By Tom Scalisi | Updated Sep 7, 2022 3:08 PM

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True car enthusiasts and home detailers take pride in every inch of their vehicles. They’re serious about cleaning the interior carpet, want the windshield and other glass surfaces to sparkle, and especially insist on a body that gleams in the sun. But if your goal is a spot- and scratch-free shine, washing alone is not enough; you’ve got to remove water from the vehicle’s surface quickly and thoroughly. Fortunately, drying a car by hand is easy—with the best car drying towel, that is. This guide will explain the different types of car drying towels and what to look for when choosing one product over another.

Drying a freshly bathed car or truck may seem like a simple process, but anyone who’s tried to do so with an old T-shirt or household towel no doubt has wound up frustrated by spots or scratches. Ahead, find some of the most important factors and features to keep in mind when shopping for the best car drying towel, including material and size.

Perhaps the most important point to consider is the drying towel’s material. There are three main types: cotton, terry cloth, and microfiber.

Also note that the edges of a drying towel are important. Towels with sharp, hard edges can scratch the car’s finish. Instead, choose edgeless towels (those without any stitching or finishing) or banded edges (stitches that remain flexible and soft but won’t fray).

Like carpets, most car drying towels have a pile depth, which refers to the thickness of the loops. This is especially true for microfiber and terry cloth towels. Pile depth is an important determinant of absorbency.

Towels with thicker piles absorb liquid better and hold more water before becoming ineffective. This means the user will have to stop and wring the towel out less often, allowing them to dry the car much faster. Thinner towels are obviously less absorbent but often more affordable, so having two or three of them on hand can serve the same purpose as one thicker, plusher towel.

A weaved pattern can make a car drying towel more effective. Typically, the whole towel has a waffle texture, with small dimpled squares all the way across, save for the ends. The waffle weave gives a towel more surface area, allowing it to absorb more water quicker and hold onto it longer before becoming too saturated to dry. This can be a huge boost for drying efficacy, especially when it comes to removing those droplets before the sun bakes them on.

It might seem that the larger the towel, the greater its ability to dry, but bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to giving a car that fresh-from-the-showroom shine. Large towels have more surface area than smaller ones, and this allows them to absorb water faster and hold onto it longer. However, large towels can be unwieldy. While drying the side of a vehicle, a large towel can accidentally touch the ground, pick up dirt and rocks, and grind them into the clear coat—so much for bright and shiny.

However, for larger vehicles like trucks and SUVs, a large towel might be the best way to go. Otherwise, the user will have to stop frequently during the drying process to wring out a small towel, which could become nearly ineffective before the end of the job. While small towels can be a pain to wring out constantly, they can often reach tight spaces, like those around the grill and headlights, more easily. Ideally, a car enthusiast may want to have a few towels on hand for drying large expanses and detailing nooks and crannies.

That’s a lot of information on the best car drying towels, and it might still feel a bit overwhelming to choose one product over another. The following list should help, as it includes some of the top-performing products for drying cars to a spotless finish. Keep the top considerations in mind when comparing these towels.

Note: We didn’t include any basic cotton towels in this lineup because cotton is far more likely to scratch clear coat and paint than microfiber or cotton terry cloth.

Folks looking for car drying towels that can handle most situations should consider Relentless Drive’s Large Car Drying Towel. The set includes a three-pack of towels plus a handy shammy. The towels are made from a soft, highly absorbent microfiber fabric that prevents scratching, with a pliable banded edge that further staves off scratches.

Each towel measures 60 inches long by 24 inches wide, providing plenty of surface area when combined with the loop texture. The shammy is 30 inches long by 12 inches wide, and it’s great for getting into tight places. Having three large towels at the ready is ideal for those who like to use separate towels for drying a vehicle’s body and wheels. The only downside is that these towels are so large that it may be tricky to keep them from touching the ground while drying.

Get the Relentless Drive car drying towels on Amazon.

Drying the car doesn’t need to break the bank! Green Lifestyle Terry Towels come in a budget-friendly pack of 60, allowing users to switch to a fresh towel whenever one feels saturated or gets dirty. The towels’ terry cloth loops make them highly absorbent, and their 17-inch by 14-inch size is easy to handle for interior detailing, wheel cleaning, and drying the vehicle. Our only caveat is that these towels have finished edges that could potentially scratch, so it’s important to work slowly and carefully when drying the vehicle’s body.

Get the Green Lifestyle car drying towels on Amazon.

At-home detailers who don’t mind spending a little more on a drying cloth to get that ideal shiny finish may appreciate the Autofiber Dreadnought Microfiber Car Drying Towel. This towel measures 30 inches long by 20 inches wide, an ideal size for drying cars and smaller SUVs in one pass. In fact, the manufacturer claims that one towel can hold an entire gallon of water!

