7 Of The Best (And 3 Of The Worst) Windshield Wiper Brands

Owning a vehicle can be exhausting. On top of the big things like choosing the right one for you and your family, picking insurance coverage, and worrying about safety ratings and reliability, you've got to keep up with maintenance. Oil changes need to be done regularly. Tires need to be monitored and replaced when worn. Transmission fluid, coolant, brakes, lighting, and emissions must be checked and repaired or replaced. However, one minor component that's often overlooked is windshield wiper blades.

The problem with wiper blades is that they're a wear-and-replace item, but there's no reliable way to know when they will fail. Blades tear, break, streak, and chatter at some point, and you replace them, often with whatever is most convenient or affordable at the time. However, Ford suggests replacing wiper blades once a year. Doing it every other oil change will keep you on schedule.

With dozens of blades available at gas stations, auto parts stores, and big box retailers, it can be hard to choose the right one for your vehicle. We've got you covered with this list of seven of the best windshield wiper brands — and three of the worst. Factors like price, versatility, blade style, treatment, streak prevention, and durability all contributed to our picks, and my fifteen years of experience in the automotive field also played a part. So, before you pick up a set of replacement wiper blades, read on to gain some knowledge that may help your decision.

The backstory of Clix Wipers is a fascinating one. Two brothers founded the business in 2016, inspired by the success of their mom, who had started several businesses of her own. They have used the knowledge gained from their own research to make a line of wiper blades that are easy to install, made from high-quality materials, and look great on any vehicle. Clix also leverages social media to get the word out about its product, offering discounts for influencers as well as a percentage of sales to help drive its business.

Clix wipers have a solid following online, and the unique nature of its windshield wiper blades makes it one of the more interesting brands on this list. Its most eye-catching feature is the rainbow of colors and patterns its replacement wiper blades are available in. Everything from neon pink to camouflage is represented. The wipers themselves have good reviews, and if you're willing to give a new brand a shot just to match the aesthetic of your Hello Kitty steering wheel cover, look no further. I didn't expect that a newer company like Clix would have blades available for both my 1996 Ford Ranger and my 2016 Jeep Renegade, but both came up with several color options.

Clix wipers can be purchased through Amazon or directly from the manufacturer.

Duralast is Auto Zone's house brand, but that doesn't make it any worse than any other name brand. Duralast's wide range of replacement parts, from brake pads to batteries, are available in several tiers of quality, and their widespread availability helps to make it a trusted brand for replacement parts for auto shop workers across the country. They even make a line of hand tools that's guaranteed for life, much like Craftsman's legendary warranty.

Available exclusively at Auto Zone, Duralast's replacement wiper blades range from reasonably priced, plain replacements to fancy hybrid and flex styles designed to apply even pressure to your windshield across the length of the blade. Duralast's higher-tier options, like the Flex, still cost below $30 with features that compare to blades that cost twice as much from other manufacturers. They've been called some of the quietest wipers available, and their blades' overall prices and quality earn Duralast a spot in our best section.

With packaging clearly meant to mimic Rain-X's, this best-selling Amazon brand is affordable and sports a decent star rating. Unfortunately, Amazon's star rating system is hardly a reliable source for trustworthy reviews due to influencers and compensated reviewers. A better way to learn about a product, aside from personal use, is to see what complaints are consistent among low reviews — and 5Plus definitely has some consistency in its failures. The blades often fall apart during use, with customers saying that the end caps to 5Plus blades pop off, allowing the blade to slide out, potentially damaging the vehicle's windshield if the wiper is running and putting the driver in a dangerous situation if it's raining or snowing at the time. Unusable bracket adapters, chatter, smearing, and inconsistent pressure across the blade are all frequently mentioned as well.

For the price of one blade from some of the more popular brands, 5Plus offers bundles that give you a pair of windshield wiper blades and a rear blade where applicable. However, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. If you just need a cheap replacement, well, this is that, but you're better off going to a local auto parts store for one of the best windshield wiper blade brands rather than ordering these knock-offs from Amazon.

Aero fills a need that several other windshield wiper brands try and fail to accomplish — the brand makes a quality wiper blade that sells for a low price. Aero's blades are available at several retailers, like Walmart, AutoZone, and Amazon, and the brand is well regarded among its customers. Even respected YouTuber Project Farm was impressed by this brand, which is a pretty big accomplishment for anything put through the paces during that channel's rigorous testing.

Look, if you're paying under $20 for a pair of blades, you can't expect them to perform as well as some over-engineered piece of German machinery. But for the price, Aero's blades are easy to install and get the job done better than most bargain brands. And they come with a full-year warranty, which is pretty impressive for a replacement blade at any price point.

Just remember to gently put those wiper arms down on your windshield when you're between blades. I've seen several customers and co-workers alike try to quickly swap out blades only for the metal arm to snap down, cracking the vehicle's windshield.

Here's a fun bit of trivia for you: Trico holds over 1,000 patents and introduced the first mass-produced, commercially available wiper blade (but it didn't invent the windshield wiper itself) way back in 1917. A glance through the company's history reveals innovations like the two-blade wiper system, the windshield washer system, Panoramic-Rainbow blades (the first to have an arc), and rear windshield wiper systems.

We carried Trico for years at the Sears service center where I started my career as an automotive technician. While many less-informed customers claimed it was a cheap brand, they often came back claiming their windshields were clear and their blades didn't chatter or streak, even when choosing the least expensive Trico blades available.

