastest soft shell tent to set up on this list. The website claims people can do it in 3 minutes, but field testing indicates that the number is really closer to 4 minutes. If your buddy bought a Smittybilt because he breathes Jeep lifestyle, you’ll have enough time to set up, grab a drink, climb into your extra comfortable tent and heckle him as he wrestles with tent poles.
It’s not all sunshine and lollipops, though. While the X-Cover is cheaper than the SkyCamp, it’s still expensive. We made fun of how long it takes to set up the Smittybilt, but you could buy 3 of them for the same price. That puts the X-Cover in a weird place. It’s a high-end soft shell RTT that costs the same as many hard shells. One of the defining advantages of the soft shell tents is the lower price, and it doesn’t have that. It’s noisier, not as durable, and not as convenient, but costs the same.
Being in a weird place value wise is not enough of a reason to dislike it, though. It’s still one of the nicest units on this list, and you will absolutely feel like a king lording over your subjects as you watch the world from atop your rooftop castle.

Pros

A lot of interior volume
Very comfortable mattress
High quality

Cons

Expensive
Noisy in the wind

5. Best Budget Rooftop Tent: Smittybilt Overlander

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Why we like it: The Smittybilt Overlander has two things that make it great. It’s a very nice price, and it is made for the Jeep lifestyle.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 2+
Weight: 144lbs
Footprint closed: 56”x48”
Footprint open: 56”x96”
Minutes to set up: 15
Highlights
Highlight? It’s about a thousand dollars for a full-function, good quality tent. What more do you want?
Review
Jeep people are in a cult. A cult that values rugged, offroad, and tactical over wimpy things like “easy” and “comfortable.” Smittybilt is a company that is closely associated with the Jeep lifestyle to the point where some of their most famous products are Wrangler specific. The good news is that their rooftop tent (or RTT), the Overlander, is not Jeep specific. It will clamp to a 4Runner with just as much ease as a Liberty. But that Jeep mentality bleeds through the tent’s design, and that’s fantastic.
What we mean is that it’s a very straightforward, no-nonsense unit. It’s made of good quality material so it can withstand the trails, and the construction is solid enough that it can take a beating when the weather gets uppity. It has enough space for two people and their dog, and the ladder is extra wide. It’s also got cool little features that you don’t find in other units, like LED lights and 12v hookups.
The biggest selling point is the price, though. It doesn’t have the amazing space that the X-Cover has, or the included extras of the Tuff Stuff. It’s impossible to be disappointed with the quality, though, and it’s nearly the cheapest thing on this list. It’s the best value on this list, the only cheaper RTT is actually cheap and not just inexpensive.
They can afford to sell it so inexpensively because they got rid of the easy part of the equation. It’s a Jeep thing. It takes a long time to set up. The rugged, sturdy, no-nonsense shape is set up by erecting a bunch of aluminum poles, and that takes time to do. It’s also not the easiest thing to install initially. Premium setups like the SkyCamp come on their own frame that just clamps right onto an existing rack. The Smittybilt only comes with some bolts and a cheap wrench.
If a little bit of DIY doesn’t scare you, though, this is a great deal.

Pros

Inexpensive
Good quality
Has internal lighting

Cons

Not the easiest to set up
Heavier than other small soft shells

6. Least Expensive Rooftop Tent: TMBK 3 Person

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Why we like it: Sometimes you just want to buy the least expensive thing that works, and the TMBK fits the bill.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 3+
Weight: 108lbs
Footprint closed: 57”x50”
Footprint open: 57”x94”
Minutes to set up: 10
Highlights
This is the only rooftop tent we are willing to recommend coming in at less than a grand. Suppose you don’t know whether or not you will actually enjoy the rooftop experience. In that case, it’s hard to justify paying a premium price.
Review
It’s less than a thousand dollars and is available on Amazon. There isn’t a whole lot more that needs to be said. Honestly, it feels like every criticism can be countered with “yeah, but it’s so cheap!” It’s slow to set up, but of course it is. It’s not amazingly durable, but of course it’s not. It’s cheap. It’s also got flimsy installation hardware.
That’s not to say it does everything poorly. It’s a completely adequate tent for a hobbyist. It’s one of the lighter tents on the list, and the size is actually on the bigger side as far as lightweight, inexpensive tents go. You won’t regret buying it, which we think is the best indicator of whether or not something is worth recommending. It’s good enough that it does do everything the box says it will do. You get a tent that mounts to your roof.
The only suggestion we have is that if you are new to the RTT scene and just want to test the waters, so to speak, take a hard look at the Smittybilt. It’s not much more expensive, but it’s easier to set up and a lot stronger.

Pros

Cheap
It has a good amount of interior room
Lightweight

Cons

Cheap
Poor-quality hardware

7. Best Large-Footprint Rooftop Tent: CVT Mt. Denali

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Why we like it: Not only is the CVT Mt. Denali gigantic, it’s got cool features like a skylight so you can stargaze.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 4+
Weight: 225lb
Footprint closed: 87”x48”
Footprint open: 87”x132”
Minutes to set up: 20
Highlights
It’s got two rooms. The CVT Mt. Denali is so big that it’s got two rooms. If you have kids and you want them to be somewhere not where you are when they wake up and want hot chocolate before you have coffee, there’s a wall between you. They’ll even have their own ladder, because the CVT comes with two of them.
Review
Most rooftop tents are small. Even the bigger ones like the X-Cover are still somewhat small. They say they can fit 4 people, but no one wants to sleep like a sardine in a can. Enter the CVT Mt. Denali. They claim it sleeps 4, and that’s probably a stretch. We’ll restate this because it’s a little crazy, but it’s got two separate rooms. If you include the person-sized annex room, it’s got three bedrooms.
What’s nice is that it’s not just big, it’s also a quality tent. They didn’t just go for size and neglect the rest of the unit. It has some really neat features that we wish were included in other tents. The center of the roof is a clear panel so you can lay beneath the stars and watch the satellites go by. Also, the ladders are enclosed in the annex room, so you can climb out of the weather. It’s a minor thing, but if it’s storming and you need to get into your vehicle, you don’t have to go outside the tent.
The size is the biggest problem with the CVT. You will need a heavy-duty roof rack on a heavy-duty vehicle to lug the thing around. That’s probably not a problem if you plan on camping with your family. After all, an SUV is sort of the de-facto vehicle for a family adventure. What might pose a bigger problem is that it weighs a whopping 225 pounds and takes up a ton of space. That means you need help getting it on and off, and you need a ton of storage room just to keep it around.
Think of it like backpacking: more space is the same as more inconvenience. The CVT takes a long time to set up, takes a lot of muscle to manage, and even cleaning it will take extra time. If you don’t need the space, the Tuff Stuff also has an annex and is way easier to manage. Either that, or pay the extra money for the SkyCamp that still has tons of space but can be set up in one-tenth the time.

