The Best Car Scratch Removers (Review & Buying Guide) in 2020

The paint job on a typical car is actually made up of three layers. The bottom layer provides protection from corrosion, and it also a primer for the second layer that provides the color. The final layer on top is a clear, “lacquer” layer, which is what makes modern cars look shiny.

A scratch remover essentially works by breaking down the top layers. It removes the top layer completely, and works the color layer to fill the scratch, repairing it. It’s important to know that so that you understand that Meguiar’s boast of an advanced formula compound that cuts through the paint layers to repair a scratch quickly, that is a great feature.

In fact, this product is so effective, the only negative is that you do need to take it easy, only apply a little and very carefully repair the scratch.

Turtle Wax is an industry leader in car care products, and with good reason. This is a great addition to their range, and the kit provides pretty much everything you need to tackle scratches.

The kit comes complete with foam applicator pads and microfiber towels – both key tools in scratch repairs, and often sold separately. In addition, you get two bottle of repair compound. One is milder and designed for very light surface scratches, the other is more abrasive and designed for deeper damage.

No matter how you look at it, this is a great value product that brings everything you need in one convenient package!

This is another complete kit, similar to the Turtle Wax product above. Price wise, it’s also somewhat similar to that kit – size wise however there is a big difference!

You’re only going to get a few applications out of this kit before you are re-ordering it. The point is though you probably will be reordering, because this product works! Manufactured in Germany, the modern home of high tech European automobile industries, this product is formulated to effortlessly repair scratches.

The two-step process will quickly repair light surface damage, the included sandpaper is used to rough the area around deeper damage. This product will do a great job, seamlessly repairing damaged paintwork – it’s just a shame they don’t send you more!

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

Inside the kit you get two sachets of 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.

The first product in a while that doesn’t come in a complete kit – but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a simple product. Well, to be fair, it’s very simple to apply – all you need it a clean, dry cloth.

In the formula however we are looking at an advanced, non-corrosive formula. Instead, built in micro polishers are used to repair scratches. This is a less invasive method than many other scratch removers, most of which by their very nature are abrasive products.

On the other hand, without that abrasion it’s hard to see how deeper scratches can be repaired with just this product. It is therefore great to use on lighter, surface scratches and for watermarks, blemishes and other surface issues. Its lighter formula will do a great job on these problems without the higher abrasion of more powerful brands.

This is a fine, straightforward remover from 3M, and our second on the list from that manufacturer.

It should be noted that despite the name of Scratch Remover, the wax free formula is not really up to repairing deeper scratches. Instead, like the Formula 1 product above, this compound is more designed to repair very top surface issues like fine scratches with minimal penetration, water spots and oxidation.

If 3M marketed this product the same as Formula 1 (i.e. that it’s a milder product, more of a polish than a remover) then it would sell a lot better. Don’t buy this expecting it to be a miracle repair for deeper scratches. Buy it knowing that it is milder and gentler for your paintwork than other more abrasive scratch removers.

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 this product from Chemical Guys. 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 having one of the higher prices on this list.

It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating – if you are going to name your product so that it has “The Best” or in this case “The Ultimate” right there in the name, then you need to make sure it lives up to it’s billing. So does this one?

Oh yes!

This is a professional formula scratch remover – if you took your car into a bodywork shop, chances are they would be using a similar formula. At the same time, it comes with helpful instructions, formula cloths and application sponges – everything you need to do a top quality repair at home.

The downside is that this is not a cheap product. In fact it is far and away the most expensive on this list. However, for one thing it does a great job. For another, the bottles of formula are pretty big, meaning that you can get use after use out of this kit. You can look at it as a long-term investment in protecting your car’s paintwork.

This product 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 that mirror-like finish it deserves.

Since you’re actually using 2 different products, expect that the price tag will be heftier than most. And oh, don’t worry if you don’t have a polishing equipment as the V36 and V38 can be applied just as easily with your hands.

Barret-Jackson’s special formulation promises to bring to your car a kind of finish that is similar to the one that’s on it the first time you drove it. Featuring a unique formulation of ultra-fine particles that are primarily intended to reduce if not eliminate mild swirl marks, scuff marks, and superficial scratches.

Again, don’t expect any miracles if the main issue on your car are heavy and deep scratches. You’ll need a more professional job for that instead of a simple, quick DIY fix. Regardless, it should still appeal to a good number of folks who may already be tired of the same promises that some products simply fail to keep.

There’s just one minor hiccup, though. The Barret-Jackson, for all its effectiveness, is still quite pricey. There are other car scratch removers in the market that don’t cost this much, yet can provide exactly the same results or even a lot better.

Offering an entirely different approach to the removal of light vehicle surface imperfections like sun streaks, pitches, paint oxidation, swirl marks, and light scratches, Mookis is a great alternative to mainstream car scratch removers.

What it does is that it dissolves the vehicle’s original paint then recombines it over the problem area to give it a more uniform color. This has the added advantage of being used in all types of vehicles regardless of their color. It’s also perfect for fixing oxidation as well as swirl marks that may have developed on the surface of the car over the course of its life.

However, since you’re actually using your car’s own paint to fix the problem you’d have to wait at least 5 hours before giving your vehicle a much-needed cleanup. It won’t fix moderate to severe scratches, too. Keep that in mind.

If one of your primary considerations for choosing a product is its price, then you might want to check Bubba’s Super Scratch Remover. Featuring a unique water-based formulation that includes micro-polishers, Bubba’s scratch remover promises to deliver a finish that you’ll be proud of.

Unfortunately, for a number of car owners, it’s all empty promises as the product simply isn’t really up to the task. Remarkably, a greater proportion of car owners say that it actually works. You’d really have to try it for yourself to see if it can remove the kind of swirl marks and light imperfections on your car. Do take note it will not work on heavy scratches.

It’s not really easy trying to remove scratches from the surface of any vehicle for the simple fact that it cannot really be removed. The groove can only be filled with the right compound then polished in such a way that it becomes flush with the rest of the body.

GS27’s Titanium formulation fills these gaps or grooves with titanium microparticles that require very minimal prep work and finishing activities. At the very least you can finish removing the scratches on your car in just a short amount of time. It works on a variety of painted surfaces, too, whether it is on the body of your car or perhaps even your household appliances.

The issue, however, is that it doesn’t really work on moderately deep to really deep scratches. Only very minor surface scratches will be ‘removed’ by the GS27 Titanium. So it’s best to keep this in mind.