The Best Spark Plugs for Your Car (Review & Buying Guide) in 2019

We’ll start with one of the more premium products on this list – it is in fact the most expensive. However, it is also a multipack, which is something of a rarity these days, when many manufacturers look to sell plugs individually.

So whilst you are shelling out the most bucks to buy this product compared to some others, you are getting a pack of 6. So if you need to replace multiple plugs in one go this could actually be the economy option. Plus, it’s not like these things rot – if you don’t use them all, just tuck them away for the future.

They are well worth saving too, as they are a decent all round plug. Iridium is a premium spark plug material, often giving around 25% longer life span compared to cheaper platinum models. The super fine electrode wire also helps to make this a very efficient model.

Whilst iridium is overall the best material to look for in a spark plug, it’s also pretty expensive. Platinum constructed plugs are not a million away in terms of quality and life span, and this model from DENSO is one of the better options on the market right now.

It employs a dual platinum construction, with a platinum disk and platinum electrode tip. The electrode itself has a width of 11mm which is a little thicker than you will find on truly premium plugs however it’s not going to have a noticeable effect on performance in a normal car in regular driving conditions.

Purified Alumina Powder is used as an insulator material too, which increases thermal conductivity and should help provide a long working life span. This item packs in quite a lot of features into a relatively small price tag. Well done, DENSO.

This plug from NKG, quite like the one we discussed above, also uses an innovative design to try to supply the performance of iridium-constructed models at a cheaper price.

Whilst the previous model utilized a double platinum construction, these plugs only have Platinum on the electrode tip. However, they make up with that by employing an incredibly thin (0.6mm!), laser welded tip. That thinness of the electrode will lower the power needs without affecting performance, leading to fast engine starts and improved efficiency.

As a four pack the initial purchase price is of course higher than a single plug, however divide the price by 4 and the individual price for each one is about the average price for a decent product.

The German firm Bosch are a premier manufacturer of electrical goods (they make my kettle & my refrigerator for example) so first of all you know you are getting a quality product – the name is the guarantee.

What we have here is a very innovative design. The plug tip has been re-designed from the ground up, producing a product that looks very different from the traditional model. What we have here are four yttrium-enhanced electrodes instead of the single electrode & cap system seen on traditional plugs.

This provides a plug that delivers excellent performance without having to rely on expensive materials like iridium or platinum. The design is also very straightforward to use – it is literally a plug and play model, no adjustments required after install.

This is a great product that will not cost you as much as you might assume. Gut gemacht, Bosch.

This is a high performance plug with a number of unique features. The first to note is that lovely, 0.6mm width on the tip. Again, that thin tip is going to really enhance engine performance. Add in the fact it’s laser welded platinum and that’s a very good start.

The unique insulator noses are specially designed to improve throttle response too. So this is overall a pretty high spec plug for a relatively low price tag. Therefore, if engine performance is the most important factor to you – but you don’t want to take out a new credit card to buy your plugs – you should definitely take a look at these.

Say hello to the second most expensive product on this list. It is more than 3 times the price of some of the other plugs here so you better be getting a heck of a good plug for that outlay, right?

Well Denso don’t disappoint. This is a premium price tag admittedly, but it is for a premium product. Not only does it come with Iridium tips in its construction, it also has an incredible 0.4mm width electrode.

Now, as we’ve stressed already – iridium is the best sparkplug material. The thinner the electrode, the better the performance. So in this product we see both the best materials being used and also the thinnest electrode on the list.

That explains the incredible engine performance this product can bring – but it also explains the high price.

From the most expensive product on the list to the cheapest – but please don’t write it off and scroll straight past!

True, there is nothing particularly innovative about this plug. Couple that with the copper construction on the electrode and this is a very basic model. However, it is also a nicely put together plug with built in anti corrosion resistance. It is a strong, dependable plug that is built to a high standard for a long working life.

Some engines, especially older ones, specify a copper plug. If your engine spec sheet calls for copper, this is an excellent option for a very reasonable price.

Would you like to peek behind the curtain of the writing process? I made a mistake in this list when I was drafting it. I referred to a different plug as the most expensive, because I saw the price and assumed no spark plug could possibly cost more.

Then I saw this product, our second entry from Bosch.

The price of this product is eye watering – but my God are you getting a top, top quality spark plug here. That name on the carton is your first guarantee of quality. Second comes from the materials – Iridium electrode and an Iridium cap. That this plug utilizes so much iridium explains both the cost and the incredible high performance.

It also brings long life – around 4x times the life span of a standard copper plug. Bosch are in fact so confident in the high performance and long life span of this plug, they will give you a 7 year performance satisfaction guarantee.

7 Year. Guarantee. 7!

Yes, this is expensive. But look at it as a long-term investment, divide the price by the years of service you’ll get, and this plug basically buys itself.

These products are specially designed for high performance vehicles and have a number of features to achieve that aim. The first is the use of iridium, which by now you should know is the best material for high performance. They also have a nice, thin 0.6mm electrode, again aimed at increasing engine power and performance.

Finally, it has a pretty unique feature, a set of corrugated ribs on the insulator. They help to prevent flashover and in conjunction with a triple gasket seal eliminate any leakage of the gas mixture used for combustion in the engine. That helps to extract every ounce of power from your engine.

They are not cheap, and may be a bit too performance engineered to warrant the extra money if they are going in a normal car for every day driving. But if you really care about exacting the maximum power and performance from your engine they could be an excellent investment.

Basically the exact opposite of the plug above, this product from Autolite is not really designed with premium performance in mind.

What we have instead is a superb everyday plug that is perfectly suited to go into a normal car and perform well in normal, everyday situations. So if you use your car to do doughnuts and hand break turns in parking lots and out run the cops on the freeway – this isn’t the plug for you!

If you commute to work, drive to the mall – in other words use a normal car to do normal things – this is a great plug made with very good materials to a tried and trusted design. It’s a great middle ground between cheaper products of inferior manufacture and materials and the top end, premium plugs and their high prices.

To put it simply – It’s not going to perform miracles, but it’s not going to let you down either.