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A very absorbent towel that’s better than the rest.
A good-sized drying towel that leaves no traces of use.
An affordable and highly absorbent towel for vehicles.
A massive car drying towel with incredible absorbency.
An extra-large terry towel with high absorbency.
Our product testing team combed through hundreds of car drying towels to find the best of the best. Here, we provide information for auto enthusiasts who want to have professional-grade towels for their car care and auto detailing needs.
The best cleaning towels are versatile and ultra-absorbent, meaning they can soak up a lot of water or moisture. Whether you’re a car detailing enthusiast or you simply want a good car cleaning , we’ve found the best streak-free and scratch-free towels that won’t damage your car’s surface .
With over 200,000 fibers per square inch , The Rag Company All-Purpose Microfiber Terry is our product testing team’s choice for the Best Overall car drying towel on the market. This towel has a premium 80/20 blend of 80 percent polyester and 20 percent polyamide . It’s also extremely absorbent, as it weighs 300 grams per square meter ( GSM ).
The 80/20 blend present in this towel is proven to be more durable, more absorbent , and softer than a 90/10 blend according to the manufacturer. Additionally, the manufacturer claims that this towel will get softer over time and can handle hundreds of washings. The towel is lint-free , streak-free , and scratch-free .
After rigorous testing, we found that The Rag Company All-Purpose Microfiber Terry was easy to wield but large enough to effectively dry up a large surface area . It didn’t leave behind any scratches or marks.
Featuring over 9,800 customer reviews on Amazon , The Rag Company All-Purpose Microfiber Terry has an excellent reception from customers. A total of 94 percent of reviewers rate this microfiber car drying towel 4 stars or higher.
Reviews note that the towel is ultra-soft and super absorbent , and some appreciate that it doesn’t leave behind swirl marks on the surface area they’re cleaning. Many reviewers mention that these car drying towels come out of the washing machine still looking brand new.
The SoLiD Multipurpose Plush Microfiber Cleaning Cloth features an 80/20 microfiber blend and is roughly 300 GSM . This car drying towel has 360,000 microfiber strands per square inch and is dual-sided.
The towel has one side with a higher pile meant for absorption and wiping away messes, while the other side has a slightly shorter pile intended for polishing and buffing . It should be noted that the manufacturer asserts that this towel can absorb 10 times its weight in water.
Albeit size not being part of our testing criteria, it would be wrong to ignore the perfect size of this car drying towel. While our team used towels of all different sizes, some undersized and some oversized, this towel stood out as it was easy to wipe with but not too large to be a pain.
The SoLiD Multipurpose Plush Microfiber Cleaning Cloth has over 5,000 customer reviews on Amazon . Out of the thousands of reviewers, 94 percent rate this premium microfiber towel 4 or more stars.
Reviews speak to the towel having the ability to not only dry a car, but its ability to be used as a mitt of sorts for buffing wax, sealant , and even applying ceramic coatings . A large number of reviewers highlight this car drying towel’s absorbent properties.
For over 115 years, Meguiar ’s has been providing high-quality car care products, and the Meguiar ’s X2000 Water Magnet is no exception. Our team recognized this product as the Best Value towel in the industry due to the high-quality towel you get for such a low price. This towel is machine-washable and can be used time and time again.
What separates the car drying towel from competitors is its waffle weave texture. Though the towel is lightweight and not very thick, the waffle weave design means there’s actually more fabric than a typical towel, allowing for better absorption. In fact, the manufacturer asserts in the product description that the product can absorb twice the amount of water as a traditional terry towel.
For an incredibly low price, you receive one of the best car drying towels on the market.
Around 30,000 customers have left reviews of the Meguiar ’s X2000 Water Magnet on Amazon . The vast majority of reviewers are pleased with this car drying towel, with 90 percent rating the product 4 stars or higher.
Reviews note this towel is great to follow up behind a blower when trying to dry your car. A self-proclaimed detailing products enthusiast raves over the waffle design of the towel.
Some reviewers forewarn others about washing the towel with fabric softener, as it can strip away the absorbent properties of the towel.
Featuring a 70/30 microfiber blend, the Chemical Guys MIC1995 Gray Woolly Mammoth is a great option to consider. This towel name is not a misnomer, as it is 36.0 inches by 25.0 inches in size and exceptionally shaggy. This massive car drying towel also features silk-banded edges to prevent any chance of leaving scratches behind.
