Best car bumper shine 2020

Bumper shine was originally named because a lot of cars used to have black plastic bumpers, but now body-coloured bumpers are more common. You’ll still find plastic cladding on vans, off-roaders and entry-level superminis, plus many new SUVs, as fitting it around the wheel arches makes them look more rugged.

Car bumper shine may still have a place among your car cleaning products, then. The black plastic areas can fade to grey over time but the best products can bring these trim pieces back to how they looked in the showroom. An added bonus is protection, much in the same way wax or sealant protects paintwork.

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Our test included 15 of the leading products, each applied to a section of plastic trim as per the manufacturer’s instructions. We looked at the ease of application, the end result and how each product performed over the course of six weeks, including any water beading. The finishes were checked at the end of the six-week period, too, and we also noted the value-for-money of each product.

These are the best car bumper shines to buy in 2020.

Simoniz Back to Black Bumper & Trim review

Size: 500mlPrice: ~ £4Rating: 5/5

Simoniz has tweaked its Back to Black Bumper & Trim restorer several times in the last few years, and it’s usually near the top of the charts. For the first time in seven years, it takes the top spot, thanks to excellent water beading that seemed just as prominent at the end of the test as when it was applied. The starting finish impressed, as did the price.

CarPlan Original Black review

Size: 500mlPrice: ~ £5Rating: 4.5/5

CarPlan Original Black is another product that we’ve featured for a number of years, and has previously won our award. It’s a very similar product to the Simoniz Back to Black, and both offer super-easy application; you won’t feel like you need to be an expert in car detailing. The water beading after using this product seemed to be the best on test and, while a little of the black had been lost by the end of the six weeks, it was still ahead of most competitors.

Angelwax Enigma Corona review

Size: 500mlPrice: ~ £30Rating: 4/5

The Angelwax Enigma Corona seems to be aimed at detailing enthusiasts, judging by the much higher price than the other products on this list. Using nano-ceramic technology, the Angelwax kept the bumper impressively dark even by the end of our test, and in this respect it’s a match for much costlier specialist coatings. It didn’t shift water as fast as the products above but it performed well and you may find you don’t need to apply it so often.

Black Diamond Trim Gel review

Size: 500mlPrice: ~ £5Rating: 4/5

The Black Diamond Trim Gel is the best of the other products we tried, and it feels like a budget version of the Angelwax. That’s because both need to be applied with a cloth and then polished, while the Simoniz and CarPlan pair are aerosol cans. You might prefer applying the bumper shine with a cloth, as it avoids overspray if you’re careful. Water beading and the finish at the end of the test were both good, but the top two performed even better.

Read our Tips and Advice pages for more of the best car cleaning products.