Car Waxes

Wax is the classic last step on clean paint: spread thin, left to haze and buffed off for gloss and water beading. The range runs from carnauba and paste waxes such as Alchemy Supanova and NowRevive Carnauba Creme to ceramic and graphene waxes from Autobead and Sam's Detailing, plus liquid and matte waxes and spray waxes such as NowRevive Quick Spray Wax and Shiny Garage Carnauba Spray Wax V2 for quick top-ups.

How to choose

• Carnauba waxes give the warm, deep gloss wax is known for. Ceramic and graphene waxes such as Autobead Graphene Wax and Autobead Titanium Ceramic Wax go on the same way but are made to last longer.
• Liquid waxes such as ValetPro Indulgence Cream Wax cover a whole car faster than a paste.
• Matte or satin paint needs a matte wax such as AngelWax Luminosity or Autobead Matte Wax, as ordinary wax leaves shiny patches.

Good to know

• Thin is right: a heavy coat is harder to buff off and adds no extra protection.
• Wax clean, cool paint out of direct sun. A foam pad from Applicator Pads spreads it thinner than a cloth.
• Wax does not remove swirls: Glazes hide light ones, Paint Correction removes them.

Is car wax better than car polish?

They do different jobs. A polish removes swirls and light scratches from the paint, while wax goes on top of clean paint for gloss and water beading and does not remove swirls. The usual order is polish first, then wax.

Related: Paint Protection & Finish, Paint Sealants, Spray Waxes. Popular brands here: Autobead, Angelwax, NowRevive, Shiny Garage.