After testing several formulas, we found that the best snow foam is the Autoglym Polar Blast, which produces high-density foam that clings to the paintwork for far longer and effectively prewashes your car. However, if you want a snow foam that offers better value, the Pro-Kleen Cherry (as pictured above from our testing) is the best alternative.
To rate the snow foam within our roundup, we based our recommendations on thorough testing, our experience using multiple formulas, the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we took into consideration included the foam’s density, effectiveness, formulation, cling ability, scent and value for money. If you are new to snow foam, we recommend that you read our in-depth article on how to use it before making a purchase.
Best Snow Foam Overview
- Best Overall: Autoglym Polar Blast
- Best Value: Pro-Kleen Cherry
- Best For Tough Dirt: Auto Finesse Avalanche
- Best All-Rounder: Dirtbusters Car Candy
- Best For Clinging: Meguiar’s Ultimate
- Best Budget: Turtle Wax 53111
- Best Fast Acting: Muc-Off Pre-Wash
- Best Versatile: CarPlan Demon
Compared to a standard car wash shampoo, snow foam is designed to be used as a pre-wash solution. This means that it loosens and removes dirt before washing your car with a wash mitt. The purpose of this is that it helps to reduce the chances of introducing swirl marks onto the paint as there will be very little dirt left on the car.
It’s important to note that you’ll require a compatible snow foam lance to make use of the snow foams within this article.
Below is a list of the best snow foams that cling to your car’s paintwork to effectively loosen grime, dirt and other debris.
The Best Snow Foam
1. Best Overall: Autoglym Polar Blast
The Autoglym Polar Blast is one of the most highly-rated snow foams on the market and for good reason too. It’s a rich mixture that provides superior cling capabilities and loosens dirt with ease. In terms of getting the best foaming action from this formula, the brand states that you can use either a pressure washer or a lance.
- High density foam
- pH neutral and doesn’t strip polishes or waxes
- Requires 10 minutes dwelling time
- Loosens dirt and contamination
- Made in the UK
- Relatively expensive per litre when compared to the alternatives
Although expensive, the Polar Blast snow foam is made in the UK and backed by the reputable Autoglym brand for complete peace of mind. It’s a high-quality formula that produces a high-density thick foam and during testing, we were really impressed with it. Regardless of the spray pattern used on our lance, it never disappoints with ultra-thick foam.
2. Best Value: Pro-Kleen Cherry Snow Foam
If you want the best bang for your buck, the Pro-Kleen snow foam is an excellent choice. The formula produces super thick foam and according to the brand, it’s used by many professional valeting companies in the UK.
Another great benefit of choosing the Pro-Kleen formula is that the brand offers its snow foam in a variety of different scents, which includes cherry, pineapple, strawberry, banana, mango and many others.
- Super foam thickness
- Includes wax in the formula
- Effective and safe on all exterior surfaces
- Non-caustic formulation
- Available in multiple fragrances
- Large 5 litre bottle
- Doesn't cling to the car as well as the Autoglym Alternative (based on our testing)
To conclude, the Pro-Kleen snow foam offers the best value for the money and can produce super thick, high-quality foam (regardless of the lance you use). It’s also available in a range of different fragrances, which smell great and makes using it even more enjoyable due to the various colours.
3. Best For Tough Dirt: Auto Finesse Avalanche
Auto Finesse is a well-known UK detailing brand and they produce several high-quality products. The Avalanche Snow Foam is a great example of their reputation and it has been designed and developed by professional detailers.
To maximize its ability to loosen and remove tough road grime, this snow foam is infused with citrus, which provides it with additional cleaning power.
- Citrus infused cleaning power
- Trusted by professional detailers
- Doesn’t strip waxes or other products
- Requires 5 minutes of dwell time
- Suitable for regular use
- Made in the UK
- One of the most expensive formulas
Overall, the Auto Finesse Avalanche snow foam is a high-quality formula that provides effective cleaning results. It takes just 5 minutes for the foam to get to work and it’s one of the best pre-wash solutions on the market.
