Finding the best car polish can be a bit confusing. There are now countless products on the market. You can easily get overwhelmed and lose track of things.
In our buying guide, we'll tell you what to look for when buying car polish to permanently remove scratches. We present you the best car polish for removing scratches, for sensitive black cars and the best car polishing kit to buy for the use with your buffer.
Best car polish in the UK
A true car polish is an abrasive compound which means it actually corrects and removes car paint imperfections permanently such as swirls, deeper scratches, fading oxidation, water spots and so on.
Although the term polish is used for so many products out on the market a large percentage of them have no polishing abrasives at all. So in real terms these products really aren't polishes at all but rather filling and glossing agents that don't actually correct car paint. They rather mask those imperfections by improving or eliminating the appearance of swirls and paint defects temporarily.
What exactly distinguishes good and bad car polish is explained in our buyer´s guide at the end of the article.
Meguiar´s Ultimate Compound - Best car polish
The best car polish if you want a good allround product comes from Meguiar's. With their polish Ultimate Compound, the Americans have launched a top product.
Whether scratches, oxidation or burns of bird droppings, with the Ultimate Compound you can effectively remove all these defects.
Besides the quite good defect correction, the finish is nothing to be despised.
In addition, the polish can be used both by hands or as a machine polish. You will find it to be a far quicker and more effective process applying these products with a dual action polisher. But compared to many other compounds out on the market, ultimate compound actually works surprisingly well by hand. Which is due to its adapted formula that does make this compound quite a friendly no-fuss product to work with.
Meguiar's ultimate compound is in fact a true car polishing compound. So in other words it doesn't fill or hide scratches. It actually removes them as any true compound or polish does and contrary to many beliefs it doesn't contain any fillers or enhancers to mask the defects. For those of you that are familiar with Meguiars's professional-grade compounds, ultimate compound was actually created using the same basics matte abrasive technology found in Meguiars's M105 but then had that formulation adapted to be more user friendly and forgiving.
Therefore the larger general public could use it with greater ease and success. The real difference from a user perspective is that ultimate compound will tend to be more of an outdoor or sun friendly compound that has increased lubrication to aid its application and be easier to wipe off.
Pros |
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Fair price |
Good finish |
Good paint correction |
Easy to work with |
Can be used with hand or car polisher |
Cons |
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None |
Menzerna Car Polishing Kit - Best car polishing kit
When asked who makes the best car polish, the answer is very often Menzerna. And we tend to agree with that.
They have already impressed many car care enthusiasts with their wide range of car polishing products.
Based on the practical overview Menzerna provides for its polishing program, you can decide which polishes are right for you. But this car polishing kit covers the entire range. From removing deeper scratches to the ultimate gloss, this set is capable of doing it all.
It even comes with all the nescessary accessories you need for a professional machine polish. Like masking tape, gloves, microfiber towel, polishing pads and a control cleaner to wipe off the residue.
Menzerna 1000 (red): This cutting compound removes deep scratches and effectively removes other paint defects.
Menzerna 2500 (yellow): This all-round polish is very versatile. In addition to a good defect correction, the finish is also very good.
Menzerna 3000 (green): This finish polish is used to achieve an absolute high gloss. Scratches are no longer removed here. Only holograms and light veils. This is how the ultimate shine is created.
Carnauba protection (blue): To cover your results and make the paint pop even more, you can use this liquid carnauba wax.
Control cleaner: To wipe off the residue of the polish and inspect your results. It also leaves the surface free of fat residues to optimzie the bonding with a paint sealing or wax.
Pros |
|---|
Well thought through car polishing kit |
Extensive set |
Covers entire polishing range |
Removes even deeper scratches |
Creates perfect gloss |
All accessories for machine polishing included |
Cons |
|---|
Price |
Meguiar´s ScratchX 2.0 - Perfect scratch remover
If you want to remove scratches with a hand polish, you are exactly right with this car polish from Meguiar´s.
Due to the high defect correction, the finish suffers somewhat. It doesn´t reach the crystal clear finish of a anti-hologram polish. But you can easily remove the light haze with a finer polish.
The intended use of this polish isn´t polishing a whole car. It´s more thought as a spot remover for scratches. For example the handle of car doors are often scratched by long fingernails. With Meguiar´s ScratchX 2.0 you can remove scratches like this very effectively.
Conclusion: If you want to remove deeper scratches from the paint by hand, it is difficult to get past the car polish from Meguiar´s.
