The 10 Best Ceramic Car Coatings

For a first real coating, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light is the safe bet. It wipes on in a single layer, levels without much fuss and bonds to the clear coat, and Gtechniq claims up to five years of protection. On a shared test hood, it stayed among the slickest finishes after a run of harsh cleaners. The kit is bare, with just the bottle and a small cloth, so plan on buying towels and a prep spray.

Detail-minded owners who polish first get a lot from CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0. CarPro publishes unusually full instructions, asks for a second coat and rates the finish for up to five years. A foam block, suede applicators and a leveling towel come in the box, so you can start right away. It flashes quickly, and a missed streak hardens and has to be polished off. Wear gloves and a respirator, as CarPro advises.

Want a clear durability promise? Gyeon Q2 Mohs EVO is rated for about three years from a single layer, and longer with a second. It goes on with a quick wipe and leaves a slick, glassy feel, and the larger bottle holds enough for that extra layer or another car. Gyeon expects you to strip oils with its own panel wipe first, which adds to the cost, and harsh cleaners can dull its slickness.

Everything for the job comes in one box with the Adam's Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating kit: a prep spray to strip oils, the coating, and a topper spray for the first weeks. The liquid glows under an ultraviolet flashlight, which shows missed spots before they cure. Car magazine testers scored its scratch resistance well. It's an expensive kit, and Adam's nine-year claim has no independent test behind it.

If a multi-year coating sounds like too much work, Ethos RESIST sprays on and wipes off one panel at a time. In Project Farm's hood test, it stayed the slickest of the group after a series of harsh cleaners, though Ethos hosts that results table on its own site. Expect months of beading, not years: Ethos claims up to a year, and the paint has to be clean and dry first.

Two bottles in the Cerakote Ceramic Coating Pro kit mean enough for a second layer, or a second car. Cerakote says no polisher or heat lamp is needed, and it backs the coating with a guarantee of five hundred washes. That promise is the maker's own, and no outside test of this kit turned up in our research. The box is sparse, with an applicator pad and instructions but no towels.

Griot's Garage Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax is a cheap way to try a ceramic finish without the long prep. You spray and wipe it on paint, plastic trim, wheels and chrome, so a single bottle handles the whole outside of the car. On a test hood, it tied for slickest the day after application and held up well against strong cleaners. It lasts months, and Griot's gives no firm figure.

Households with a few cars, or anyone who tops up a coating every season, will like the big jug of Cerakote Platinum Rapid sealant. You spray a light coat on a clean, dry panel and buff it off, the same routine as drying the car. A car magazine named it its best-value pick. It comes in a refill-style jug, so you'll want a trigger bottle to decant it into.

Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating sits between a spray wax and a full coating. Adam's claims a year and a half of protection from a spray, and the kit adds towels and a foam applicator. The liquid glows under ultraviolet light, so thin spots show up before you put the bottle away. Adam's also lists trim, glass, wheels and bed liners as fair game. It's pricey for a spray, and that long figure comes only from the maker.

New to car care? The Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions ceramic spray is about as forgiving as coatings get. Turtle Wax says it can go on in direct sun, and the two-bottle pack lasts through many washes. It beads water hard and adds gloss to paint, glass and trim. Harsh cleaners wore away most of its slickness in an independent comparison, and Turtle Wax warns against using it on soft convertible tops.