This towel features double-twist loops of microfiber for increased surface area and a thicker, denser mat. The Dreadnought also features a hidden edge, sewn from the inside to prevent scratches. And while the towels are sold singly, several colors are available for those who prefer to color-code their drying towels. The only drawback is the high price.

Get the Autofiber car drying towels on Amazon or Autofiber.

Truck and SUV owners may tire of wringing out small towels after drying every body panel. For those situations, a large towel like the Chemical Guys Elegant Edgeless Microfiber Towel may be just the ticket. This towel measures 51 inches long by 30 inches wide, providing enough surface area to dry a large vehicle in much fewer wrings.

This towel is made of a soft microfiber fabric to help prevent scratching clear coat and paint finishes. Also, the design features laser-cut edges to prevent scratches or rough rubbing. This towel is available in black or white for users who want to color code between a body towel and a wheel towel.

Get the Chemical Guys Elegant Edgeless car drying towels on Amazon.

Drying a small car, or one that is low to the ground, can be difficult with a large, cumbersome towel. That’s why Chemical Guys makes this six-pack of towels with a footprint of 24 inches by 16 inches, an ideal size for drying the car without touching the ground.

These towels feature a soft microfiber fabric with two fiber lengths for versatility. One side boasts longer fibers for high absorbency while the other has shorter fibers, ideal for buffing wax. Plus, the edges are silk banded, so they won’t scratch paint or clear coat the way finished flat edges can. While the yellow color does show dirt to indicate when it’s time to change the towel, multicolored packs might be desirable for some users—something this kit doesn’t offer.

Get the Chemical Guys Professional Grade drying towels on Amazon.

Anyone leaning toward a waffle-knit texture for the improved surface area and absorbency should consider The Rag Company’s Dry Me A River towel. This towel features a thick waffle texture designed to absorb more water than a flat-texture towel of the same size (24 inches long by 16 inches wide).

These towels, which are sold in a pack of three, boast a soft microfiber texture as well as satin-banded edges to prevent scratches on clear coat, paint, and wheels. These towels are washable and will continue to get softer with time. Just keep in mind that the size might be a bit too small for trucks and SUVs.

Get The Rag Company car drying towels on Amazon.

Home detailers who can never have enough high-quality detailing and drying towels around should keep this set in mind. KinHwa’s Scratch Free Auto Detailing Towels feature a thick waffle texture designed to improve absorbency, and as a pack of three, they’re value minded as well.

Each towel measures 24 inches long by 16 inches wide, which is an excellent size for drying cars and small SUVs. The microfiber texture is soft, and the banded edges will prevent scratches. The only real issue with these towels is that their gray color might conceal dirt, so a careful eye is important.

Get KinHwa car drying towels on Amazon.

Folks shopping for a large towel with banded edges to prevent scratches should consider the Relentless Drive car drying towels. Those who don’t mind spending a bit extra might prefer the Autofiber car drying towels for their thick pile of double-twist loops and hidden sewn edges.

Folks who love their cars can be picky about the products they use, and rightfully so. We wanted to ensure that the drying towels we suggested would get the job done without damaging paint or clear coat, so we called upon our vast experience with vehicle washing and detailing to evaluate products.

First, we chose the features and materials we thought were most important. Then we performed extensive product research to come up with a list of towels we felt might meet our expectations. After comparing materials, price, texture, and other features, we disregarded towels that didn’t offer enough value and gave awards to those that did.

Washing the vehicle is only half the process. Those who truly care about their car and want to create a spot- and scratch-free shine should take the following tips to heart!

Though it adds a bit of time, it’s crucial to wring the drying towel out frequently during use. A saturated towel is more likely to create streaks and water spots, while even a wet towel that’s been properly wrung out will continue absorbing water.

Once a towel touches the ground, stop using it until you can wash it. The dust and dirt that it might pick up act as abrasives, cutting into the clear coat and paint.

If possible, color-code your car drying towels. Use one color for the vehicle body and another for the wheels. This will lessen the chances of picking up dirt from the ground while also keeping brake dust from grinding into the paint surface.

Even with all the intel offered above about the best car drying towels, you might still have some additional questions. Ahead, you’ll find some of the most common questions asked on the topic, so check out our answers for the info you might be seeking.

A microfiber towel with banded or hidden edges is typically the best option for drying a freshly washed vehicle.

Normal towels will dry the vehicle, but they’re not as absorbent as a microfiber towel. They’re also much more likely to scratch the paint surface.

Avoid parking a wet car in the direct sun. Dry your freshly washed vehicle as soon as possible using a microfiber cloth. Drying horizontal surfaces like the trunk, roof, and hood first will also stave off water spots, as these surfaces tend to be warmer and dry faster.

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