Pros |
|---|
Great for removing scratches |
Removes scratches permanently |
Can be used by hand or dual action polisher |
Available as a car polishing kit |
Cons |
|---|
Intended use isn´t polishing a whole car |
Autoglym Super Resin Polish - Best car polish to use by hand
A legend in the world of car care, used to remove minor scuffs and scratches and to restore gloss to all types of paintwork. It is particularly impressive on sensitive black paints, because it is only slightly abrasive, cleans the paint and covers minor defects. It is also probably the best car polish to use by hand to recive a stunning finish with ease.
Super resin polish is one of those products which would be generally considered as an all-in-one polish. All-in-one polishes are products that correct car paint defects as well as fill minor imperfections and protect the finish all in one step. But compared to what we consider as an all-in-one product today super resin polish is a little different.
Its greatest and strongest attribute is its ability to clean and beautify paint like not many other products can. At least without undergoing full and time-consuming paint correction. We would even go so far as to say that the finish it leaves on the paint is as good, if not better than just about anything out there.
But it is important to understand what super resin polish really is and to be realistic on the longevity of the results it achieves. The finish isn't permanent, which absolutely isn´t as bad as it sounds. It just means that it's not a standard polish nor a standard sealant but somewhere in the middle. Once you understand and accept these things you can then use this product freely to create a finish on your car's paint that'll blow your mind considering how quick and easy it is.
Pros |
|---|
Removes light scratches permanent |
Covers imperfections |
Leaves great gloss |
Ideal car polish to use by hand |
Very easy to use |
Cons |
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Results not permanent |
Menzerna 3 in 1 One Step Polish - Polishing and waxing in just one step
If you value your time as much as we do, this is the right product for you. Polish, finish, and seal with just one step. It can be applied mechanically or manually. For a quick freshening up of the coat. Menzerna 3in1 removes minor scratches, delivers a beautiful gloss, and immediately seals the finish.
There's no dusting whatsoever. Plenty of lubrication and when it comes to cutting it's average, you can remove light scratches, for deeper defects you need to bring a more agressiv polish. But when it comes to finishing it's fantastic. In addition the protection is quite good for a 3in1 product.
The residue is light and becomes clear, sort of opaque as you're working it. So you can keep an eye on the panel that you're trying to correct. It wipes off very easily. And in contrast to other one-step polishes it is 100% silicone free.
Pros |
|---|
Saves time |
Great finish |
Protects with carnauba wax |
User friendly |
Works great on dual action polishers |
Cons |
|---|
Average defect correction |
Sonax Xtreme Polish and Wax2 - Included paint sealant
The best polish we know if you want to polish your car by hand and seal it in one step. It achieves a great deep shine and can remove small wash scratches and swirls.
The fairly long durability of the hybrid wax of 2-3 months is a big advantage. An additional treatment with the Sonax Xtreme Brilliant Wax 1 after polishing with the Polish & Wax 2 is no longer necessary.
The price is absolutely justified, although the also very good Sonax car polish from the regular consumer series, which is presented in the red bottle is quite high. The results are impressive for an easy to work with one step polish and the durability of the integrated sealant is impressive.
Pros |
|---|
Protection durability |
Polymer sealant |
Removes light scratches and swirls |
Cons |
|---|
Average defect correction |
Not silicone-free |
Car polish buyer´s guide
Most car polishes can be roughly divided into three categories.
Polishing compounds
For heavily weathered paints and deep scratches. Has the highest grinding effect and also removes deep paint defects.
Medium polishes
For normal scratches and weathering of the paint.
High-gloss polish
For the optimal shine. Removes holograms and polishing marks.
The best car polishes are abrasive
To permanently remove scratches, a car polish has to be abrasive. This means that paint is removed by abrasive particels in the polish. In contrast to silicone-containing polish that only fills in scratches.
Thus the result of an abrasive car polish is permanent and the results of car polish which contains silicone is not. We therefore strongly advise against polishes that do not contain abrasives. Such polishes can often be found in hardware stores or petrol stations. If you want a sustainable results stay away fromt them. Because after a few washes, the car looks like before and all the effort was in vain.
With an abrasive car polish, some of the clear coat is removed, the scratches are thus permanently removed. Only very deep scratches remain in the paint.
If the polish contains silicone, there is usually very little paint removal. The additives in the polish fill up the scratches, so your car only looks good for a limited time. After a few car washes, however, the paint begins to look like before, because the fillers get washed out of the scratches.
Car polish with color?
You can always find "color polishes" in the hardware store. But are they useful at all? Do you need a different polish for a black car than for a red, blue or white one?
NO!
In short, using a different polish for every car color is nonsense. A white car will not turn black if you polish it with a black car polish. You can apply these polishes to any paint color. However, these polishes often contain silicone. And what this means for the sustainability of your polish results, we have already explained in detail above.
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