4. Best All-Rounder: Dirtbusters Car Candy Snow Foam
Another popular and budget-friendly car snow foam is by the Dirtbusters brand. It’s a concentrated formula that loosens dirt and leaves a pleasant cherry fragrance after it’s left to dwell upon the car.
- Safe on all exterior surfaces
- Contains no caustic chemicals
- Extra-cling formula
- Formula includes premium wax
- Leaves behind a cherry scent
- Foam isn't as thick as other formulas
Overall, the Dirtbusters Car Candy produces an effective snow foam that cleans and smells great. It’s also relatively affordable, which allows you to be extra generous with the solution and achieve extra thickness.
5. Best For Clinging: Meguiar’s Ultimate Snow Foam
By far the most expensive snow foam per litre is Meguiar’s Ultimate but this is mainly because it’s a highly concentrated formula. According to the brand, they state that it only requires 100 ml per 500 ml of water, which means it does go a long way for the initial upfront cost.
A unique aspect of this formula is that it uses a patented Xtreme Cling formulation, which has been specifically engineered for waxed or sealed finishes.
- Excellent "cling" capabilities on all paint types and waxed surfaces
- Gently remove all dirt and contamination
- Concentrated formula goes a long way (5:1 dilution)
- Safe to use on all types of paint work, alloys and trims
- During testing, it performed the best in our "cling" test on waxed cars
- Far more expensive than alternative snow foams
The main drawback of the Meguiar’s Ultimate Snow Foam is the premium price tag but the brand promises that it provides great results each and every time without fail. It’s popularity is a clear indication of its quality and during our testing, we found it to be very effective as a pre-wash solution for our waxed cars. This is because many of the alternatives failed to cling to the slippery waxed surface but Meguiar’s Ultimate has no issues whatsoever.
6. Best Budget: Turtle Wax 53111 Car Snow Foam
Turtle Wax is a brand that’s known for its affordable yet high-quality detailing products and they don’t disappoint with their snow foam. This is because it has recently been upgraded to provide thicker foam as well as a streak-free shine, which is thanks to the inclusion of advanced hydrophobic polymers within the formula.
- Advanced hydrophobic polymers for a streak-free finish
- Lifts grease, oil and grime without agitation
- Leaves behind a rich cherry scent
- pH neutral that's safe to use on all types of paint work, alloys and trims
- Available in either a 2.5 or 5 litre bottle
- As it's a ready mixed formula, it'll cost more in the long run
For those that want a cheap snow foam solution that’s backed by a reputable brand, this Turtle Wax formula is perfect. It’s suitable for all exterior surfaces and provides a streak-free finish each and every time.
7. Best Fast Acting: Muc-Off Snow Foam Pre-Wash
If you don’t have the time to sit around waiting for the snow foam to get to work, the Muc-Off brand has the answer with their formula. This is because it has been designed to rapidly remove dirt or grime and provide maximum coverage. It also benefits from being able to work its magic in any lance that you wish to use for peace of mind.
- New and improved formula
- Water based and pH neutral
- Cranberry scent whilst dwelling
- Suitable for all exterior surfaces
- Slightly expensive (even though it comes in a large 5 litre bottle)
Although Muc-Off’s snow foam comes with a premium price tag, it ticks all the boxes and is fast acting with a dwell time of approximately 5 minutes. To ensure that you get the best value whilst using this formula, we highly recommend sticking to the dilution ratios to avoid disappointment and having to reorder it sooner than needed.
8. Best Versatile: CarPlan Demon Wash Snow Foam
The CarPlan Demon Foam is a popular and affordable option that produces dense foam for removing dirt and grime. However, what makes it more unique than other formulas we’ve tried and tested is the fact that you can also use this formula as a regular car wash shampoo if required. Therefore, you can simply spray it onto your car and begin using your wash mitt on the paintwork and wheel brush on your alloys for a more thorough clean in a single stage.