Pros

Humongous
Has separate rooms and lots of extras
Windows are large and plentiful

Cons

You need a big vehicle to carry it around
You also need big muscles to take it on and off

8. Best Rooftop Tent/Storage Hybrid: Tepui HyBox

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Why we like it: The Tepui Hybox is a combination of rooftop storage box and hard shell tent. It’s perfect for 2 people who don’t have much vehicle storage.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 177lbs
Footprint closed: 84”x55”
Footprint open: 84”x55”
Minutes to set up: 2
Highlights
On a smaller SUV, or other small overland rigs, storage space is at a premium. That makes one the main disadvantage to hauling a rooftop tent the fact that it takes all your rooftop cargo space away. The HyBox solves that problem by being both a storage box and a tent, perfect for compact adventure vehicles.
Review
If you allow us, we will start with the bad. That’s because it’s probably the biggest deal-breaker when it comes to an RTT, so it’s better to rip off the bandaid. The HyBox has the least amount of room out of any tent on this list when set up. The 51″x81″ sleeping area is ok for two people, that’s about standard. It’s the super low 3ft ceiling that makes it feel more like a Japanese pod hotel than an idyllic wilderness cabin.
That being said, if your only goal is to sleep, it’s fine. It’s still a huge upgrade over a tiny conventional tent, you just won’t want to wait out any storms in it. Which is a shame, because it can withstand them fine. It’s got a hard composite roof that will protect you from hail or severe weather, and the fabric can withstand wind for days. That’s one of Tepui’s features as a brand, they like their space-age ultra-durable fabrics. Both on this hard shell unit, or their soft shell unit we list here.
The biggest feature of the HyBox isn’t its toughness, though. It’s the fact that the HyBox is also a rooftop storage box. Instead of popping it up fully, it’s hinged on both sides and can be opened like a trunk. In fact, you can just unzip the walls from the base and convert it fully into a storage box. That makes the HyBox the most reasonably-priced tent to leave permanently attached to your vehicle on the market.
As far as comforts go, the HyBox is fine. Tepui is no stranger to making great tents, and unlike their other offering on this list, the HyBox only takes a few minutes to set up. Inside, you get all the basics: windows, a ladder, a foam mattress, and not much else.
It is heavy, though. That’s why the SkyCamp Mini is really the only great hard shell option for small cars. The HyBox would steal the show with its extra storage space, but there’s no way for this 180lb unit to bolt to the average small crossover or wagon. For two intrepid explorers in a medium SUV, though, the HyBox is perfect.

Pros

Very durable, four-season-ready construction
Set up takes minutes
Doubles as a storage box

Cons

Low ceiling height
High install weight

9. Best Rooftop Tent For Small Vehicles: iKamper SkyCamp Mini

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Why we like it: It’s a mere 125lbs and less than 5’ square when collapsed. That makes the SkyCamp Mini perfect for anyone without a large vehicle.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers   
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 125lbs
Footprint closed: 55”x56”
Footprint open: 81”x56”
Minutes to set up: 1
Highlights
If you long for the luxury of the SkyCamp 2.0, but own a small Subaru or similar that would be crushed under the weight of the bigger unit, get the SkyCamp Mini. It sleeps two, has the same high-quality construction, and is fully ready for whatever the weather has in store.
Review
iKamper is at it again, this time with another hard shell luxury tent that looks really good in addition to being very nice to sleep in. Unlike the SkyCamp 2.0, this one is half the size. It also comes in at a very manageable 125lbs. That weight is important since it’s more or less the cutoff for most basic roof racks. If you have a wildly popular Subaru Crosstrek or Mini Clubman, you don’t have to make any modifications for the SkyCamp Mini. The only way to get that kind of convenience elsewhere is to go soft shell, but you’d be sacrificing the durability and speed of the iKamper.
The Mini is smaller than everything else on this list due to clever engineering, but is average-sized when set up. It’s actually bigger on the inside than both the HyBox and the Explorer, so you can very comfortably fit two people. The foam mattress is best in class, and like the rest of the iKamper models, it’s insulated.
That’s actually something we didn’t mention in the other two iKamper reviews, but it’s worth talking about. The floors, walls, and hard lid all have a thin layer of insulation. Unlike your average nylon tent, the SkyCamp Mini will stay quite warm during cold nights. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t want to be up there in the heat: the insulation is good, but the lack of cross breeze can get stifling. The compact, clamshell nature of the Mini means you don’t get many window options.
Unfortunately, it shares SkyCamp’s high price. You have to fully commit to wanting luxury at all costs to validate purchasing the Mini when you could probably make other lightweight tents work. The Tepui Explorer weighs less and is smaller folded up, you don’t even have to make something work. Nothing else will look as good above your short bed truck, or bolted to your WRX.

Pros

Very compact when folded up
Luxurious
Sets up in minutes

Cons

Expensive
Windows are tiny

10. Best Lightweight Rooftop Tent: Front Runner Rooftop

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Why we like it: If you are a one-man-band, the Front Runner is lightweight enough to completely manage alone.
Editor’s Rating:

The Numbers
Sleeps: 2+
Weight: 93lbs
Footprint closed: 48”x53”
Footprint open: 98”x53”
Minutes to set up: 10
Highlights
For those who want to install the tent, do your camping thing, then come back and remove it, the Front Runner is perfect. It’s ultra-lightweight and has quick-release clamps for mounting.
Review
The Front Runner is very basic. That’s not bad, it does do everything a tent should do. It keeps bugs out and most of the water. It just lacks the fit and finish of the Tepui, or the cool features of the Tuff Stuff. The fact that it directly competes with the Ruff Tuff in terms of size and complexity doesn’t help. They share the same ladder issues, but the Front Runner doesn’t have an annex room.
What it does have is the lightest weight out of any RTT out there. It’s 30lbs lighter than the SkyCamp Mini. That makes it totally manageable if you are just a one-person operation. They seem to have run with that motif too. The way the Front Runner installs onto a rack is probably one of the most straightforward ways possible. You just line it up and clamp.
You have to make a lot of sacrifices for that usability, though. For one thing, it has a fairly thin mattress. For another, even though the box claims three people, it’s smaller than some of the two-person tents. The weight really is the most significant selling point of the Front Runner, which is where the comparisons get really ugly. The Tepui Ayer is only ten pounds heavier and is a lot more durable. It’s also a lot more comfortable. The difference in price between the two is negligible, so it’s hard to justify the Front Runner if you are just looking for a basic tent.
Still, if you are camping in moderate climates and plan to take the tent on and off a lot, you’ll be delighted with the Front Runner.

