POSH CAR WASH FOAMS UP

FIRST TEST Autoglym Ultra High Definition Shampoo Price: £17.50 Size: 1,000ml

Contact: 01462 677766, www.autoglym.com Rating: ★★★ THERE’S plenty to like about this luxury car wash from Autoglym, thanks to a new formula that promises to make washing your car a “multi-sensory experience”.

The experience starts with the Ultra High Definition Shampoo’s packaging, which Autoglym claims wouldn’t look out of place in a drinks cabinet. There are no utilitarian five-litre packs here – we can’t think of many other shampoos that are presented in a box.

You get a litre of Ultra HD shampoo, which pours like treacle and has a strong, pleasant, floral fragrance with a tropical edge. This delivers a decent foam, which lasts the entire wash, unlike with many rivals. It shifts grime easily – although so do many competitors.

Ultra HD also claims to be ph neutral, and won’t strip any wax already on the car. But it starts to encounter problems meeting our usual test criteria by offering virtually no water beading; that leaves more drying to be done with a microfibre cloth after cleaning.

Cost is another area of concern. You need four capfuls of the Ultra HD formula to a bucket, so it works out at a little over a pound per wash. Other products in the Autoglym range score better here, and our favourite car washes usually cost around 20p per bucket.

But then this is a different kind of car wash, serving up a five-star experience for motorists who are prepared to pay. It’s just a pity that, due to its lack of beading, we can’t give it any more than three stars.