- High density foaming action
- Suitable for pressure washer or bucket use
- Compatible with all exterior surfaces
- Leaves behind a nice smelling cherry fragrance
- Uses a lot of the formula per wash, which means you may go through it fairly quickly
Overall, the CarPlan Demon Foam is an excellent all-round option that produces high-quality dense foam. The brand even offers a clever foam gun attachment that connects to the bottle itself for use with a regular hose pipe. This is great for those that don’t own a pressure washer but still want to use snow foam on their cars.
How We Rated
Due to the popularity of snow foam, there are hundreds of formulas to choose from. However, to help you choose the best, we have carried out the latest research and tested several formulas whilst cleaning our own cars.
This includes testing snow foam that outputs pink foam to those that are produced by the big brands in the detailing industry. We also tested the formulas on cars that were covered in months worth of dirt and grime as well as cars with waxed surfaces (to test how well it clings). As you can see in the photo, we recently tested the Pro-Kleen and Autoglym formulas and we highly recommend both.
During our testing, we tested the effectiveness as well as how well the snow foams were at clinging to the paintwork. When compared to the Pro-Kleen formula, the Autoglym snow foam certainly excelled and did a great job at clinging and breaking down contamination. However, as stated in our roundup, you have to pay a premium for the Autoglym formula.
Below are some photos we took during recent testing of the two formula and it displays how both snow foams appeared on the cars once sprayed onto the paintwork.
We aim to continue our ongoing snow foam testing and keep this article up to date with all the latest formulas. This means that we intend to test the latest snow foams from top brands in the UK as and when they release new formulas. From reputable detailing brands such as Meguiar’s and Autoglym to lesser-known brands, our ongoing testing means that we have a variety of new and improved formulas to test and base our recommendations on.
Below is a video that we posted on our YouTube channel that shows us testing our top recommendation (Autoglym Polar Blast). As you can see in the video, the snow foam produced is ultra-thick and clings to the paintwork. Applying snow foam is one of our favourite parts of detailing a car and as you can see, it’s very satisfying to apply.
As well as our testing and experience using multiple snow foams, we also based our recommendations on the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we took into consideration included the foam’s effectiveness, formulation, cling ability, scent and value for money.
Conclusion
Snow foam is a popular detailing product among enthusiasts and professionals and for good reason too. Not only does it allow you to safely wash your car without coming into contact with the paint but it’s also great fun to use too.
All of our recommendations are suited to a range of budgets and are safe to use on all exterior surfaces. For the best results, we advise that you use a strong dilution of the formula because it will produce even thicker foam. Ideally, you’ll also want to use a car pressure washer because a standard garden hose may not produce the best results.
If you require further information regarding any of the snow foams listed in our roundup, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
Car Snow Foam FAQ's
Snow foam is a pre-wash solution that helps to break down and remove dirt on your car’s paintwork, wheels and other surfaces. It’s a great first step to your car washing routine because it’s completely contactless, which means that you are less likely to scratch or introduce swirl marks to your car’s paintwork.
After you’ve coated your car in snow foam, you’ll need to leave it on to dwell for a set period. Most brands state that snow foam needs to be left for at least 5 to 10 minutes before it needs to be rinsed off. During this time, the snow foam solution clings to any dirt, which it then takes with it as its rinsed away. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t use snow foam in direct sunlight because it’ll dry too quickly upon the paintwork.
Thick snow foam is very desirable and it can be achieved by using warm water and adjusting the snow foam and water mixture within your lance. In terms of the mixture, you’ll want to increase the air intake into the lance and use a higher concentrate of the snow foam solution. If you are still unable to achieve thick foam, we would recommend that you check to see that your lance is fully functioning or change to a different snow foam solution.
To ensure you mix the best snow foam possible, it’s crucial that you use the correct dilution ratio. The exact ratio required will be stated on the bottle and we highly recommend that you use warm water to dilute the formula (as discussed above).