Pros

Very lightweight
Easy to mount
Very open and breezy

Cons

Thin mattress
Ladder sucks

A Closer Look at Rooftop Camping
Rooftop tents are fairly straightforward in application. It’s a tent that bolts to your roof. As you can see by the variety of options in our guide above, there are still tons of options to choose from. Our quick guide above hits all the major decision-making points, but leaves out a lot of the details. If you are still thirsty for more knowledge, we put together this section to find those details we left out before.
The Pros and Cons of a Rooftop Tent
The most difficult decision for buying a rooftop tent is the decision to want one at all. Compared to sleeping on the ground in a conventional tent, a rooftop tent is a complicated, expensive, and heavy piece of extra gear. To make the decision easy, here are some of the significant pros and cons explained.
The Disadvantages of Rooftop Tents
We figure it’s easier to start with the cons. If you see any of these and they are an immediate deal-breaker, you’re done. Go enjoy sleeping on the ground. If you make it through, you’ll be showered in the advantages and really feel like it’s worth it.
They are Expensive
A cheap conventional tent is around 50 bucks. A cheap rooftop tent is $1000.
They are Difficult to Manage
The average weight of a rooftop tent is 150lbs. That’s hard to take on and off, especially alone. They are also big and take up a ton of space, so you need a good amount of room to store them when they aren’t on your vehicle.
You Have To Climb A Ladder
This one’s straightforward. If for whatever reason you are not comfortable climbing a ladder, then rooftop camping is not for you.
You Can’t Stake A Claim
One of the advantages of setting up a tent on the ground is that it marks your space. That gives you a home base to come back to. When your car is your tent, if you ever leave your camping space, you lose your claim.
You Have to Break Camp to Move
Similar to above, a conventional tent can just sit there on the ground while you drive off to explore. A rooftop tent has to be broken down and packed up before you can move.
The Rooftop Advantage
With the disadvantages out of the way, we can look at the reasons rooftop tents are awesome.
They Get You Off The Ground
The ground is cold, lumpy, and full of bugs. It’s nice to be off it.
They Are Comfortable
Even the more inexpensive rooftop tents come with their own mattress attached to a flat, even surface. No rocks or ant hills to put a kink in your back.
They Are Easy to Level
Unlike conventional tents where you are at the mercy of the terrain, you can just drive to a level spot, and you are ready to go.
They Are Clean
This is one of those advantages you don’t really get until you experience it. Camping is supposed to be dirty, right? With a rooftop tent, you have to get up a ladder out of the dirt to get in, and you leave a lot of the mud and grime behind. That keeps everything much nicer inside the tent.
Most Are Faster to Set Up
This isn’t true for all scenarios. Pop-up tents that you just throw on the ground couldn’t be simpler, so no rooftop will compete with that. However, the average rooftop tent is as fast as folding it out and attaching the ladder. Some have hydraulics and set themselves up, so if you don’t feel like fighting fiberglass poles, you don’t have to.
Mounting
The hardest part about owning and using a rooftop tent is the part where you actually have to attach it to your vehicle. There are two key components to the process. The first is specific to the actual tent you buy, and that’s the clamps and rigging system that the tent comes with. The second part is the part that you are more in control over, the rack on your vehicle.
All About Racks

There’s actually a lot of variety when it comes to mounting systems. We’ll touch on them here, but you will likely have to research your own vehicle’s system (they’re usually car-manufacturer specific) to know exactly what you’re dealing with.
Factory Roof Rack
The easiest, most straightforward way to mount anything to a car is to buy a car with a factory roof rack option. They probably won’t be strong enough for the bigger RTTs, but they will be fine for most. Largely because the average capacity for a factory rack is 150lbs, and since you always want to be on the safe side, even the lightweight SkyCamp Mini is pushing it.
Aftermarket Roof Rack
These racks are ones you purchase and install yourself. They vary wildly, and you may have to do some research to find out what the capacity is. If you are looking to buy one, Popular Mechanics has a great overview here.
A subsection of the aftermarket racks are homebrew racks. Lots of off-road rigs have their own roll cages that make it easy to bolt a tent frame onto or weld in a couple of cross members to mount cargo wherever you want. Jeeps have no less than thousands of aftermarket solutions for mounting cargo, tents and lights. Don’t think you have to have a roof rack, specifically, the world of offroad fabrication has no limits.
Truck Bed Rack
Truck racks are trendy in the Overlanding scene. They allow you to mount a rooftop tent, or large cargo pod, above the bed, so you don’t sacrifice any storage and don’t have to have objects above the cab. Tuff Stuff, the maker of our number one pick for an RTT, makes a great truck mounted rack you can pick up [amazon url=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NDL7MWC/”]here[/amazon].
Cargo Carriers
If you’ve got enough roof space and you’re headed for a larger journey, it’s a fantastic idea to pick up an auxiliary roof cargo rack or cargo carrier specifically designed to load equipment and cargo. Whether you’re a rock climber, hiker, kayaker, or you’re just looking for some more camping equipment space, mounting a cargo carrier alongside your tent can provide the space to make the transition from weekender to full-time adventurer.
Bike Racks
Plenty of four-wheeled adventurers love two-wheel adventures as well, mountain biking, road biking, and cycle-touring the entire country. If you’re getting ready for more serious outdoor adventures with a rooftop rack, also consider installing a bike rack on your vehicle that makes hauling your bicycles easy, convenient, and safe.
Maximum Roof Load
The dynamic load of the rack is really important when choosing a tent to mount. It’s probably the most important; imagine the embarrassment of spending a few thousand dollars on an RTT only to have it fly off while driving on a mountain road.
It’s not the only number you need to consider, though. Most vehicles have a maximum roof load in addition to a maximum dynamic load. Trucks and SUVs have ratings well into the thousands, so 200 pounds of tent and 400 pounds of person aren’t going to be an issue. Smaller crossovers and cars, though, can have roof loads that dip below 500lbs. That’s not a lot of weight once you add the rack, tent, and bodies.
The only thing that kind of sucks is that sometimes the actual number can be hard to find. The Crosstrek, a very popular RTT platform, doesn’t list it in the owner’s manual. That makes searching for other people with similar cars and setups the best option for knowing if a setup will work for you. A google search with your car model and rooftop tent will almost always lead to forums or posts with people’s experience doing something similar to what you want to do.
Quick Tips for RTT Camping
If you are ready to hit the trail, here are some quick trips to make your experience the best it can be. We’ll refrain from general camping tips since this is an automotive site, but if you want those, KOA has you covered here. We don’t mind plugging them because they make perfect places to take a vehicle with a rooftop tent.
Bring Leveling Blocks
They can just be some 2×6 chunks of wood that you drive up onto, or you can buy plastic ones like [amazon url=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028PJ10K/”]these[/amazon].
Bring a Shovel Especially if you have a sliding ladder instead of a telescoping ladder. You might have to dig a little to get a good angle for the ladder.
Always Do A Trial Run Do a trial run in your driveway so you know if there are any issues. Do two, and give it a good shake to make sure it’s not going to come off while you drive.
Hang a Bag From The Top of The Ladder Some tents, like the Smittybilt, come with their own shoe bag. Most don’t. Just tie one to the top of the ladder. That way you don’t track mud into your tent, but your boots are still easy to get too.
Stash Spare Keys Especially if you have a locking tent like the SkyCamp, Mini or 2.0, hide a spare key to the tent in the car. You can also hide a spare car key in your tent.
What Are You Waiting For? Get Out There!
Rooftop tents are the ultimate balance between RV luxury and rugged, at-one-with-nature camping. If you are sitting on the fence about it, get off the fence and into a rooftop tent. Then go exploring. When you have a self-contained, fully independent camping rig, roads lose their meaning, and the world becomes unlimited. More

Ever since Star Trek graced the airwaves in the mid-sixties, touch screens have been a symbol of the future. We live in that future, and if your car doesn’t have a touch screen radio, it can feel like you are trapped in the past. Good news, there are tons of options to fix that.

