Best Wax for Black Cars

Blacks cars. Freshly waxed (and detailed), they are the epitome of stunning! Few things beat a perfectly kept waxed black car – the ultimate in reflectivity and shine. But how do you achieve it and which waxes bring out the very best of black paint? What do you look for in a “best wax for black cars”, and how do you know when you’ve found the one?

You can use any wax on a black car and it should benefit from the obvious protective properties of the wax which will be the same for any paintwork regardless of colour, and benefit from increased gloss and shine, and if a metallic or pearlescent black paint, from the enhancement of metallic/pearl flake. But are there some waxes better suited to black cars than others?

Best Wax for Black Cars – Top 3/4

Here is a list of what I think are the best wax for black cars:

  1. Swissvax Crystal Rock
  2. Collinite 915 Marque D’Elegance
  3. DoDo Juice Blue Velvet Pro Edition and Purple Haze Pro Edition

1) Swissvax Crystal Rock

Why it’s the best wax for black cars –

  • Exemplary paint enhancement
  • Ultimate flake ‘pop’
  • Good durability and longevity
  • Very high carnauba content for the ultimate finish
  • Outstanding levels of gloss and shine
  • Amazing ease of application
  • Superb beading
  • All-round excellence on all levels

My chosen best wax for black cars is one that delivers across all categories and showcases black paint, particularly metallic or pearl black paint, to the highest degree.

Swissvax Crystal Rock is a non-colour charged, non-colour specific wax but just works brilliantly on black paint. This is a very high carnauba content (75% by volume) wax, and its flake popping capability is simply outstanding. It imparts a rich smooth velvety finish, enhancing the natural clarity and purity of the paint without artificially darkening it, and enriching gloss to give eye-popping levels of reflectivity and shine. Simply your black paintwork showcased in all its natural glory!

Psstt… Swissvax Crystal Rock is also what I think is the best car wax in the world!

SWISSVAX Crystal Rock - Paul Dalton's state-of-the-art Carnauba-Glaze, 50ml
1 Reviews
SWISSVAX Crystal Rock – Paul Dalton’s state-of-the-art Carnauba-Glaze, 50ml
  • Concours-wax with over 76% Vol. of pure ivory coloured Grade one Carnauba wax from Northern Brazil
  • Special development for Paul Dalton in Great Britain, one of the most famous automobile detailers in the world
  • Produces a streak-free gloss and enhances the paintwork surface with best beading characteristics

2) Collinite 915 Marque D’Elegance

I’ve chosen 915 here as not only is it a commendably durable wax as with all Collinite waxes, but it delivers the aesthetics in abundance and though not a colour charged wax it is aimed towards darker and black paints. Easy enough to apply provided you don’t leave it to haze too long, it’s also great value for money.



Collinite Marque D Elegance 915 Car Wax Kit **COMES COMPLETE WITH APPLICATOR & POLISHING CLOTH**
45 Reviews
Collinite Marque D Elegance 915 Car Wax Kit **COMES COMPLETE WITH APPLICATOR & POLISHING CLOTH**
  • Comes With Applicator & Polishing Cloth
  • Limited Production
  • Used For Automobiles

3) DoDo Juice Blue Velvet Pro Edition and Purple Haze Pro Edition

Without a doubt, the best colour charged waxes for black paint that I’ve used. My preference is Blue Velvet Pro (a deep dark blue hard wax), but there’s not much in it, so I’ve also included Purple Haze Pro (a purple paste wax), as both do a superb job of deepening and darkening black paint, whilst offer very good durability and decent 3-4 month lifespan.

Dodo Juice Blue Velvet Pro
2 Reviews
Dodo Juice Blue Velvet Pro
  • Use: Apply Dodo Juice to clean paintwork, then leave to cure for approx 5-10 minutes until hazed. Do not allow to cake on. Buff off with a clean…
  • Suitable for dark coloured cars
  • Just like Blue Velvet, but more durable.

The trade-off is a slight loss of flake enhancement, but if your looking for a wax to deep and give amazing gloss and can live with losing a little on the flame, then DoDo Juice is the choice to make. As well as full-size pots, they are also available in 30ml panel pots which gives about 3-4 coats and are a great option to try before deciding to commit to a bigger pot.

Dodo Juice DJPHPRO Purple Haze Pro
2 Reviews
Dodo Juice DJPHPRO Purple Haze Pro
  • Colour-charged for extra vibrancy
  • Special sealant ingredient – for extended durabil
  • Extra carnauba – for that extra glossy wet look

Best cheap wax for black cars – Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax

Cheap and cheerful, Chemical Guy’s Butter Wet Wax is a liquid wax that’s s breeze to apply and gives a dripping wet look to black paint and reflections galore! It’s not a tough wax and has a short lifespan but the finish can’t be faulted and if you want your black paintwork to look like you can dive right into it, then this is the one.

Sale
Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax Cream
204 Reviews
Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax Cream
  • ChemicalGuys.eu – WAC_201_16, Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax Cream is an all new and improved formula that delivers an unmatched surface shine.

