April Showers: The best rain repellent for cars

Driving around in the rain is something we in the UK are famously very familiar with, but that doesn’t mean it should be treated flippantly – and trying to see the road through a blurred, smeared and dirty windscreen is even more dangerous in a rainstorm.

Of course, effective windscreen wipers should be your first port of call when it comes to seeing in the rain, but a rain repellent can do wonders on its own. Rain repellents are hydrophobic layers that prevent water from adhering to your car’s glass. This allows the wipers to work more effectively on the windscreen and rear window, and clears the side windows more effectively, improving visibility all around. 

If you’ve recently taken advantage of the thousands of cars for sale UK based and want an easy and inexpensive upgrade for your new purchase, a rain repellent can be a great addition to a used car. 

But not all rain repellents are created equal – some smear glass, obscuring visibility when it’s dry or the sun’s low in the sky. Here are some of the best, tested by experts. 

What we look for in a rain repellent 

The most important thing is performance. The job of a rain repellent is to keep water from pooling on your glass surfaces, so a good one will see rain beading immediately and running off the screens, leaving the road ahead clear. 

Poor rain repellents may not see water beading effectively, and worse ones may leave smears on the glass which hamper visibility when it’s dry.  

Application is also important. There are three main options – those that spray on, those that roll on, and those that come with their own applicators. 

Sprays tend to be the easiest to apply but the least durable, and applicator examples vice versa. But it’s important to pay close attention to the instructions, as some repellents may feature minimum temperatures, instructions to apply out of direct sunlight, or long curing times. 

Durability is the final factor and the hardest to judge – some last a couple of weeks, some months. Durability often increases with price and comes at the expense of a more laborious application process. 

The best rain repellents 

Soft99 Glaco Roll-on 

An excellent innovation, the Soft99 roll-on combines the repellent with its own applicator, making for a real timesaver. Simply squeeze the bottle and pull the foam pad across the windscreen. Once applied, you just need to leave it for a few minutes then buff it off with a microfibre cloth, and your windscreen’s good for up to two months with no smearing or juddering wipers to pay the price. 

Autobrite Direct Vision+ 

This clever product is primarily designed for motorcycle helmets but works well on cars too. It smartly combines a glass cleaner with a hydrophobic layer of protection. You’ll see seriously good water beading, and it’s safe to apply to glass, acrylic and Perspex. The cleaning aspect makes light work of smears and debris on windscreens. You will need to apply it more frequently than a proper rain repellent, though. 

Gtechniq G1 Smart Glass 

This is the ultimate option for those who want the best possible protection – and are happy to devote some time to achieving it. There are several stages to the application process. Up to three layers of the G1 Smart Glass, with a curing time on top of it, and then some G2 Residue Remover. After this Gtechniq recommends not letting the glass get wet for 12 hours. A lot of faff, but the end result is up to 20,000 miles of excellent hydrophobic protection.