Best wheel cleaner UK

Which is the best wheel cleaner in 2024?

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Best of 2024: Find the right wheel cleaner in the UK

If you are an automobile enthusiast, then you know that the best wheel cleaner is a godsend for your vehicle. Car wheels can be notoriously difficult to clean, which is why so many people dread the chore, but with a quality wheel cleaner cleaning those wheels is easy and efficient. However, finding the best car wheel cleaners is not always easy. There is a huge range of products to choose from, so finding the best cleaner for your car wheels might require some patience. To help with the buying process, check out the handy buying guide below. It covers all the information that you need to know to find the best wheel cleaners.


The 10 best wheel cleaners in the UK (October 2024)

The bestseller list compares wheel cleaners from multiple brands
Best choice TOP 1
Image of Turtle Wax 52819 wheel cleaner
Turtle Wax 52819
  • Application: Use a wheel brush to ensure no area is left untouched for a thorough clean.
  • Versatility: Safe for alloy, plastic, cars, lorries, trucks, caravans, motorbikes, tires, and rims.
  • Effectiveness: Fast-acting formula removes stubborn brake dust, tar, and road grime.
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TOP 2
Image of Pro-Kleen 5DB wheel cleaner
Pro-Kleen 5DB
  • Efficiency: Thick formula increases cleaning capability; a little goes a long way.
  • Versatility: Safe for all wheel types, glass, plastic, rubber, and more.
  • Effectiveness: Dissolves iron contaminants on wheels, paint, and more upon contact.
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TOP 3
Image of Wonder Wheels WWH602 wheel cleaner
Wonder Wheels WWH602
  • Innovation: Features colour changing technology for easy cleaning detection.
  • Safety: Acid-free and pH balanced, suitable for all wheel types.
  • Effectiveness: Removes brake dust, grime, dirt, grease, and oil quickly.
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Offer TOP 4
Image of CarPlan CDE101 wheel cleaner
CarPlan CDE101
  • Convenience: Easy-to-use, fast-penetrating formula available in a 5-litre refill pack.
  • Efficiency: Removes baked-on brake dust, road grime, and oil quickly.
  • Compatibility: Suitable for chrome, plastic, alloys, and split rims.
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TOP 5
Image of Autoglym AAWC001 wheel cleaner
Autoglym AAWC001
  • Versatile: Safe for various wheel finishes and trims.
  • Reactive: Turns red to signal effective brake dust removal.
  • pH-neutral: Prevents damage while effectively cleaning wheel surfaces.
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TOP 6
Image of CARSHARK  wheel cleaner
CARSHARK
  • Versatility: Suitable for all wheel types.
  • Safety: Acid-free formula ensures safe cleaning.
  • Effectiveness: Removes dirt, grease, tar, and brake dust from all wheels.
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TOP 7
Image of Turtle Wax 53672 wheel cleaner
Turtle Wax 53672
  • ColourChange: Changes color to indicate cleaning progress.
  • Non-Acidic: Acid-free; safe on all alloys, decals, and wheel nuts.
  • HeavyDuty: Breaks up stubborn grime and brake dust on entire wheel surface, including calipers.
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TOP 8
Image of Meguiar's G180124EU wheel cleaner
Meguiar's G180124EU
  • Ease: Simple application; apply, wait 2-4 minutes, agitate if needed, then wash.
  • Safety: Acid-free and pH balanced formula, safe on all wheels.
  • Effectiveness: Instantly dissolves heavy brake dust, changing to purple as it works.
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TOP 9
Image of Pro-Kleen 1DB wheel cleaner
Pro-Kleen 1DB
  • Efficiency: Long-lasting, colour-changing formula maximizes cleaning with minimal product.
  • Safety: Safely removes iron from paint, wheels, glass, rubber, and more.
  • Power: Dissolves contaminants upon contact with advanced cleaning formula.
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Table of contents
  1. Read the definitive wheel cleaner buying guide
  2. View the wheel cleaner picks and see how they rank in the top list

wheel cleaner buying guide

Do you want to buy a good wheel cleaner? This is all you need to know.

A short explanation: What are wheel cleaners?

Image of wheel cleaners

Wheel cleaners are specially formulated cleaning products used to clean car or automotive wheels. As a part of the automobile that is difficult to clean, wheel cleaners are much more effective than trying to clean a wheel with basic cleaning products, with the best wheel cleaners offering a powerful clean in no time. Furthermore, good wheel cleaners are now widely available in most supermarkets, autocentres and petrol stations.

What are the benefits of good wheel cleaners?

The best wheel cleaner is highly effective at removing dirt, grime, dust, and other debris from car wheels. This part of the car is notoriously dirty and often covered in abrasive brake dust that can corrode the wheel if left untreated. So, by using a good wheel cleaner a few times month, you can keep wheels looking clean and protect the build-up of corrosive dust. Car wheels are some of the dirtiest parts of a car, so they require dedicated cleaning product.

How to choose the best wheel cleaner in 2024?

Additional image of wheel cleaner

Not sure where to find the best wheel cleaner for your car? Consider some of the following to help you find what you need:

  • pH Balance: A wheel cleaner with the right pH balance is vital for getting the best results without wasting your time. For example, alkaline-based products are usually the best wheel cleaner for baked-on grime that hasn’t been removed for an extended period. Acidic products offer increased performance on all types of dirt, including water spots and rust from metal surfaces. A neutral shampoo is a great choice for a regular wheel cleaner, as they are effective at loosening surface debris for a consistently high standard of cleanliness.
  • Cleaning Requirements: Your wheels pick up all kinds of dirt while driving, some of it clinging to the surface while others embed deep into the material of the wheels. So, it helps to know what sort of cleaning requirements you have when choosing a wheel cleaner, which largely comes down to how dirty your wheels are and if this dirt has been allowed to cling to the surface or embed into the material.
  • Material Compatibility: Alloy wheel cleaners can stain or damage your wheels if the wrong type is used, so you should always check the material compatibility with your wheels. Most products are fine with virtually any type of metal, but you can never be sure without checking, and it’s a different story with the protective coating on wheels. Many products are not compatible with the coating used on most alloy wheels, so make sure the one you buy is ok to use.

Which types of wheel cleaners are available to buy in the UK?

It is hard to find the best wheel cleaner for your type of alloy rim, when every product is claimed as the best. So, we made this list of the most popular wheel cleaner you can find:

  • Acid-Free Wheel Cleaner: Not to be confused with standard car shampoo, acid-free wheel cleaner is ideal for gently removing tough grime like brake dust, and is the best alloy wheel cleaner for maintaining the clear coating found on most rims.
  • Alkaline-Based Wheel Cleaner: While a great all-in-one, alkaline wheel cleaners can damage clear-coated alloy rims, meaning you may need a dedicated cleaner for protected wheels. It’s a powerful cleaner that’s great for more harmful dirt but may strip the coating.
  • Iron Fallout Wheel Cleaner: A specialist cleaner, it’s ideal for removing iron particles that have fallen onto the hot wheel and embedded into the metal, resulting in visible specks. An intense cleaner, it’s not suitable for all alloy rims, being too strong for those with painted and power-coated finishes.
…are you ready for the best picks of 2024?

VIEW THE TOP 10 LIST →