Best flake enhancing wax for black cars – Swissvax Crystal Rock / Swissvax Onyx / Swissvax Best of Show

I’ve included three Swissvax waxes here because they all excel on the ‘popping’ of metallic and pearl flake, like no other waxes I’ve used. On another level!

The notable differences between the three come in the finer quality of the finish and the longevity of the wax. The higher the carnauba content, the increase in finish and durability. Crystal Rock being the best on all counts but Onyx and Best of Show delivering comparable results on flake pop and gloss but falling short on durability and lifespan.

All are the easiest waxes to apply and buff off and have a long working time. All smell deliciously tropical and whilst that adds nothing to the finish, they sure smell good! Expensive in varying degrees but some things are worth paying for!

Colour charged or colourless?

Wax fall into two categories here – colourless non-colour specific waxes and colour charged waxes.

In simplistic terms, a colour charged wax is a wax that has dyes added to it, designed to lay down a subtle colour layer onto the base paintwork, to supposedly enhance the colour of the paint. A non-colour charged wax is devoid of added dyes, so effectively colourless with no alleged colour enhancing capabilities.



Colour specific waxes are generally geared towards mid-toned and darker cars, you might select a blue/purple charged wax for red, blue and black cars; and green, orange, yellow charged waxes for mid-toned paints. But any wax regardless of colour charging can be used on any car and it’s probably fun to experiment and to play with the effects, there are no hard and fast rules.

But, do they actually make any difference?

Well, it’s a topic of debate. I’ve been detailing black cars for a long time and have played about with colour charged waxes for darker paints for years (DoDo Juice, Obsessive Detail and Poorboys) and certainly, the former two make a subtle but noticeable difference to black cars.

My conclusion is there is a definite deepening and darkening of the black paint and this can reap very aesthetically pleasing results.

You may need a keen eye for it, but the effect is there.

Use of such waxes is simply a matter of preference and just one option. For about three years I used only colour charged waxes on a pearlescent black Golf GTI and absolutely loved the added depth and darkening effect they imparted and the accompanying levels of gloss and shine.

But the one thing I did notice with colour specific waxes was a slight ‘knocking back’ or ‘subduing’ of the pearl flake within my Deep Black Pear paint, and whilst I was happy with that on that particular car, when I swapped to my Golf R in Deep Black Pearl, something about the cleaner lines of the car made me wish for a different aesthetic to the finish.

Not enamoured with the finish of a nano sealant on black – too clinical and sterile for my liking – and remaining an ardent fan of wax especially for black paint, I looked away from colour charged waxes to other wax options.



Formerly a user of Collinite 915 Marque d’ Elegance wax, I looked to that but whilst a brilliant wax, it was still falling a little short of enhancement I was seeking. So I turned my attention to Swissvax Waxes. And that’s where I found what I was looking for, and how I came to find the Best wax for black cars.

Maintaining a black car

Many people shy away from choosing a black car. Why? Because if you care about having a car that’s kept well and looking it’s best, it’s hard work and they are quite high maintenance.

There are two main downsides to keeping a black car.

The first is they show dirt very very quickly, and easily, clean one minute, filthy the next, and even more so if a daily driver car, this is the reality. The second is swirls! All cars will get swirls over time through wash and dry practices, though these can be significantly minimised through a good careful wash, dry, protection techniques and use of touchless pre-wash stages. But, black cars show swirls more readily and arguably more than any other colour car, and solid black more than metallic or pearlescent black.

So it’s imperative if detailing your own car, to practice and perfect good careful maintenance techniques and use good quality products such as lambswool wash mitts, plush microfibre drying towels, or air dyers, to give you the best chance of keeping paintwork as swirl free as possible and to assist in presenting your waxed paintwork to its very best effect. If you’re new to the detailing world, check out my article on the best stater kit for enthusiast detailers. 

Any wax is only as good as the prep of the car that goes before it. This is, of course, true of all colour cars but black cars have these additional aforementioned challenges and whilst wax can give you the icing on the cake, without the preparation and regular detailing maintenance required to look after the paint, it will fall short of its full potential.

So if you like your black car to look its best you need to be aware and realistic of the effort needed to achieve that. Black cars are not for the faint-hearted or fair-weather detailer, but if you’ve got the time and commitment you’ll not find much to touch a black car in terms of reward and looks when done well! Wax it, and stand back and relish the result!

FAQ

What is the best wax to use on a black car?

The best wax for me is that of Swissvax Crystal Rock. However, it's very expensive and more affordable alternative would have to be Collinite 915.



What is the best way to make a black car shine?

You need to fully decontaminate and then polish the paint to get the best results. This will remove any defects and get the most from your wax.

How often should you wax a black car?

You should wax as often as you the wax removes from the paint. So, if after 3 weeks the wax has come off the paint, then it's time to re-wax. There is no set time and reason as to when this will be.

Does wax get rid of swirls?

No, a wax is designed to protect the paint, not correct paint. To remove swirls you will need to polish your paint either by hand or if they are particularly bad and for best results, by machine.

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