Choosing the Best Head Unit for You
We’ll get this out of the way first. A lot of people use the words head unit and stereo interchangeably. Technically, a stereo is the whole system. It’s the interface, amp, crossover, speakers, etc. A head unit is just the device in your dashboard. If you want a touch screen that connects to your car’s existing speakers, what you are going to buy is a new head unit. Got it? Let’s move on.
There are a ton of companies that all have their own idea of what makes a great car stereo. It’s confusing as hell to look at the hundreds of options and know which one to choose. That’s why we are breaking it down here. Start with this quick start guide. We’ll follow up with a showcase of some great head units for you to choose from. Finally, if you’re still thirsty for knowledge, there’s a deep dive at the end into the math and finer points of car audio.
Inputs Are Your Biggest Concern
There are a lot of ways to store music. While we have largely left the world of 8-track and cassette behind, there are still a ton of options that seem to stick around forever. CDs, for instance, are still something people rely on, despite being three decades old. Meanwhile, there are plenty of people who expect everything to be wireless and inconvenienced when they have to find a cable. Which are you? That’ll likely be your biggest consideration when choosing a head unit.
The Standard Inputs
The most common inputs are AUX and Bluetooth. AUX is just your everyday typical headphone cable. You plug one end into your audio device, one end into your stereo, and then play music through your stereo. Bluetooth is the same thing but without the cable. Bluetooth speakers and stereos are so ingrained into our society it’s difficult to believe that there are people who aren’t familiar with them. It’s that, but for your car.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are rapidly becoming the standard for in-car entertainment. Being able to control your system with your cellphone is awesome. First off, you can get music or video streamed directly from the internet. Second, having all your relevant apps appear on the “big screen” makes driving safer. You won’t have to take time to scroll through settings and tiny menus while navigating rush hour traffic.
Do You Really Need CD/DVD Support?
Take a second, and be honest with yourself. A CD/DVD player means that a head unit must be at least as deep as a CD, and have a slot to insert them. That slot takes up valuable screen real estate, and the extra depth eats up your cable management space. In some cars, the extra depth means you’ll be buying special faceplates because there isn’t enough room stock.
Other Inputs
In no particular order, you might also want: USB input, SD card, micro SD, HD radio, AM/FM radio, RCA in, Video in, WiFi, and ¼” audio. We have a more serious breakdown of inputs down the page here.
Screen Size
Just like TV screens, car stereo touchscreens are measured diagonally. The standard size for car touchscreens is 7’. Drivers who plan on using apps or watching movies on their screens (not while driving of course!) should look for a bigger screen.
Make Sure it Fits Your Car
We explain this in more detail at the bottom here, but the gist of it is that there are two sizes: single and double. Double is bigger, and there are a lot more options with more features. Older cars and even some newer cars won’t be able to fit them, though. A simple google search will tell you what your car can use.
Brand Matters
Sticking to the bigger name brands will guarantee you a good quality unit. Brands like JVC, Alpine, and Pioneer, are going to be your best sounding, best performing units. Boss, and their close competitor Dual, are solid options as well. Both have made a name for themselves by producing consistent audio components that may not be the best, but will definitely do what you ask of them.
At the bottom of the quality pile, we have anything from the flood of cheap, brandless imports. They aren’t all bad, you can read our thoughts down here, but the chances of you being unhappy with the product are higher.
Outputs
The last major consideration are outputs. For music, there are two output types you’ll be worried about. All head units have high-level, or speaker-level, outputs. Those are your typical speaker wire hookups. Low-level, or preamp, or RCA, outputs are for plugging the head unit directly into an amp.
Now we get to the meat of the article. These 10 head units represent a great cross-section of the best head units you can get, and range from funky single DIN units with tiny touch screens to a double DIN with a massive 10” tablet attached to it. You’ll find one you like, or at least be inspired to start your journey.

Top 10 Best Touch Screen Stereos For Your Car 2020

1. Best Overall Touch Screen Stereo: Boss Audio BCPA985RC

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Why we like it: Boss is a leader in budget audio, and the BCP puts that on display with this inexpensive full feature unit. It also has a backup camera.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 7”
Install Size: Double DIN, shallow
Inputs: HD radio, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB, RCA
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
If you are on a budget, but still want Apple CarPlan and Android Auto, voila. The Boss Audio BCPA985RC comes with a backup camera, which probably doesn’t matter to most people. It also comes with an external mic that you can tape closer to your mouth. That way, your friends can hear you better as you yell expletives at other drivers.
Our Review
Boss, like we’ve said before, does the whole budget car audio thing really well. The BCP is a perfect example. It’s straight up the least expensive way to get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in your car without dipping into the scary generic brands.
The BCP does everything you expect. It’s got inputs and outputs, nothing really notable. What is notable is the design. Boss did a good job with the way this unit looks. It’s very minimalistic and clean. Since it doesn’t have a slot for CDs/DVDs and doesn’t have any physical buttons, you get the impression that it’s a lot bigger than it is.
Boss seems to have taken that design philosophy and applied it to the install as well. They include good instructions and all the cables you need to just get going. Since they also sell their own line of adapters, just google your car and “Boss stereo adapter,” it makes this one of the easiest DIY projects on our list. Maybe that’s not the most important thing, but trust us when we say that the biggest drawback to buying inexpensive stuff is the documentation and ease of install. With the Boss, you won’t be suffering like the people who buy the really cheap units like this one on our list.
Why You Might Want Something Else
Like with other inexpensive units, if you really value audio quality, you will have to spend more. Get the Alpine, you won’t be disappointed. If you don’t need Android or Apple support, get this Pioneer.
Of course, if you don’t need Apple or Android support, the cheaper Boss will probably be okay. It doesn’t look as good, but it’s half the price. If half the price is still too much, the Sarcch unit is one quarter the price, just don’t expect it too much from it.

