Glass cleaners
Clean glass is as much a safety benefit as it is a point of pride in the appearance of your car, so here’s a clear view of the best products for keeping those smears and smudges at bay
TESTING PROCESS
There’s a bewildering array of glass cleaners out there, so we tested a broad range from the budget-priced to the surprisingly expensive. The cloth is often half the battle, so to ensure a fair test we used an identical, new, ultra-fine microfibre cloth with each product. Then it was just a case of applying a fine spray to the dry (yet appropriately filthy) glass of our Jeep test car, and judging how well it removed dirt and grease for that perfect, streak-free finish.
1 King of Sheen Glass Sparkle
Price £8.99 (500ml) Buy from Amazon Price per litre £17.98
The Glass Sparkle offers the best blend of performance and value. It smells a bit strong, but we’ll forgive it because it made such light work of the inside and outside of our car’s glass, barely needing any buffing for a streak-free finish. A little goes a long way, too; we cleaned a fairly big expanse of glass without using much at all, so the bottle should last a long time. It isn’t the cheapest, but it’s especially good value when you consider that a microfibre cloth is thrown in. WHAT CAR? SAYS
2 Rainx 2-in-1 glass cleaner and rain repellent
Price £4.00 (500ml) Buy from Amazon Price per litre £8
Rainx made its name with rain repellents, and the brand’s glass cleaner does a great job of getting windows dirt and smearfree inside and out. Plus, you can watch the rain run off your glass after you’ve applied it. Excellent value, and it works on mirrors, too, but it isn’t quite as effortless to use as the Glass Sparkle. WHAT CAR? SAYS
3 Autoglym Fast Glass
Price £9.44 (500ml) Buy from Amazon Price per litre £18.88
Does a great job of cutting through grime, fingerprints and even dried-on bird muck, leaving a crystal-clear finish. It can also be used on touchscreens, and even plastic or acrylic windows. However, its brilliant performance alone isn’t enough for five stars; the Glass Sparkle isn’t far behind on cleaning power, and you get much more for your money. WHAT CAR? SAYS
4 Turtle Wax Clearvue Glass Cleaner
Price £3.59 (500ml) Buy from Amazon Price per litre £7.18
This comes from a well-known brand and gets glass clean and smear-free, but it leaves a stringent, vinegary smell for a while afterwards. We also found that getting decent results on dirtier exterior glass takes a bit of elbow grease. It is slightly cheaper than its Rainx rival, but not by enough to make it a better buy. WHAT CAR? SAYS
5 Car Gods Glass Perfection
Price £10.99 (500ml) Buy from Amazon Price per litre £21.98
Very effective at cutting through fingerprints and grease, and leaves the glass smear-free with little effort. The subtle scent is a pleasant change from some of the more overpowering smells of others here, too. However, points were knocked off when we found that the bottle leaked, and because it’s the most expensive here by some margin. WHAT CAR? SAYS