Given its extensive history, Trico is not necessarily a lesser-known brand, but it has a reputation among auto parts salespeople and technicians for good blades at reasonable prices. In fact, Trico's blades have received quality awards from vehicle manufacturers like Chrysler, Ford, Porsche, Subaru, and Volkswagen. With specialty blades for extreme weather, RV, and heavy-duty applications, there's a Trico blade for every driver.

Even its high-end lines, like the Trico Silicone Ceramic blades, are still competitively priced when put against comparable wipers. Trico blades are available on Amazon and at most auto parts stores, including O'Reilly, Advance, and NAPA.

Mention Michelin to a stranger, and they'll either think of a great restaurant or that guy who looks kind of like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Michelin's tires are some of the best, but the wipers that bear the brand's name aren't as well regarded.

Now is a good time to note that Michelin itself doesn't make these blades — the brand leaves that to Pylon, a Florida-based company that also makes Michelin-branded jump starters, tire inflators, and serpentine belts. Much like how DeWalt products license out its brand name to companies that make questionable products on the yellow toolmaker's behalf, these Michelin products don't necessarily go through the rigorous in-house testing that the brand's first-party products, like its tires, do.

Walmart sells a ton of Michelin windshield wiper blades — in fact, nine of the warehouse store's 10 best-selling wiper blades are Michelins — but reviewers complain about premature chatter, streaks, and tears. While Michelin tires are some of the most trusted in the industry, look elsewhere for wiper blades that earn their reputation on performance rather than ones that exploit a familiar brand name.

PIAA is best known for two things: its aftermarket lighting solutions and the rally cars that have won races using its products. Its fog lamps, LED lighting bars, and powerful replacement bulbs have been seen on off-road vehicles since the company's inception in 1963. I installed a set of rock lights on an old friend's hunting truck a few years ago, and he was thrilled with the results. But we're not here to talk about rock lighting — PIAA's wiper blades are among the best out there, too.

PIAA, which is not an acronym despite looking like it should be, makes a wiper that lasts, using silicone rubber to improve visibility and blade durability. Customers have reported PIAA windshield wiper blades lasting over three years with very little loss of performance. While its blades, like its lighting products, are on the more expensive side, not needing to worry about replacement for that long is definitely worth the investment to many customers. PIAA's blade lineup offers options that focus on aerodynamics, streak minimization, and effectiveness in winter weather, and all its products are available on Amazon.

A German manufacturer of spark plugs, automotive electrical components, home appliances, and power tools, among many other things, Bosch is often considered among the best in any field in which the brand tries its hand, and its wiper blades are no exception to that rule.

Bosch ICON blades are considered some of the best windshield wiper blades available, and they appear at or near the top of numerous best windshield wipers lists, including one of our own. The brand makes a startling number of other wiper blades, with many focused on specific concerns. Its FOCUS and ENVISION wipers are designed to provide a better solution for rainy night driving. DirectConnect blades are built for easy installation, and Snow Driver windshield wiper blades are tested for wintry conditions.

Honestly, most of Bosch's auto parts are well-reviewed. Whether you're looking for a replacement car battery or brake pads, the brand is a respected one in the industry, and its prices line up with the high quality one expects when purchasing a Bosch product. Bosch's windshield wiper blades, and most of its other auto parts, are available via Amazon and at most auto parts stores.

One of our concerns when putting this list together was making readers think cheap and affordable immediately imply poor quality. That's not necessarily the case, as some of the best windshield wiper blade brands available tend to offer different tiers of product. These manufacturers have perfected the designs of their blades and then took those lessons learned during development and applied them to more affordable blades, often ones with cheaper materials. Valeo, however, just makes cheap blades — in every sense of the word.

If you were to Google the phrase cheap wiper blades, Valeo would be one of the first results to appear. And Valeo wiper blades are definitely that — a standard 17" blade will run you around $14 at Auto Zone. What you'll get is a blade that will wipe water from your windshield, which is the whole point. While users say they will start streaking and tearing pretty quickly, if you're in a pinch and just need a temporary replacement, availability can often be a bigger selling point than quality. If Valeo blades are what's available in your vehicle's size during a storm, well, they're better than nothing.

Rain-X wipers are practically in a class by themselves. The brand, which is perhaps best known for its glass treatments that promote water beading, makes products for headlight restoration, interior upholstery cleaning, and even a useful cleaner for shower doors that my mom swears by. Rain-X also makes replacement wiper blades that are affordable but not cheap and are available on Amazon as well as at nearly every parts store, gas station, big box retailer, and repair shop in the world. Those windshield wiper blades come in ranges from decent emergency replacements to high-quality, overengineered, issue-focused car parts.

Rain-X's specialty blades address a number of different concerns for motorists. There's an Acoustix blade that claims to produce a quiet wipe experience to minimize distractions from noisy wipers. Rugged XL blades are designed with tough materials for severe weather conditions, and silicone options are available to provide a longer-lasting blade. Prices for these blades are higher than standard options, but all of Rain-X's blades come highly reviewed and recommended by trusted automotive sites like Car & Driver and Road and Track.

This list of the best and worst windshield wiper blades was assembled using a number of resources and references. Ratings and sales data from retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Auto Zone were aggregated, and reviews from trusted automotive sites like Car and Driver and Road & Track were also referenced.

My own experience as an automotive technician in both retail and specialty shop settings was also drawn upon — a job where you end up recommending, selling, and installing more windshield wiper blades than you'd think.