Pros

Inexpensive for a unit with Apple and Android support
It has got a clean minimalist design
Included installation kit is really well put together

Cons

Sound quality could be better
Touchscreen doesn’t respond as fast as other options

2. Best Premium Touch Screen Stereo: Pioneer AVH-2400NEX

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Why we like it: The Pioneer blows everything else out of the water when it comes to features and sound quality. The screen tilts to reveal the CD/DVD drive.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 7”
Install Size: Double DIN
Inputs: CD/DVD, HD radio, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB, RCA
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
Pioneer developed the AVH-2400 for the person that’s willing to spend money to get the best. It’s easier to list the things it can’t do, and when people look at your car and see the Pioneer label, they’ll know you take audio seriously.
Our Review
The word Pioneer appears on this list more than any other brand, and that’s for a good reason. They are sort of the leader when it comes to quality. The AVH-2400 NEX exemplifies that. It’s got everything: Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a big screen, CD/DVD support, way more inputs and outputs than you’ll ever use, and one of the fastest processors on the list.
That speed is worth talking about. You can get the sharpness and color resolution from the other Pioneers we list, even the flip-out screen here. What you can’t get anywhere else is the speed. You tap, it works, there’s no waiting around for an app to load.
There’s also something else about Pioneer that’s hard to explain. We’ll mention it again in other reviews of Pioneer units, but they build things in a way that makes them more satisfying than other units. It’s a combination of a lot of little things, like the NEX has a bunch of apps pre-installed that are meant to work with the unit, so you don’t have to guess at it. The screen has a good response and a nice feel, and the built-in microphone for Bluetooth calling sounds just a bit better than its competition.
Why You Might Want Something Else
There’s one big drawback to the NEX, one that is definitely the reason most people pass on this unit: the price. It falls into the category of “of course it’s amazing, it’d better be if it costs that much.”
The truth is that the Boss with Apple and Android support will do almost everything the Pioneer will do for less than half the price. If you aren’t absolutely obsessed with quality, you’ll have a tough time justifying the extra dollars you have to throw at the NEX.

Pros

Pioneer build quality and support
Apple Car Play and Android Auto ready
Full range of inputs, including HD radio
Full range of outputs

Cons

Expensive
The CD/DVD slot is inconvenient. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s hard to come up with reasons not to like this unit.

3. Best Budget Touch Screen Stereo: Boss Audio BV9364B

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Why we like it: The Boss BV is a perfectly acceptable head unit with great features that is less than $100. It also includes a wireless remote.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance
Screen Size: 6.2”
Install Size: Double DIN
Inputs: CD/DVD, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, USB, RCA
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
If you are looking for a cheap option that still comes from a reputable company, the Boss BV is excellent. Sure, it doesn’t have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, but it’s tough to care for the price.
Our Review
Boss is more or less the leader in budget audio. We here at AQ talk about them every time we mention car audio, and this list is no exception. This time around, we are talking about the BV9364B, and it can be summed up in two words: perfectly acceptable.
It’s got everything you could want out of a budget stereo. The Bluetooth is fine, the screen is on the smaller side, but it’s still fine. Plus, unlike the units we’d call cheap rather than inexpensive, it’s got preamp outputs.
There is some funkiness, though. It’s got little doors over the SD and USB slots. Our guess is that it’s supposed to make it look cleaner, but it actually makes it look cheap. Boss makes up for it by being dead simple to use. It’s got big friendly icons and a giant mode button for rapidly switching inputs. It’s no Pioneer. It’s not that intuitive, but like we said before, it’s perfectly acceptable.
Why You Might Want Something Else
First, there’s another Boss on our lists that actually has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. If budget is your biggest concern, but you still want those apps, get that one.
You’ll also be disappointed if you are really into audio quality. It has preamp outputs, but doesn’t support FLAC or have a full equalizer. It’s also not going to give you any volume or real bass without the amplifiers. The box claims 80-watts, but they are being tricky. The watts RMS is hard to find. That’s the number that tells you what power level you can actually get instead of just the peak output during perfect conditions. Whenever a company hides the RMS rating, you know that’s because it’s on the lower side. Don’t expect to make your ears bleed if you buy it. Shell out for the Alpine if you need that.

Pros

Inexpensive
Has every all the outputs you could want
Included installation kit is really well put together

Cons

No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto
Sound quality could be better. Box says 80w output, but no way it will ever do that.

4. Best for Apple Play and Android Auto: Alpine iLX-W650

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Why we like it: The Alpine iLX is high quality, has all the right inputs and outputs, and has a massive screen.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 6.75”
Size: Double DIN, shallow
Inputs: AM/FM, HD radio, Bluetooth, camera, aux, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
The Alpine iLX is the iconoclast’s dream. It doesn’t waste space with CD/DVDs, and it doesn’t even do the AM/FM radio thing so great. It’s got future tech and expects you to use it. If you like physical media, don’t like using your phone to control the music, or aren’t ready to accept our robot overlords, then look away.
Our Review
When we set out looking for the best, we had a few criteria. It had to be well built, it had to have Android Auto and Apple Carplay, and it had to have a full complement of inputs and outputs. The Alpine delivers on all fronts.
First, Alpine is no stranger to the audio world. They rank up there with Pioneer and JVC, and all three are Japanese companies well known for audio quality. You can bet they stand behind their products 100%. Consider that checkbox checked.
Second, Alpine built the unit to work around Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This thing represents the future. It’s incredibly minimalistic in design, making the screen feel huge. The minimalism extends to the form, it’s less than 3” deep. For reference, the monster Pioneer here is twice that. The small size makes it easy to install and work with.
Finally, it’s got all the preamp outputs you could want. You can plug right into your 5-channel amp and blow the doors off. Since it’s an Alpine, even if you don’t plug into an amp, you’ll still get great audio quality, and great video quality. In fact, it supports two backup cameras simultaneously. That’s a unique feature on this list, even if it’s not one most people will really worry about.
Why You Might Want Something Else
Suppose you don’t really care about Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. You could spend your money better elsewhere, especially if you want a CD/DVD option. Units like the Pioneer AVH-X we mention are probably a better fit, it’s nearly identical. Just swap the Android and Apple stuff for a more beautiful screen and a DVD player.

Pros

Large screen
Compact design makes it easy to install
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Fantastic audio quality

Cons

Need special wiring harnesses for preamps and standard inputs
No radio metadata display. It’s not a friendly device if you prefer old school media options.

