Last Updated on September 29, 2023 by Stewart
Cleaning the glass on your car is one of the most important aspects of car detailing. Not only does clean glass look amazing, but it’s also a major way to ensure that you drive safely, especially in the winter.
Whilst car shampoo can be used to clean glass, it can sometimes leave streaks and smears on it. Therefore, it’s important to use a dedicated glass cleaner. There are a lot of glass cleaners on the market, some of which aren’t that good.
Also, when it comes to car glass cleaning, some of these cleaners aren’t suitable for tinted windows. With that in mind, I’ve collated a list of the best car glass cleaners after they’ve been through rigorous testing by us. Of course, not only can you use these on the glass on your car, but also the glass in your home.
I’ve tested these cleaners by applying them to windows which haven’t been cleaned for over a week, this was to get a good baseline on how well it can cut through road film and dirt.
Last update on 2023-12-07 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Autoglym Fast Glass
We’ve been a fan of Fast Glass from Autoglym for a long time, and you can read our full review of it here. Fast Glass has consistently beaten the competition with respect to its price and also its cleaning power. I’ve personally used this with the sun beating down on it, and it was still easy to buff off of the glass and leave it looking so clean that you’d think the glass wasn’t there. However, it should be noted that Autoglym recommend that you do not do this.
One of the hardest things to remove from glass is sticky hand prints. Fast Glass removes these with ease and doesn’t require any heavy buffing or reapplication.
As an added bonus, this can also be used on infotainment screens of various types in your car in order to clean them. A little goes a long way when it comes to Fast Glass. Two sprays is more than enough to clean the windscreen on my Clio, so it’ll last a long time. I’m able to clean all of the exterior glass on the car in under five minutes. That is nothing short of exceptional, and for that reason, it’s our number one pick on this list.
In the winter months where there is a lot of grime stuck to the windows, I like to pre-treat the window first by applying a few extra squirts onto the window, before rinsing it off with the hose. I will then wash the car. By the time I’ve washed the rest of the car, I then apply one more squirt of Fast Glass to the glass and buff over with a microfibre cloth.
It can also be used to remove polish and wax residue from plastic trim, making it a fantastic choice for glass cleaners. At the time of writing, it is the cheapest glass cleaner on this list. With that, coupled with the excellent results, it’s my number 1 pick.
- Fast Glass is a highly effective car glass cleaner spray, free of abrasives, waxes and silicones which leaves no residues but a crystal clear finish
Last update on 2023-12-07 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Streak Free Mist Glass Cleaner
As always, Turtle Wax loves to have a lengthy name in their product titles. Mist Glass Cleaner is a unique one, in that it has a special trigger which disperses the same amount of liquid every time you use it.
Application is really easy, a few sweeping motions across the glass with the bottle and then buffing over the glass, edge to centre is enough to give the glass a deep clean. The clarity in the glass was excellent, and it looked as though it was brand new.
In addition to this, it also has a small amount of ceramic protection built into it, allowing the glass to stay cleaner for longer. It is a bit more expensive than others on the list, but I feel that this is due to the spray head on it. However, as someone that has had issues before and found it difficult to use a trigger spray, this was a great alternative.
For those that want a fast acting, fancy looking glass cleaner that adds a bit of protection for subsequent cleans, this is the glass cleaner for you. It was also great at removing stubborn water spots, which can be a right pain to get rid of depending on how hard the water is in your area.
- Screen Cleaner - Removes water spots, oils, dirt, dust, fingerprints, smudges, bug splatter, bird droppings, smoke haze and more from windows, tech screens and glass surfaces
Last update on 2023-12-07 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Gtechniq G6 Perfect Glass
We’ve previously covered Gtechniqs G1 glass coating which creates a water repellent barrier on the glass as well as repelling dirt. However, you still need to keep on top of this and ensure that the dirt is kept at bay. G6 Perfect Glass is the perfect companion for glass that has been treated with Gtechniq G1. G6 and G1 were developed at the same time to ensure that they complement each other well.
It’s really easy to use, just a spray on and buff off application. Unlike cheaper glass cleaners, this didn’t leave any streaks during our tests which is a pleasant surprise. We also tried it on glass that had and hadn’t been treated with G1 to see if there would be any difference in terms of cleaning ability. On both forms of glass, it left a flawless finish.
Gtechniq do recommend that you use their own dedicated microfibre towels, and we would agree with this approach. We also tested it’s dust repellencey and we’re pleased to say that it does help to minimise dust build up on the glass work. If you have G1 on your glass, this is the cleaner you should use.
- UNBEATABLE GLASS CLEANER - the high-performance polish cuts through dirt and grime, cleaning hard and providing a smear-free and crystal clear finish every time - a must-have for any car cleaning kit
Last update on 2023-12-07 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- EASY TO USE: Our MF5 Glass Power Cloth is designed as an easy to use cleaning solution for all glass appliances and accessories. The action is in the power cloth and will deliver your glass with a shine like never before. Use it wet or dry; just damp the cloth, wipe, and you are finished. It’s a quick, easy, and affordable way to clean glass
Last update on 2023-12-07 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Invisible Glass
Invisible Glass has been around for a while now, and it is one of the more expensive glass cleaners on the marker. Having said that, it provides an excellent clean so we would say that the price tag is merited for that. One added bonus that Invisible Glass has over the others mentioned in this article is that it can also be used for stainless steel.
For me, this is a huge benefit since I’ve got quite a lot of stainless steel appliances in my house. Not only can I use it to clean my car glass, but also the household appliances.
One thing that does hold it back is that if you apply to much Invisible Glass to the glass, then it can result in streaking. Whilst it’s not a huge issue on side windows, it can be really noticeable on a windscreen.
However, if you only use a small amount, then you shouldn’t have this problem. Also, unlike Fast Glass when I tested this in direct sunlight, it did cause streaking with the Invisible Glass.
Whilst you should never use a glass cleaner in direct sunlight, I felt it was a fair test to see how it would fare. The good thing is that you don’t need to carry out this test now since you know the results. It did take a fair amount of buffing to remove the streaking and the last thing I wanted to do was apply even more of it in the sun.
However, if you follow the directions, then you’ve got a multi function cleaner that can be used in and out of the car for a modest price point.
- Superior cleaning power and invisible clarity
Last update on 2023-12-07 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.