The best detailing spray for cars in 2020

Alright, so we named this our best spray car wax for our 10 best car waxes of 2020, but as we noted then, this isn’t actually a spray wax. It’s a quick detailing spray and we like it so much that it deserves the overall spot on the list devoted to products like it. It’s incredibly versatile. Use it to keep a car looking good between washes, combine it with a clay bar/mitt as your tool’s lube. It certainly won’t let you down no matter how you use it.

We get it. A lot of detailing products aren’t cheap, and detailing sprays can go pretty quickly if you have a large vehicle. For the money, Mothers California Gold Instant Detailer does everything you expect it to and more. A note of warning: We never saw the product fill in spiderwebbing like Mothers suggests it does. Nevertheless, if you need a simple quick detailer, Mothers has you covered.

Car wrapping has become quite a trend in the past few years. Shops and owners come up with some truly wild designs, which sometimes paint just can’t touch. But, you can’t treat wrap like paint and it’s a little more tedious to keep a wrapped car looking good. Wrap Detailer from Chemical Guys is the right stuff for those of you with a wrapped car, and the company’s one of the few who accommodate a true spray detailer without wax, which isn’t good to use with a slightly dirty car.

There are a handful of quick detailers on the market for wraps, but CG’s Wrap Detailer proves itself with stunning results and provides a pretty decent value for the money. As the title says, it’s also totally safe to use on wrap and it’s supposed to protect wrap from aging and block out UV rays. Just spray on and wipe it off with a clean microfiber towel to help make your wrap job look swell.

Ceramic coatings work, and if you pay good money to have one properly applied, it’s a good idea to take care of it. We were smitten with Chemical Guys’ Carbon Flex Vitalize Spray Sealant — and not just on a vehicle with a ceramic coating.

While it worked wonders on a car with a ceramic coating and improved water sheeting, it also did a bang-on job on cars without one. We actually saw some lighter scratches fade away with this stuff applied. It’s important to follow the directions as they’re stated, and if you do, the results justify the steeper price tag.

We’re big believers in P&S’ Bead Maker Paint Protectant. Heck, we included it as a bonus product in our best waxes of 2020 roundup. However, it absolutely deserves a proper place here because of the magic it works.

Unlike a regular detailing spray, Bead Maker should always be applied after a fresh coat of wax. Spray the product on a dry surface, ideally, and wipe off with a clean microfiber towel. Give this stuff 8 hours of cure time and the results are spectacular. We’ve never seen water bead so well with just a spray product, and we’ve even applied it to exterior windows to help whisk away rain while driving. It works like a charm.