5. Best Looking Touchscreen Stereo: Pioneer AVH-X390

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Why we like it: You can take full advantage of Netflix and your DVD collection with this Pioneer’s beautiful screen.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 6.2”
Install Size: Double DIN
Inputs: CD/DVD, HD radio, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB, RCA
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
If the do everything Pioneer is too expensive or you need the CD/DVD player the Alpine doesn’t have, the AVH-390 is a good fit. The only issue is that this really needs amps to take advantage of that beautiful Pioneer quality. The output is pretty low. If you are a hardcore audiophile, though, you probably already have that base covered and are just looking for a head to play your FLAC files. This will do it.
Our Review
Here’s a Pioneer again. That means good quality, a great range of features, a really nice touch screen, etc. It gets boring reviewing Pioneer units because it’s hard to find bad things to say about them. This one has sort of a small screen, especially compared to minimalist designs like the Boss.
That screen, though, is beautiful. We have a note about it here, but don’t let the “low” resolution fool you. We’re spoiled on iPhones that have higher than 4k resolution, but the truth is on a small screen 800×480 is more than enough to look great. If you’re going to pop in your favorite Fast and Furious movie to play during Cars and Coffee, this is the screen to view it on.
It’s more than just the quality of the picture, though. The menus, icons, and colors are all customizable. If you want to stick to an interior theme with your build, the AVH can be made to fit in. We are talking a lot about the display, which isn’t the most important thing, but that’s just because the rest is what you’d expect from a high-quality unit. That lets us focus on the standout features, and the display stands out.
Why You Might Want Something Else
Every time we mention a unit without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, we have to point out that if those are valuable to you, you won’t be happy with it. This is no exception, although if you wanted to learn to love FLAC, this would be the unit to do it with. Get the Alpine, those apps are the reason it’s such a great buy.
It also isn’t inexpensive. There’s a lot of great options that cost less, so if your budget is tight, get this Boss head uint instead. It has all the same features, including the DVD player, and it’s a third the cost. You won’t find a substitute for the customization, though.

Pros

Beautiful LED display
Great audio quality
Pioneer build quality and support

Cons

No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto
Screen is on the small side

6. Best Flip-Out Touch Screen Stereo: Pioneer AVH-3400NEX

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Why we like it: If you have a single DIN setup and don’t want to sacrifice anything, Pioneer has you covered.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 7”
Install Size: Single DIN
Inputs: CD/DVD, HD radio, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB, RCA
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
In general, if you want a full feature unit that has a great screen and fantastic sound quality, but have an older car, then you are out of luck. Most good head units require double the space that older stereos required.
Pioneer has come to the rescue with the AVH-3400NEX. It’s all the goodness of the other NEX on our list, but it is crammed into a tiny single space unit with a fold-out screen. Audiophiles building classic JDM customs rejoice.
Our Review
The Pioneer NEX series is one of the best lineups on the market. We reviewed one here and called it the best premium setup you could buy, in fact. The AVH-3400 is pretty much the same thing, except the screen pops out and raises up like some kind of futuristic laptop. As far as impressing your friends go, this unit takes the cake.
There’s a lot to like about a flip-out screen. You can keep a car looking stock, if that’s your thing. With the screen retracted, it looks like any old head unit. It’s also good if you get super distracted by shiny objects while driving; you can withdraw the screen and kill the distraction.
Now, generally, with flip-out screens, you live in constant fear that something is going to break. This is a Pioneer flagship model, though, so that’s not likely. Since flip-out units are so small, they usually lack outputs. Pioneer did their thing and somehow crammed all the standard preamp outputs and a backup camera hookup. It’s honestly amazing, you might change your opinion of flip-out screens after a few minutes with this one.
Why You Might Want Something Else
Let’s rip the bandaid off and get right into the most prominent problem; it costs a lot. That cool flip-out screen and compact, high-quality Pioneer goodness makes this NEX head uint the most expensive thing on this list. It even costs more than the more powerful NEX here, so if you can fit the double unit, you’d probably be better off going that route.
If you don’t have the space for a double DIN unit, there are still less expensive options. The fixed screen Power Acoustik is still a fine unit, if not nearly as feature-filled, and if you are really, let’s say “adventurous,” the Comecho is a fascinating single DIN head with a screen that fits inside the faceplate.

Pros

Single DIN so it fits older vehicles
Can do just about everything
Pioneer build quality and support

Cons

Quite expensive, especially compared to the Double DIN counterparts
Frustrating to use with screen retracted

7. Best Extra Large Touchscreen: Dual Electronics DMCPA11BT

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Why we like it: Dual Electronics brings the home theater to your dashboard with a gigantic 10” screen. The screen is attached on a mount allowing it to be bigger than the face of the stereo.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 10.1”
Install Size: Double DIN
Inputs: HD radio, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB, SD
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
Do you like big screens? Do you wish your car had a big screen in the middle of the dash? Well, Dual made a unit for you. The screen is 10” and on an adjustable arm. It has actual HD resolution, unlike a lot of the fakers in the cheap sections, and it’s strangely bright and inviting. Seriously, if you don’t mind that it’s going to dominate your car’s interior, this thing is fantastic.
Our Review
The first widespread use of touch screens in cars came in the form of GPS units, like TomToms and Garmins. They had, if you were lucky, a 5″ screen. Then came the infotainment centers from the factory, which boasted 6″ screens. Aftermarket 7″ solutions like the Alpine unit on our list are commonplace now, so believe us when we say that the Dual feels massive with a full 10″ display.
If a big screen is all it was, the Dual would still be a pretty good unit. It seems like they are trying hard to compete with Boss, though, and pulled out all the stops. It’s got Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is lovely. It’s got preamp outputs and USB fast charging. It even has the decency to be very reasonably priced for what it is.
Dual Electronics is a bit of an oddball company. Their products range from Walmart discount bin quality to better than Boss. They used to be just a random Chinese import brand. Over the last couple of decades, they have grown into a real competitor in the budget audio scene. Notably, they acquired Jensen, which is a name audio enthusiasts are probably much more familiar with. That’s where the Dual DMCPA11BT came from. On the inside, it’s all Jensen.
That’s the sprinkles on an already fantastic stereo sundae. The Dual is a rebranded Jensen; that means getting a unit that punches way above its weight class for a much lower price than you’d expect.
Why You Might Want Something Else
The giant 10″ screen is pretty, futuristic, and perfect if you like watching movies or really detailed GPS maps. It’s truly terrible if you don’t have very much space. The Alpine screen fits neatly inside the double DIN space, the screen on the Dual sticks way out. It sticks above and all around the install space. If you have vents or climate controls nearby, you’ll probably want to go for something more conventional.
The screen has a lot of wasted space, too. It has an Apple-style bezel that creeps into the screen real estate and makes the unit look bigger than it already is. If you have a small car, this thing will dominate your cockpit space.

