Best Metal Polishes For Your Car (Review & Buying Guide) in 2018

The main drawback to this product is the ridiculously complicated instructions. Ok, let’s run through them quick, but you better get a pad of paper first.

Ready? Take the product. Apply it to any metal surface on your car and rub, put a bit of elbow grease into it for a premium finish.

That’s it.

Joking aside this is actually a really good product. It has a mild formulation that’s way, way less abrasive than some other polishes on the market. That means you can use it whenever you like without having to worry about long-term damage. In fact, as it builds up something of a protective barrier (a very useful feature) with long-term use, it is actually a good idea to bring it out every time you deep clean the car.

At a price tag under $10 for 10 ounces of product, you’re also getting a nice big, long lasting supply here. In fact 10 ounces is essentially a bucket of product compared to some others on this list, so it really is good value for money.

If the product above from Mothers came in a bucket, this polish comes in a tube of toothpaste. At around $15 for just 1.76 Ounces of product this is Ounce for Ounce the most expensive product on this list.

It’s also one of the best, especially if you are looking to return any poorly maintained metal surface back to its previous, shiny luster. That is exactly what this product is designed for, with a professional grade formula that has been trusted by bodywork pros for years.

It is safe to use on dozens of materials including many you’ll find around the home like brass, silver and aluminum. That being said though, at this price you’ll want to keep every drop of it for use on the car!

This really is a superb product, especially for rescuing metal surfaces that have seen better days. It may be better to also pick up a cheaper, more run of the mill product for everyday polishing, and save this for an occasional deep clean.

Making am outstanding metal polish is actually a bit of a challenge. On the one hand, you need a product with the power and abrasion to tackle oxidation, rust and other tarnishes whilst being mild enough to not damage the metal itself.

It’s a tightrope which Blue Magic attempt to walk with this product, and it is a challenge they live up to. This product is mild enough that you can happily use it on a wide range of metals – including pretty much any surface you are likely to find on a car. At the same time, it has the power to clean off oxidation and other tarnishes and dirt.

Also, the fact it comes in cream form is very helpful – personally, I just find them a little easier to apply then liquid formulas – you also get the entire product on the car, not dripping onto the driveway!

All in all, for the price and the amount you get this is a superb product.

In some earlier products on this list we have discussed polishes that work to restore a metal to its previous shine and luster – which is great. However with this product, 303 have come at the problem from a different angle. Instead of restoring a metal to it’s previous shine, how about building up a long lasting protection to keep it shiny in the first place?

That is the standout feature of this product which boasts a formula designed to build up a thin protective layer over repeated use. This layer, 303 claim, will protect from tarnishes and even scratches. In addition to that useful feature, it provides a superb, highly polished finish, and it is also mild enough to use on a range of metals.

At around $15 for 12 ounces, price wise it’s certainly one of the pricier options, it’s whether you think the extra outlay is worth it for the long term protection.

The name is the guarantee with this product from Chemical Guys, who are well known for producing top end car cleaning products. This is no different, and whilst it carries a premium price tag of over $15, you do get a nice big 16-ounce bottle of product, so it’s actually pretty good value.

Mild enough to use on a range of surfaces, it is strong enough to tackle blemishes all the way up light rust, making this product one of the more powerful cleaner and polishes on this list. That ability to tackle heavy tarnishes makes it an excellent restorer too, so whilst this polish is great for keeping metal looking good, you can also use it on surfaces that need a little extra TLC.

It’s actually quite rare to see such a premium product form a well respected manufacturer like Chemical Guys being sold for essentially a mid-range price, so that makes it easy to recommend this product too.

This is a pretty unique product from Eagle One, or at least unique for this list! The product comes ready poured on a stack of cotton swabs, which live in the tin ready to be used. You don’t therefore need to worry about using too much of the product on your metal surfaces as they are essentially like wet wipes, just pull one out, wipe the surface down and away you go.

Unlike most wet wipes these are a petroleum-based product, and smell quite strongly of diesel, so make sure you pick up some disposable gloves to wear. In use, the product itself is non-abrasive, whilst the cotton pad it comes soaked into is slightly abrasive. That allows you to control the abrasion level with a little elbow grease – if the metal is particularly dirty, scrub away that little bit harder!

Whilst the product is both effective –and very convenient – at keeping clean metal looking that way, it’s not quite so effective at restoring heavily tarnished metals. It especially struggles against oxidation damage and marks.

Still, if your car is newer and still shiny – and you want to keep it that way – this is a very handy product to have around.

A product that can tackle multiple jobs is always welcome – provided of course it can do them all well.  That’s what we’re looking at here with this polish from Quickway. Ignore the fact it is marketed primarily as a chrome cleaner, it does in fact work on multiple materials such as silver and brass – but it also does a job on windshields, mirrors and tires. That makes it very useful to keep around the garage.

Despite it being mild enough to use on many surface types though, it is still strong enough to tackle imperfections from water spots all the way up to light rust patches. That is a very handy combination indeed, and when you add in the fact that it cleans, polishes and waxes all in one go, you have a pretty useful product on your hands here.

Unlike some others on this list, this cleaner is water based (instead of petroleum based) making it a non-toxic, environmentally friendly product.

Finally there the fact it’s a pretty middle of the road pricing at about $15 for 5 ounces and that it’s made right here in the good ol’ US of A and this is, all in all, an excellent and very useful product.

As handy as it is to have a product with multiple applications, sometimes it’s just as good to have one that simple does exactly what it says on the tin. To that end, please say hello to this product from 3M called, very imaginatively, Chrome & Metal Polish.

It is possible to use this product on other materials too – such as brass, bronze and silver – however it is specifically designed for use on chrome. If you have a vehicle that uses a lot of that material in it’s detailing, this then could be a very attractive cleaner for you.

Like some others on this list, it is very much a restorative kind of cleaner, and it packs the punch to take on a range of tarnishes to return a metal surface to a previous luster. It is also formulated to either remove or at least minimize pitting and spotting, which makes it ideal for use on wheel trim especially.

At around $15 for 10 ounces it is very competitively priced too.