The Best Car Scratch Removers: Restore Your Car’s Exterior

When it comes to the best overall choice for a car scratch remover, the Meguiar’s G17216 Ultimate Compound is tough to beat. This formula is aptly named, delivering high-quality results with a refreshingly low price point. It utilizes exclusive micro-abrasive technology that’s used by professional body shops and detailers to quickly and effectively remove below surface defects.

This compound is capable of removing oxidation, blemishes, and water spots, and won’t leave behind any swirls or small surface scratches. It will also effectively revive your car’s color and clarity. The clear coat safe formula is also safe for single-stage paints and can be applied by hand or with a dual action polisher. If you do apply it by hand, get ready to work up a sweat, though. It requires some concentrated elbow grease to get properly and thoroughly applied. You may also find that you need to repeat the process several times in order to get the desired results.

If you’re looking for the ultimate car scratch remover, consider the Carfidant Scratch and Swirl Remover. This impressive product can repair scratches in your car’s exterior paint, get rid of water spots, and leave your car perfectly buffed and polished. It’s a highly versatile scratch remover, and it’s very easy to use. Specially formulated to “erase” wear and tear and scratches from vehicle paint, even a small amount of Carfidant’s scratch remover can work to make your car’s surface smooth once again. It can even remove years of wear and small flaws, including swirls, oxidation, mineral deposits, and more.

When you apply Carfidant’s Scratch and Swirl Remover, it’ll work to restore your car’s paint. It can remove scratches while providing a coat of glossy finish and shine. You get eight ounces of product along with a buffer pad that you can use by hand to gently erase scratches and more. It’s safe for all vehicle paint colors, and it works effectively on clear coat, single-stage, and multi-stage paint. This car scratch remover is even backed by a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee to ensure you’re happy with the results.

Shine Armor Revive Scratch Repair is a quick and easy-to-apply compound that uses no fillers or waxes. It works to completely remove surface swirls and scratches in a matter of minutes. Some users even report getting great results using the product to remove dullness and scratches from their car’s headlights. It also works great on oxidized areas.

Detail-grade compounds make up this proprietary formula that goes on easily without creating a lot of dust or an overpowering odor. It’s safe for use on chrome and clear coat and goes on easily by hand. While this is a great option for surface scratches, it won’t work on deeper scratches. It’s also a little on the pricey side considering the amount of product you get.

If you’re a fan of a multi-step kit that will deliver professional-grade scratch removal results, consider the Quixx System Paint Scratch Remover Kit. It’s an all-inclusive, German-engineered, two-step kit that comes complete with repair paste, finish paste, two polishing cloths, and four strips of fine grit sandpaper.

This scratch removal product gets rave reviews from users as well as leading consumer magazines. Its unique plastic deformation technology formula leaves behind a lasting repair that won’t just wash out after a few trips through the car wash. It does take some time to get it right, but goes on easily by hand without the need of extra tools. You also don’t get very much product, considering its cost. You’ll get a few applications out of it, but not enough to do a major overhaul.

This is an interesting product. Again, this is a complete kit, so you’re getting everything you need all delivered in one box. However, this removal system is designed to work with power tools.

Inside the kit, you get two sachets of a liquid compound, plus three pads and a power drill attachment. The pads – ranging from abrasive fine sandpaper to foam applicator – are used to apply, buff, and polish the compound from one pack of repair compound.

The fact you can use your power drill to apply and polish means that this product is both fast and incredibly effective. A power drill after all can simply apply that bit more abrasion and polish than you can with a cloth.

The price is pretty cheap – it’s one of the lowest on this list – but the fact the repair compound is in a packet instead of a bottle makes it a one-time use only.

TriNova Scratch Swirl Remover is a bit different than many car scratch removers. It might even seem counterintuitive. While many people assume you don’t want to fight scratches and stubborn marks with abrasive material, this abrasive product is highly effective. Made with an advanced formula that can be applied either by hand or with a dual-action orbital polisher, TriNova’s unique car scratch remover can remove scratches, touch up your car’s exterior paint, and fight both blemishes and oxidation.