Pros

Giant screen
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ready
Very easy to use

Cons

Reverse camera safety can be temperamental
Takes up a lot of room

8. Best Inexpensive Stereo with Backup Camera: Sarcch Double DIN

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Why we like it: It’s hard to believe that this head unit is so inexpensive. It’s basically an entire computer, with a camera, for less than a date night at Olive-Garden.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 7”
Install Size: Double DIN
Inputs: AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, USB,
Preamp out: None
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
The Sarcch is the right unit for someone who builds furniture without instructions, doesn’t mind laughing at electronics when they get weird, and prides themselves on buying cheap gadgets. It’s not high quality. It’s not easy to use by any stretch of the imagination. You will be googling issues when you can’t decipher the menu system.
But if you are the type that drives around a 93 Metro and goes livid at the idea of spending more on a head unit than the total cost of your car, the Sarcch is perfect.
Our Review
We want to put you in the right mindset to understand the Sarcch, and we think the best way to do that is a quote straight from their sales page.
“The line of the car stereo is a bit complicated, each color is connected with different functions, please compare with our picture or installation manual /Video to install patiently.”
That really tells you everything. This is a random, brandless piece of imported tech. These types of units usually come from China and are thrown together from the parts bins of other manufacturers, or are suppliers of other components trying to get a few extra dollars by assembling their own units. They aren’t bad, but they are a risk.
The Sarcch really makes a case for that risk being worth it, though. It’s truly, unbelievably incredible how many features they give you for pennies. It includes its own backup camera. They even give you a roll of vinyl tape in the box. Not even Boss does that with their famous install kits.
Why You Might Want Something Else
If you want to plug in the unit and get straight into listening to your music, get something else. Get the Boss without Android or Apple support if you are on a budget.
Look, we don’t want to discourage you from experiencing cheap junk units. Lots of people tinker with them and make them do what they advertise without issue. It’s just that, well, let’s put it this way. They warn you nine separate times on their website about the dangers of installing it yourself. Seriously, they don’t tell you the RMS wattage. They do mention, twice, to “pay attention to the electricity when install by yourself.” If you don’t want to deal with that, spend the extra money, you won’t regret it.

Pros

Cheap
Includes a backup camera
Looks kinda cool with red buttons and minimal front features

Cons

You’ll have to figure out how to use it by trial and error
No preamp outputs

9. Best Single DIN Large Screen Stereo: Power Acoustik PD-710B

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Why we like it: Power Acoustic’s unit is single DIN, so it fits older cars, but still boasts an impressive 7” touch screen. The screen is detachable.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 7”
Install Size: Single DIN
Inputs: CD/DVD, HD radio, AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, USB, RCA
Preamp out: Front, rear, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
Single DIN car owners on a budget who still want the future inside their cabin have really limited options. The Power Acoustik is one of them. It’s not amazing, it’s just good enough to bring you into the modern era for a reasonable price. It’ll fit older cars and do just enough to not bother you with its lack of features.
Our Review
This Power Acoustik PD-710 is a really interesting little unit. It’s a single DIN, so it fits most cars. Unlike most single DIN units with a touch screen, though, the screen hangs down. In theory, that makes it more likely to fit without taking up too much dash real estate. In practice, most cars have stuff underneath the radio, so your mileage may vary.
Other than the compact size, the Power Acoustik isn’t much to write home about. It does everything it says it does with little fuss. The user interface is very clean and straightforward, and the screen is adequate. It has a CD/DVD player, and while it doesn’t have preamp outs, it is still an upgrade over a factory head unit.
There’s not much else to say, really. It’s perfectly adequate, and it’s a reasonable price.
Why You Might Want Something Else
Probably the biggest reason you’d want to run from Power Acoustik is the lack of features. It’s neat that it is a single DIN unit, but if you don’t need that, there are way better options. The Pioneer here has a DVD/CD player also, and a full set of preamp outputs. If you don’t care about features, the Boss costs less.

Pros

Single DIN, so it fits older vehicles
Has preamp outputs
Inexpensive

Cons

Screen hangs down, so it might interfere with other dash controls like A/C
The screen could definitely be better quality, with slow touch response and only ok resolution.

10. Best Compact Single DIN Touchscreen: Camecho Single DIN Car Stereo

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Why we like it: The Camech’s screen is only 4” tall and technically isn’t a touchscreen. But its exceptionally compact design and wide-ranging compatibility meant we had to put it on the list.
Editor’s Rating:

At a Glance:
Screen Size: 4.1”
Install Size: Single DIN
Inputs: AM/FM, Bluetooth, camera, aux, USB
Preamp out: Front, sub
Who This Unit Is Perfect For
Allow us to be blunt for a moment, but this is an excellent unit if you like weird things. It fits all the standard requirements for a modern head unit. It accepts Bluetooth and comes with a backup camera, remote, a microphone, and an itty bitty 4” screen. It’s just really different; the whole screen and control panel fits inside a single DIN face.
Our Review
Camecho is another piece of inexpensive imported tech. The English quality in their interface is much higher than the unit from Sarcch, but only marginally. It has all the telltale markers of a unit that will be frustrating to use. The buttons are really tiny, for a start, and the volume knob wiggles in unpleasant ways.
Despite that, there is a charm to the Camecho that nothing else comes close to. It’s a tiny, full-featured touch screen unit that fits where nothing else could. It doesn’t have a screen that sticks out and blocks your controls, and it doesn’t feel the need to prove itself with a screen that folds out. Having all the features crammed into the tiny space makes it look especially high tech. We’ve been programmed to think of smaller gadgets as more futuristic, the Camecho really captures the essence of that.
If being a conversation starter isn’t enough, and we aren’t saying that it’s not enough, then the Camecho still does ok. It’s at least got a subwoofer preamp output, and it comes with a backup camera. Unlike similar units, the Camecho has Bluetooth capabilities. You just have to get really close to it to watch things or use the menus.
Why You Might Want Something Else
We said that this was the perfect unit if you like things a little bit weird, but if you value function, it’s probably not your best option. The instructions are terrible, the buttons are hard to see, it’s missing a lot of simple features. The Power Acoustik we mention is also a single DIN unit that has a much bigger screen, and it won’t have you pulling your hair out trying to decipher what “varies of a car logos adjustable” means.

