The best screen wash for a UK winter is a concentrate you can mix strong when frost is forecast. Our first pick is VP-UK Ceramic Screen Wash, which cleans as you drive and leaves rain beading on the glass, with the Mosschem SiO2 Screen Wash for anyone who refills often. The four screen washes below are all in our screen wash range.
What is the best screen wash in the UK?
For most drivers we recommend a ceramic screen wash concentrate. It does the cleaning job of a normal washer fluid and leaves a thin water-repellent film every time you use the washers. VP-UK Ceramic Screen Wash is our everyday pick, the Mosschem SiO2 Screen Wash suits big refills, and Sonax XTREME Clear View is the summer specialist for insects.
What does screen wash actually do?
Screen wash goes into the washer reservoir under the bonnet and is sprayed onto the windscreen when you pull the wiper stalk. In a few wipes it has to shift traffic film, salt spray and dead insects without leaving a smear that flares in low sun or oncoming headlights.
Plain water cannot do that job well, and in winter it freezes in the bottle, the pipes and the jets. A good concentrate covers the cleaning with proper detergents and lets you raise the strength when the nights turn cold. Ceramic and SiO2 screen washes add a third job: they leave a hydrophobic layer, so rain beads up and clears from the glass more easily between proper glass treatments.
Which screen wash should you choose?
Choose by the season and how much you drive.
Winter and everyday: a ceramic concentrate
A ceramic concentrate that cleans as you drive and leaves a hydrophobic layer, so rain, sleet and snow bead up and run off. Mix it 1:5 for winter and 1:10 for summer. It is safe on all windscreens, including tinted glass.
An SiO2 ceramic-infused concentrate that removes road film, insects and grime and leaves the screen water-repellent. Use it neat in severe winter weather, half concentrate and half water for general use all year round, or 20 percent concentrate in summer. It comes in a 5 litre container, which suits drivers who refill often.
Small, concentrated top-ups
A concentrated washer fluid additive for clearing road film and light grime from the windscreen. You dilute it to the strength you need in the washer bottle, and the 500ml bottle keeps a long way when you only top up now and then.
Summer insects and hard water
A summer concentrate: 25ml makes 2.5 litres, so the 250ml bottle makes 25 litres of washer fluid. It removes oils, insects and silicone films, suits fan jet nozzles and copes with hard tap water. It is not a winter screen wash, so swap to a frost-ready mix before freezing weather.
Frozen glass and beading between refills
A 450ml trigger spray that thaws ice and snow on the glass and leaves a hydrophobic coating that makes the screen harder to freeze over again. The trigger switches between a mist and a precise spray.
A streak-free glass cleaner that leaves a water-repellent layer in one step. It works on wet or dry glass, coated or not, and reduces wiper chatter, so we use it to wipe the screen between refills.
Screen washes compared
| Product | Type | Mix | Sizes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VP-UK Ceramic Screen Wash | Ceramic concentrate | 1:5 winter, 1:10 summer | 1L | Year-round beading |
| Mosschem SiO2 Screen Wash | SiO2 concentrate | Neat in severe winter, 50/50 all year, 20% summer | 5L | Frequent refills |
| Dodo Juice Spirited Away | Concentrated additive | Dilute to the strength you need | 500ml | Light top-ups |
| Sonax XTREME Clear View | Summer concentrate | 25ml per 2.5L | 250ml | Insects and hard water |
| SOFT99 Glaco Deicer | De-icer and coating | Ready to use | 450ml | Frozen glass |
How strong should screen wash be in winter?
Stronger than in summer, and always at the winter ratio the bottle gives. Water freezes at 0°C, so a summer dilution topped up with tap water is exactly what freezes in the jets on the first cold morning. Put the winter mix in from the first frosty forecast until spring: 1:5 for the VP-UK Ceramic Screen Wash, and half and half for the Mosschem SiO2 Screen Wash, or neat in severe cold.
Check the level more often in salty weather. Gritted roads throw up a constant grey spray, so the washers get far more use on a winter motorway than in summer, and a reservoir that runs dry halfway home is a real hazard. Top up with the same winter mix rather than plain water, which only weakens what is already in the bottle.
How do you fill a screen wash bottle?
Mix the concentrate with water in a clean jug first, then pour it into the reservoir with the engine off and cool.
- Find the reservoir: open the bonnet and look for the cap with the windscreen and spray symbol on it. On many cars it is coloured blue.
- Run the old fluid down: if you are changing products or moving from a summer to a winter mix, use up most of what is in the bottle first so the new mix is not watered down.
- Mix in a jug: measure the concentrate and water to the ratio for the season. Mixing first stops neat concentrate sitting in the bottom of the reservoir.
- Pour and close: fill to just below the neck, refit the cap firmly and wipe any drips off the paint and plastics.
- Prime the jets: run the washers for a few seconds so the new fluid reaches both jets, and check each one hits the glass where it should.
Is ceramic screen wash worth it?
We think it is for anyone who drives in the dark and rain. A ceramic screen wash cleans like a normal fluid and leaves a thin water-repellent layer each time you use the washers, so the glass keeps beading between proper treatments. It does not replace a dedicated glass coating: for longer-lasting beading, apply one of our glass sealants to clean glass and keep the ceramic screen wash in the bottle to top it up.
Can you use plain water or washing-up liquid instead?
We would not use either. Plain water has nothing in it to cut traffic film or insect residue, and it freezes in winter. Washing-up liquid is made for dishes, not washer jets and wiper rubbers, and it often leaves a greasy film that smears in low sun. A screen wash concentrate goes a long way once it is mixed, so there is no reason to improvise.
Common questions
Can you mix two different screen washes?
It is better not to. Run the old fluid down and refill with one product, so you know the strength in the reservoir and two different formulas are not working against each other.
Is screen wash safe on paint and headlights?
The screen washes here are made to be sprayed on a car. Sonax XTREME Clear View, for example, is safe on paint, rubber, LED and Xenon headlights, wraps and matte finishes. Wipe any neat concentrate off the bodywork after filling, as you would with any car care product.
What should you do if the washer jets freeze?
Do not keep pulling the stalk, as the pump can run dry. Clear the glass by hand, set off only once you can see properly, and keep the heater on the screen: the jets usually thaw as the engine warms up on the drive. Then refill with a winter mix. If a jet stays blocked in mild weather, have it checked.
Why does my screen still smear after a refill?
Smears usually come from worn wiper blades or a film on the glass rather than the screen wash itself. Our guide on why a windscreen smears goes through the causes one by one.
For a properly clean screen inside and out before winter, see how to clean car windows without streaks, and our routine for protecting your car in winter covers the rest of the car.
Need help choosing?
Tell our team what you drive and how you use the washers, and we will suggest the right screen wash and mix. You can also browse our full glass care range.