This car scratch remover is safe to use on all vehicle paint colors. It can restore shine and keep your vehicle looking its best by fighting — and removing — everything from scratches and scuffs to swirls and contaminants. It’ll work on water spots, paint transfers, and more. This car scratch remover even repairs glaze, leaving behind only a high-gloss finish.

The 3M Auto Advanced Scratch and Scuff Removal Kit is a simple and effective solution for surface scuffs and scratches that are marring your car’s paint job. It’s a comprehensive kit that includes 3M rubbing compound, 3M scratch remover, a fine 3,000 grit abrasive square, a thick foam pad, and in-depth directions that help you restore the look of your car’s paint.

This is a great kit that requires no power tool use. You simply apply it and do the buffing by hand. It’s offered at a decent price point that won’t leave you reeling from sticker shock. The rubbing compound and scratch remover work with all types of automotive paint and clear coats. This product works well, but it does take patience and uses a multi-step approach that takes longer than some other options on our list.

Quite a few of the products on this list have either come in complete kits or with multiple applicators. You don’t get either with Chemical Guys Scratch Remover. Instead, you are looking at a complete, all in one product that combines remover compound with polisher and cleaner.

That means you simply apply the product — either by hand or by a powered buffer – and you’re done. From an application point of view, this product is a breeze.

But it also does its job. Scratches are repaired, surface imperfections like swirling is removed – this is overall a great product. On the downside, premium products typically come with premium price tags, and this is no different from having one of the higher prices on this list.

For a fast and affordable single-step scratch remover, consider the HailiCare Car Scratch Remover Cream. This thick and effective cream goes on easily by hand with a soft cloth. It’s ideally formulated for erasing light surface scratches and swirls. It’s made to instantly match any paint color and restore shine and luster.

Unlike some other products on our list, this scratch remover is a thick paste-like consistency that not only buffs scratches and swirls but fills them in at the same time. It’s a solid bang for your buck that will give you multiple applications. It’s noted to be especially effective at removing swirls and damage around vehicle door handles, leaving behind a like-new appearance. This product won’t do a great job on deeper scratches, and it doesn’t last forever. You may find you need to reapply after a few months, depending on how often you wash your car.

Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover is part of the large and respected range of Auto products from Mother’s. Like the Formula 1 and 3M Remover above, it is best to look at this product as suitable to polish out small surface imperfections than to remove medium to deeper scratches.

This is a great product to clean up high-usage parts of the paintwork. For example, around keyholes and door handles where small scratches and imperfections can build up over time.

This product both repairs paint in these instances but also over long-term use builds up a protective layer to help prevent future damage. This is a great product therefore to keep on hand for touch-ups and surface repairs. It’s a cheap product with a pretty large-sized bottle too, making it a great product to turn to again and again.

Turtle Wax has been in the business of creating innovative car care products for many decades so when they put something out into the market, one can always expect car enthusiasts to be especially upbeat about it.

The Renew Rx is not really a scratch remover per se, but rather a very effective polishing compound. It is actually used by many in the reduction if not total elimination of oxidized surfaces such as the headlights and body panels. It only works on light to moderate surface imperfections, though. As such, if you’re actually looking at large, extensive, or even very deep imperfections don’t expect the Renew Rx to return your car to its showroom quality finish.

It should still be a wise buy especially since most of the problems of many car owners are associated with smaller and finer surface imperfections like stubborn stains, blemishes, and even faded color finish. At the very least, you’ll still be very proud of what the Turtle Wax can accomplish for your vehicle.

If you’ve got the budget to spare, the V36 + V38 combo kit from Chemical Guys should be an excellent choice. The V36 is perfect for eliminating the scratches made by surface sanding with 2000- to 2500- grit. It’s also perfect for eliminating holograms and swirls.

On the other hand, the V38 promises exceptional professional-grade finishing as it is designed specifically to eliminate the surface marks created by sanding using 2500- to 3000- grit materials. There really is no need to fill the miniature grooves of these scratches nor is there a need to cover them up. The V38’s formulation should be enough to give your car’s surface the mirror-like finish it deserves.

Since you’re actually using two different products, expect that the price tag will be heftier than most. And oh, don’t worry if you don’t have polishing equipment — the V36 and V38 can be applied just as easily with your hands.