Pros

Cheap
Includes a backup camera
Ultra-compact, it will fit any vehicle

Cons

Terrible documentation
Screen is tiny

A Deep Dive Into Car Stereos
We want to apologize. The world of audio has no end. Each time you learn something new, you will also learn that there are two more things to learn. It’s a rabbit hole that has claimed many lives; you probably know a few people that spend all their time mumbling about RMS and pass filters. Maybe you are that person.
Regardless, we put together this section to help you de-mystify the finer details of car stereo heads. Hopefully, it can at least answer any questions you have without losing you to the void.
Single DIN vs. Double DIN
Just in case it’s on a test, DIN is a German standard measurement for car radio equipment. One DIN is 7 inches by 2 inches. A double DIN is 7”x4”, double the height of a single. There, go win your next trivia night.
In practical application, though, most cars have space for either a single DIN head unit or a double DIN head unit. If you have a car that can fit a double DIN unit, your choices are infinite. You can buy special bezels that will hold a single DIN if you really want to, but most touch screens and high-performance stereos are double.
If you have an older car or a custom setup that doesn’t have space for a double, then your touch screen options get a lot more limited. We included a handful on our review list, including a Pioneer with a fold-out screen and a funky tiny infotainment unit. They cost more or have fewer features than their larger counterparts, though.
Getting the Music to Your Speakers
There are way too many different ways to play music these days. Except for cassettes, every time a new technology comes out, we add it to the pile. AM radio has been around since the early 1900s. We still rely on it to give us road updates, meaning your head unit has to be able to use tech from pre-WWI right alongside tech that is only a few years old. When you are buying any stereo, it’s helpful to narrow down which technologies are the most important to you.
Radio
Radio tends to come in three flavors nowadays. First on deck is the oldest broadcasting technology, the AM/FM radio. Useful for if you are in a place with weather conditions you need to know about or enjoy commercials. Satellite, sometimes simply called XM radio because of the most popular company offering it, is radio waves from space. That means you can get them worldwide, which is cool. You do have to buy a special receiver though, even if your stereo says it’s HD radio-ready.
Finally, we have the most recent addition to the radio lineup: Internet Radio. There are hundreds of internet content providers, including the giants Pandora and Spotify, so it’s impossible to talk about all of them here. You probably already have your favorite.
Like the Alpine or any of the Pioneer unit, most of the higher quality units have internet radio apps built-in. The Pioneer NEX, for example, has no less than four different internet radio apps that connect instantly with your phone and can be controlled from the screen.
Physical Media
Physical Media is any media that has a physical form. It’s refreshing when things are so straightforward. This includes DVDs, CDs, USB drives, SD cards, and Micro SD/TF cards. It used to include things like 8-tracks, but unless you are very into keeping things period correct, that’s not a concern. In today’s age of the cellphone, most people don’t use physical media anymore. That’s why units like this Boss don’t even have a CD/DVD player anymore. The Alpine doesn’t even have an SD slot, and includes the USB largely for charging your phone.
Some people like watching their DVD collection while they drive. Units like the Pioneer X390BS have video output as well as DVD input. That way, you can use a single head unit to power an entire entertainment system in your car and keep the kids entertained.
AUX
Auxiliary input is the most straightforward way to plug in an audio device. Anything that has a headphone jack can be plugged into a stereo with AUX in. Just run an auxiliary cable from the device to the head unit, and you are good to go. If you still sport an OG iPod that doesn’t have Bluetooth, it’s pretty much your only option.
The problem is that as Bluetooth and app-driven services like Apple CarPlay become standard, the headphone jack is disappearing. iPhones famously don’t have headphone jacks, and they have historically set the trend for the future. In the car audio world, we are already seeing the repercussions. Not to keep calling attention to the Alpine unit we recommend, but it only has an AUX input in spirit. The port is on the back, buried under your dash. You aren’t really meant to use it.
Wireless
Bluetooth is the most common wireless hookup and the universal standard. If you have a modern device of any kind, it has Bluetooth. Most people have interacted with a Bluetooth speaker; a car head unit with BT capabilities will behave the same way.
Fancier devices like the Dual we recommend can talk both ways. It can receive audio signals from your phone when you stream music, and it can control the music stream from your phone with the buttons on its own screen.
A/V Inputs
Backup cameras, video game consoles, other media devices like DVD players, and similar can all be plugged into head units with video and extra audio inputs. For instance, the Power Acoustik we recommend has a full set of RCA inputs. You can even run a Super Nintendo right on your car’s stereo screen and play Mario Kart with your friends. Just don’t do it while driving, that might make the crashes a little too realistic.
Touch Screens

The centerpiece to a touch screen stereo is, of course, the touch screen. To best understand touch screens, it helps to break them into the two main ingredients: touch and screen.
Resistive vs. Capacitive
When you touch a touch screen, there has to be some way to translate your finger into an input, otherwise, you are just poking at a TV like a weirdo. There are four main ways to do that, and if you want to know about all four, ViewSonic has a handy article with diagrams here. In the car audio world, we really only care about resistive touch and capacitive touch, though.
Restive touch means that when you press on the screen, the screen acts like a button. They are slower than capacitive touch, and generally, they have less accuracy. They also have sensors that take up space and diminish screen size. The only upside is that they are a lot cheaper to produce. You’ll find them on inexpensive units like the Boss BV9364B we recommend.
Capacitive touch screens use the tiny amount of electricity in your body to register touch. They are faster, look better, and usually feel better. Cell phones and tablets use capacitive touch, as do most modern touchscreen head units like the gigantic Dual we recommend.
Screen Resolution
Small screens don’t need a lot of pixels to look great, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see many ultra high definition screens when searching for a head unit. We are spoiled by cell phone and tablet screens that have incredible resolution. Honestly, stereo technology just hasn’t entirely caught up yet.
The only thing to be aware of is how companies might be misleading you. Just because the box says “HD” doesn’t mean it’s a better screen than one that just says “VGA.” Case and point, the Pioneer AVH has an excellent looking display, the Sarcch doesn’t. The Sarcch makes the bold claim that it’s a full HD display, whereas Pioneer is smart enough to know that HD requires more than 800×480 pixels.
Pixel Density
Without getting too technical, it’s important to know that they aren’t outright lying to you either. If you browse through CNet’s primer on HD resolutions here, you’ll notice that a 32” TV with a resolution of 1280×720 is absolutely high definition. If you’ll allow us to do some math, a 32” TV has 720 pixels along its width of 28”. That’s 25 pixels per inch. The Sarcch has 800 pixels along its width of 6”, and that’s 133 pixels per inch. The math checks out.
All of this is a really long-winded way of saying that you shouldn’t worry too much about the screen. If a screen is your only concern, get the giant Dual we recommend. It’s definitely a tablet with a head unit attached and not a head unit with a screen sort of scenario.
Imports, Knock-Offs, and Cheap Junk
At the bottom of the quality pile are the cheap, usually from China gadgets that have flooded the market over the last couple of decades. They are easy to identify: weird brand names, terrible descriptions, and there will be a ton that all look identical but vary slightly in name and price.
The biggest reason they can exist at all is because Android is a free platform, so almost all of them run some version of the Android OS. The screen technology and processing technology are open source, so any factory that produces any modern gadget has all the tools necessary to build a cheap stereo. The units themselves are usually built from factory leftovers, or by suppliers with questionable business practices trying to undermine the larger companies that they are contracted by. It’s a constant, ever-changing world of corporate espionage, knock-offs and cheap labor changing hands.
Now let’s be clear, they aren’t necessarily bad units. They will be lower quality, sure, and probably have weird little quirks like indecipherable labels. That doesn’t mean they won’t play videos or music, or work fine over Bluetooth. You just have to know what you are getting into. You might get a great unit that works great, or you might get something that falls apart after a month. You might have to spend a half-day reading forums to figure out how to change the station. It’s really, really hard to beat the price, though.
Welcome to the Future
No matter what you choose, you are getting something awesome. Upgrading a head unit in a car is one of the best ways to make it feel new again. Seriously, get in a resto-mod Chevelle or something. If it has a touch screen, it will feel new despite being sixty or more years old. Even if you don’t really want a screen in your car, you should get one. If Tesla is any indication, cars will only have touch screens instead of physical controls in the future. You might as well get used to it now. More