Ever have a windscreen that refuses to fully clear in the winter?
Whether it’s a foggy spot or a smear of road grime your wipers can’t reach, it’s frustrating. If you’ve tried new wipers and now find yourself considering every used car for sale in the UK just to get a clean screen, we might have a solution.
A rain repellent is a liquid applied to a car’s windows or bodywork. It creates a clear, hydrophobic layer that makes it harder for substances to adhere to a vehicle’s exterior. Sometimes these layers last weeks, sometimes months, sometimes even years.
The best rain repellent:
Soft99 Glaco Roll-On
The Soft99 Glaco Roll-on cleverly combines the repellent and applicator, saving time and helping to ensure the glass is properly covered. A squeeze of the bottle delivers the product to a foam pad which you then drag across the windscreen leaving a visible streak. After leaving for 10 minutes, wipe it off with a clean microfibre towel. The results last for two months and don’t leave any nasty smearing or cause juddering wipers.
Pros
• Easy application
• Decent durability
Cons
• Requires curing
The best rain repellent and cleaner:
Autobrite Direct Vision +
Vision + is primarily designed to clean and protect motorbike helmets, but it’s also our top choice for combining a cleaner with a hydrophobic layer of protection. It’s safe to apply to most translucent material including glass, Perspex and acrylic and creates impressive beading. We found it to be a good cleaner too, easily dealing with bugs and other ingrained grime. The protective layer isn’t as durable as other products on this list, though.
Pros
• Versatile product
• Effective cleaner too
Cons
• Can leave streaks
The best rain repellent on a budget:
Rain-X 2in1 Glass Cleaner + Rain Repellent
If you’ve heard of any rain repellent it’s probably Rain-X, a familiar sight on shelves up and down the land. There’s no messing around buffing or waiting for it to cure, you just wipe it off after spraying it on. It’s not the most refined product and the protection lasts weeks not months, but it’s good value and cleans glass, too.
Pros
• Easy application
• Decent durability
Cons
• Doesn’t last very long
The best rain repellent for durability:
Gtechniq G1 Smart Glass
If you’re willing to put the effort in, G1 Smart Glass is an impressively long-lasting product. You’ll probably need a dry weekend or a garage, with step one requiring three layers of G1 Smart Glass followed by some curing time. You’ll then need to apply G2 Residue Remover for crystal clear glass, and not get the glass wet for 12 whole hours. It’s a process you shouldn’t have to do often, with 20,000 miles of hydrophobic protection claimed.
Pros
• Unbeatable protection
Cons
• Laborious application process
• Requires some pre-planning
The best rain-repellent spray:
EZ Car Care Lotus
Like Rain-X, EZ Car Care is a spray-on glass cleaner and rain repellent that’s effective and has decent durability. There’s no annoying curing time or buffing required, yet it still deals with stubborn marks and provides a durable layer of rain protection.
Pros
• Decent protection
• Good application
Cons
• Not the best smelling