You wash an electric car much like any other car: rinse, foam, hand wash with a pH-neutral shampoo such as Stjarnagloss Bubblor and dry it gently. The differences are the charge port, the cameras and sensors, and car wash settings: unplug the car, keep the jet off the charging flap, seals and sensors, and check your handbook before an automatic wash. See our car shampoos.
Can you wash an electric car?
Yes. Car makers give washing instructions for their electric cars just as they do for petrol and diesel ones, covering hand washing, pressure washers and car washes. What changes is a short list of parts to treat with care, and in some cars a car wash mode you switch on first.
Every model is different, so the handbook for your car has the final word. The steps below follow the advice electric car makers give and the way we wash any modern car.
How do you wash an electric car step by step?
Unplug the car and close the charge port, then rinse, foam, clean the wheels and hand wash the paint with a pH-neutral shampoo before rinsing and drying it gently. Finish by wiping the cameras and sensors and drying the brakes with a short drive.
- Unplug and close the charge port: never wash the car while it is charging, and make sure the charging flap or door is fully shut.
- Rinse the loose dirt off: flush grit and mud from the bodywork, wheel arches and panel seams with a hose or a pressure washer held well back.
- Pre-wash with snow foam: cover the car in a pH-neutral foam, let it dwell without drying, then rinse it off from the top down.
- Clean the wheels separately: use a wheel cleaner and brushes that never touch the paint.
- Hand wash the paint: use cold or lukewarm water, a mild pH-neutral shampoo and a soft, clean wash cloth or mitt, working from the roof down.
- Rinse thoroughly: rinse before the shampoo can dry, including the door shuts and the area around the charging flap, without aiming a jet straight at it.
- Dry gently: dry with a soft microfibre towel, then wipe the camera lenses and sensors dry.
- Dry the brakes: take a short drive and apply the brakes a few times so the discs do not sit wet.
These pH-neutral products suit electric cars and everything else on the drive, all in stock with us:
Stjarnagloss SNÖ pH Neutral Snow Foam
A double-strength, pH-neutral pre-wash foam that is safe on ceramic coatings, waxes, sealants, paint protection film and vinyl wraps.
Stjarnagloss Bubblor pH Neutral Shampoo
A pure shampoo with no gloss enhancers or wax, safe on coatings, PPF and wraps, used at about 1:800 for a maintenance wash.
Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild Shampoo
A pH-neutral, wax-friendly maintenance shampoo with limescale inhibitors, concentrated up to 1:800.
Stjarnagloss Hjul Colour Change Wheel Cleaner
A pH-neutral wheel cleaner and fallout remover that changes colour as it reacts with iron contamination. Use it on cool wheels and never let it dry.
FibreKing Silver Label Drying Towel
An 1100 GSM double-layer towel, 50 x 80cm, that holds up to seven times its own weight in water.
Can you jet wash an electric car?
Yes, with care. Keep the nozzle at least 30cm from the paint, keep it moving, and do not aim the jet directly at the charging flap, door and window seals, parking sensors, cameras, electronic modules or exposed cabling.
High-pressure water aimed straight at the charging door can damage it, so rinse that area at an angle and from further back. Our guide to pressure washers for car detailing explains nozzles and flow.
Can you take an electric car through a car wash?
Usually, but check your handbook first, because the rules vary between makers. Some cars should only go through touchless car washes, with no brushes touching the paint, and Tesla is one of them.
Many electric cars have a car wash mode. On a Tesla, Car Wash Mode is found under Controls, Service, and it closes the windows, locks the charge port and turns off the wipers, Sentry Mode, walk-away locking and the parking sensor chimes. The car must be stationary and not charging to switch it on. If your car has automatic wipers or auto-folding mirrors, find out how to turn them off before you go in.
What should you avoid when washing an electric car?
Strong chemicals, a pressure washer held too close, and anything abrasive on the cameras. Highly alkaline or caustic cleaners and acidic products can mark plastic trim, lights and camera lenses, which is why we use pH-neutral products for regular washes.
- Cameras and sensors: clean the lenses by spraying them with water and drying them with a soft microfibre cloth, never with chemical or abrasive cleaners.
- Glass coatings: if your car has driver-assistance cameras behind the windscreen, check the handbook before coating it. On a Tesla, glass coatings go on the side and rear windows only.
- Winter salt: rinse road salt from the underside, wheel arches and brakes after winter driving.
If your car has paint protection film, our guide to washing a car with PPF covers the film's own care.
Our guide to deionised water for car washing explains how a pure water rinse cuts water spots.
Common questions
Do electric cars need special car shampoo?
No special formula, but a mild, pH-neutral shampoo is the right choice, as it is for most modern cars. It cleans without attacking trim, lenses or the protection on the paint.
Can water get into an electric car's battery when you wash it?
Electric cars are designed to be driven in rain and washed like any other car. The care points are the charge port, seals and electronics, which is why the jet should never be aimed straight at them.
Should you wash an electric car while it is charging?
No. Unplug it and close the charge port first. On a Tesla, Car Wash Mode will not even switch on while the car is charging.
The rest of the routine is the same as for any car: our guide to washing a car safely covers the two-bucket method.
Need help choosing?
Tell the TDHQ team which electric car you drive and how you wash it, and we will help you choose products that suit it. You can also browse our snow foams, wheel cleaners and drying towels.
