5 Of The Highest Rated Tire Shines, Ranked

Not everyone can afford a new car, but there are some relatively inexpensive and easy ways you can upgrade an old car to make it look like you just drove it off the lot. One such way is to grab a bottle or can of tire shine and apply some of the product to your wheels. Tire shine does exactly what its name implies, adding a layer of polish to the black rubber of your tires, making them look glossy and new. Just as you would wax the body of your car, tire shine allows you to give a similar treatment to your tires.

Many tire shines will also include polymers and other ingredients that make your tires look darker and glossier and add a layer of protection against the elements, like water and ultraviolet solar rays. Even if you're driving around on the best all-season tires, a quick application of tire shine can give them an added boost of protection. Like with any auto products or accessories, you'll want to make sure you're selecting a trustworthy brand that is right for your car and won't do more harm than good. If you're unsure which tire shine product is right for you, we've compiled a list of some of the highest-rated options you can find on Amazon — you can read more about how we chose these products at the end of the article. Here are five high-rated tire shine brands, ranked from highest to lowest.

Car Guys makes several products used for professional detailing, including its Premium Series Tire Shine spray, which uses a non-greasy formula that dries very quickly. Because of this, you're less likely to see streaks running down the side of your wheel, but you'll still want to use an applicator (often included) to make sure you're leaving a smooth and consistent finish on your tires. Car Guys claims its shine will do its job in just one coat, so you can stretch out a single bottle over multiple uses. One coat will even protect your tires from UV radiation — which can cause browning, fading, and even cracking — thanks to a specially patented polymer additive used in the tire shine's formula.

One drawback to this product is that you may need to reapply it after a few days, depending on where you've been driving and the road conditions near where you live and work. While it leaves a nice finish, it doesn't last very long. This caveat hasn't stopped its users from giving it good scores on Amazon, however — the Car Guys Premium Series Tire Shine has an average rating of 4.5 out of five, and you can buy an 18-ounce bottle for $18 or a 1-gallon jug for $50. As an added bonus, the smaller bottle comes with an easy-grip applicator.

Black Magic is a very popular brand of tire shine, and you've likely seen bottles of its Black Magic Tire Wet in body shops and hardware stores across the country. The company claims it offers a deeper shine than the competition, thanks to its specially formulated combination of polymers and silicones that also protect your tires, in addition to making them look brand new. With a spray bottle of Black Magic Tire Wet, you can give your wheels either a low gloss or a high gloss. According to the instructions, the latter is achieved by lightly misting a tire and letting it set without rubbing it in with an applicator.

However, despite being ostensibly a spray, the formula is fairly thick and almost gel-like. This could make it difficult to use without an applicator, and you could risk spraying your rims or other parts of your car. If it doesn't dry fast enough, you'll also get run-off streaks, and you could even stain your driveway. The best way to avoid this, especially if you're using it for the first time, is to use an applicator until you get a feel for how the spray comes out. Plenty of people have managed to use it and be happy with the product because Black Magic Tire Wet has an overall user rating of 4.5 out of five on Amazon, which sells a 23-ounce bottle for $6.

Several quality cleaners and cleaning accessories for your vehicle are made by Chemical Guys, including its VRP Protectant. The "VRP" stands for vinyl, rubber, and plastic — three of the primary materials the cream can be applied to, making it a versatile product to keep in your garage that will let you enhance not just your tires but also your dashboard, car seats, and more. The cream will leave a high shine and deep black look that can help make your car look like it just rolled off the lot, but it also has a practical function by giving your vehicle a layer of protection from the elements, like damaging UV solar rays.

Since it's a water-based cream and not a spray, you'll want to carefully use an applicator with the protectant. Chemical Guys says it won't leave a greasy, wet look and doesn't leave a residue. It also dries quickly, but hands-on experience from buyers suggests you'll need more than one coat to get an even and consistent finish. You'll also want to space out at least a few minutes between coats. With a 4.5 out of five average score, Chemical Guys VRP Protectant is one of the highest-rated tire shines on Amazon, where you can buy a three-pack of 16 oz bottles for $25.49. You can also purchase one bottle with an applicator for $19 or buy pre-soaked VRP Protectant wipes for quick and convenient applications — a 50-pack goes for $10.

Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel is one of the best gel-based tire shines you can get your hands on and will provide your tires with a richly dark and high-gloss shine that also protects them from browning and UV damage. One of Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel's biggest advantages over some similar products is the "endurance" aspect — thanks to its proprietary formula, the shine can last for weeks before you'll need to apply another coat. Advanced polymers used in the gel will help it last even if you wash your car or if it's left in the rain.

If you're looking for a tire shine that's completely hands-free, this won't be the product for you — you'll want to opt for a spray or aerosol rather than a gel. Gels, however, are less likely to leave streaks and drip marks if applied correctly. If the type of tire shine doesn't matter to you and you don't mind taking a little time to rub the shine in smoothly and consistently with an applicator, you'll likely be pleased with Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel. It has an overall rating of 4.6 out of five from Amazon users, making it one of the highest-rated products on the market. You can typically purchase a 16-ounce bottle for $16 on Amazon.

If you're looking for an aerosol option that will let you just spray on tire shine as a mist, you'll be happy to know that Mothers Speed Tire Shine is one of the highest-rated tire shines on Amazon. Out of nearly 1,000 user reviews, it has a 4.7 out of five average score. An advantage to using an aerosol tire shine, as opposed to a cream or gel, is that it can save you a lot of time and manual effort when applying. The micro-emulsion resin technology Mothers Speed uses with its polymers will still give your tires a glossy shine like you'd get from rubbing in a thick layer of gel or cream.

In addition to making your tires look like they're new, Mothers Speed Tire Shine can help protect them from rock salt, road tar, brake dust, grease, and damaging moisture — all of which they can frequently come in contact with on the road. Plus, the finish can also help the rubber in your tires keep from cracking, fading, and hardening. One downside to an otherwise solid product is that the tire shine uses a silicone base, which can be harmful to the environment. Unfortunately, plenty of its competitors also do the same, though. If that isn't an issue for you and you'd like to buy a can of Mothers Speed Tire Shine, you can get 15 ounces for $12 on Amazon.

As the headline suggests, the recommended tire shine products listed above are some of the highest-rated options sold by Amazon, with hundreds — if not thousands or tens of thousands — of scores being averaged. The recommended tire shines all have an overall rating of 4.5 out of five or higher. Perhaps not coincidentally, all five of the high-rated tire shines come from well-known and reputable brands in automotive and detailing circles. Additionally, the products listed were chosen to represent different ways to apply tire shine — including gel, spray, cream, and aerosol options. That way, you can choose a high-rated tire shine that best suits the way you like to work when cleaning and detailing your vehicle or give you the option to try something new.