The edges of this towel may be silk-banded, but it’s the 1.0-inch thick pile that will make drying off your car a breeze. The manufacturer claims in the product description that this car drying towel can hold over a gallon of water, and it can dry an entire car in just one pass.
The Chemical Guys MIC1995 Gray Woolly Mammoth is a huge car drying towel. The size is its biggest plus, but with a tradeoff. It easily absorbs moisture but makes actually using the towel a bit overwhelming.
With over 3,000 reviews on Amazon , customers are generally pleased with the Chemical Guys MIC1995 Gray Woolly Mammoth. A total of 82 percent of reviewers give it 5 stars.
Reviews mention that this towel can hold an enormous amount of water, and it needs to be fully saturated before you’ll be able to wring it out. One driver simply appreciates that it doesn’t leave any water spots on their car’s paintwork . Negative reviews note the amount of lint it leaves behind after drying off a surface.
Sized at 35.0 by 70.0 inches, the Utopia Towels Luxurious Jumbo Bath Sheet is a very large car drying towel. The towel is made from high-quality, 100-percent ring-spun cotton and is machine-washable . It is a standard terry towel, but it’s extremely absorbent , soft, and quite durable. It has loops on both sides to create an increased surface area .
This towel features professionally hemmed edges with double-stitching to limit the amount of disintegration after washing. Additionally, the towel is made with a combination of cotton and two-ply yarn. It should also be noted that the product is breathable with only natural and organic material used in the manufacturing process.
If it wasn’t already apparent, this towel is not specifically designed for car cleaning . By this, we mean that this towel was designed to dry yourself off after a shower. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t perform as a car drying towel, as it is exceptionally absorbent .
The Utopia Towels Luxurious Jumbo Bath Sheet has just over 27,000 reviews on Amazon . The majority of reviewers are happy with this towel, as 88 percent rate it 4 stars or higher.
Reviews speak to the large size and how soft and absorbent this car drying towel is. Many reviews mention that the color of the towel is richer and brighter than how it is depicted in pictures. Negative reviews speak to the sheer amount of lint the towel leaves behind and that it comes out of the washing machine looking aged and unraveled.
Car drying towels tend to be quite basic by design, as they are simply meant to dry things off and clean up messes. However, that doesn’t mean that all car drying towels are created equal. Generally, you’ll want to consider the following before you buy:
The size of the car drying towel you purchase is a personal choice, but it should line up with your intended use. If you’re looking for a towel that can get into all the nooks and crannies, then you might want a smaller towel. If you want a towel that can dry your car as quickly as possible, then you may opt for a larger towel. However, it should be noted that the larger the towel you buy the more difficult it may become to wield and use.
Towel edges are often the most overlooked part of a towel, but they can cause the most damage. While nearly every square inch of the towel itself may be made from a soft material, the edges of these towels may not. We recommend that you find an edgeless towel or a towel with a rolled edge. The soft edges of these towels will assure that you don’t damage your car’s exterior.
If you prefer to have a towel with edges, we recommend those that are silk-banded, made from satin, or those that are microfiber-stitched, as the soft material won’t leave scratches behind.
The car drying towels in this article went through two rounds of reviews. We started by searching Amazon for top products, looking at factors like Prime shipping eligibility, customer ratings, Amazon superlatives, and prices. Our product testing team ordered the five car drying towels that best met these standards.
A team member tested each product on a car, taking note of how well the car drying towel absorbed water, if it left any scratches, and its durability after being machine-washed. Each car drying towel was given a rating out of 5 stars based on this criteria.
Following thorough research and a rigorous testing process, our product testing team found The Rag Company’s All-Purpose Microfiber Terry to be the best towel to dry off a car. This towel is incredibly absorbent and quite durable.
It is OK to dry your car off with a towel. However, it should be noted that unless your car drying towel is made out of microfiber, it may scratch your car’s paint or leave behind lint .
In general, drying towels are better than chamois . Though both will effectively dry off your vehicle’s exterior, car drying towels tend to be easier to clean and more durable than chamois . Car drying towels are easier to clean as they’re usually machine-washable .
*Data accurate at time of publication.
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