Best Car Scratch Removers and Kits for 2022
Updated: Feb. 03, 2023Want to remove scratches from your vehicle's paint? Learn all about six of the best car scratch removers on the market.
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Best Overall: Meguiar’s G17220
Fast results and minimal work are what make this car scratch repair compound from Meguiar’s stand out. Like other scratch removers, it’s designed to work through a vehicle’s clear coat and expose fresh colored paint where a shallow scratch used to be. Trouble is, many scratch repair products take lots of time and elbow grease to get through that clear coat. Not this one.
“Nothing works like this stuff, and without much effort,” reports an Amazon reviewer. “Did this [extensive repair] all by hand. Highly recommended.”
Best Kit: 3M Scratch and Scuff Removal Kit
Scratch repair compound alone won’t do you any good without the right tools for applying it, and that’s where this kit from 3M outshines the rest. While many scratch repair products come without application tools, according to the manufacturer “this kit contains packets of 3M Rubbing Compound and 3M Scratch Remover, a foam pad and a fine 3,000 grit abrasive square, plus complete directions to restore shine and gloss to lightly scratched and scuffed painted areas.”
Best Price: Turtle Wax T-238 Scratch and Swirl Remover
Auto body repair doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Even though it comes in a fairly small bottle (11 oz.), at less than $4 it’s hard to beat the value of this scratch and swirl remover by Turtle Wax, especially considering how well it seems to work for most users. One Amazon reviewer says, “Great product! Great value!…I was able to buff [the scratches] out, and [my vehicle] looks four years newer!”
Best Color Matching: Dupli-Color Touch-Up Spray Paint
Some car scratch repair kits have pigment mixed into the compound to help restore color, but none that I know of offer the range of color-matching options available with Dupli-Color’s paint pens. Offering dozens of colors designed to match the paint of particular vehicle makes and models, this product makes poor color matching nearly impossible.
Best for Black Cars: Carfidant Black Car Scratch Remover
This product from Carfidant helps you avoid the dreaded white streaks many scratch removal products leave on black cars. Scratches on black vehicles are notorious for being particularly tough to hide, and that’s why this product was invented. It will put the finishing touch on your DIY car detailing.
Reviewers like this one on Amazon seem to agree it works as advertised: “I immediately noticed that there was no white residue and streaks left behind after gently wiping it with a cloth afterward. That is a huge win. Even the next day there was still no evidence of white streaking…I will definitely be keeping this stuff handy. It out performs other well-known brands by FAR!!”
Best for Small Scratches: Shine Armor Revive Scratch Repair
Lots of scratch removers work on large single scratches, but fine networks of small scratches — the sort that often develop around door handles — can be tougher to fix. That’s where this product from Shine Armor comes in.
“I was pretty skeptical but had several small door shopping cart dings that have virtually disappeared!” says one Amazon reviewer. “Also, all the slight scratches around my driver’s door handle are gone.”