Best alloy wheel cleaners 2024 - tried and tested

For many, cleaning a car is a therapeutic ritual that provides a tangible sense of achievement and offers an opportunity to shower their pride and joy with a little love. For others, it’s a necessary evil that, at best, is rushed and at worst. 

Whichever side you fall on this, cleaning your alloy wheels does more than just make them sparkle, because road grime and salt can all damage the finish of your alloy wheels, and in the worst-case scenario, can sow the seeds of corrosion.

Brake dust is a particular problem, because as the pads wear, tiny metal particles and a variety of other materials are released. If not properly cleaned, this can cause damage to the clear coat or lacquer and eventually corrode the wheel itself. This can be made worse if the wheel has been damaged by striking a kerb, for example. 

Cleaning your wheels usually involves a dedicated alloy wheel cleaning, a brush to get in all the nooks and crannies, and a plentiful supply of water. And while you can use a car shampoo, spray-on alloy wheel cleaners are better designed for the job, lifting dirt from the wheels, restoring them to their glory with little or no agitation from a brush. Simply spray on, leave for a few moments and rinse off.

All the alloy wheel cleaners here change colour to indicate when they’re working. Half of these here recommend agitation with a brush while the other half do not require it, making the process potentially cleaner and quicker. But are they as effective? Let’s find out… 

Best overall alloy wheel cleaner – Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel

Best performing alloy wheel cleaner – Autoglym Advanced Wheel Cleaner

Best value alloy wheel cleaner – Halfords Colour Changing Wheel Cleaner

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

Best alloy wheel cleaners 2024

1. Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel – Best overall alloy wheel cleaner

What Car? Rating – 5/5

Pros

- Excellent performance
- Least unpleasant smell
- Great price

Cons

- Very quick-acting
- Not for chrome-effect plastic

British brand Bilt Hamber has won numerous accolades in the past, so we were interested to see how it performed in our tests. It comes in a one-litre bottle with a separate pump spray, and a brush is included for cleaning particularly dirty wheels. 

It’s a surprisingly thin liquid with a pleasant banana smell that’s easy to get into every nook and cranny of the wheel directly from the bottle. The reaction which lifts the brake deposits begins instantly with the colour changing immediately, suggesting an aggressive product. Bilt Hamber suggests leaving it on for between 15 seconds and two minutes; we left it on for a minute which reinforces the strength of the product. 

The instructions say it shouldn’t be allowed to dry on the wheel, but this is unlikely given the two-minute maximum dwell time. And despite its thin nature, it appeared to cling well to the wheel. It shouldn’t be used on chrome-effect plastic components, but our plastic wheel centre caps were fine. 

After rinsing off with a pressure washer, the wheels came up spotless. All traces of brake dust, road grime and tar were removed completely, revealing clean wheels in their original finish. 

Tester’s insight
“We were initially worried there may not be much difference between the wheel cleaners in our test, but the Bilt Hamber was the clear winner. It’s streets ahead of the other products when it comes to its effectiveness, ease of use and – surprisingly – its cost. Its performance is exceptional and it costs less than £1.50 per 100ml. A worthy winner of this test.”

Buy it if

- You want the easiest, best performance
- You’re looking for value for money

Don't buy it if

- You like getting hands-on with wheel cleaning
- You like to take your time with this process

The facts

2. Autoglym Advanced All Wheel Cleaner – Best performing alloy wheel cleaner

What Car? Rating – 4/5

Pros

- Spray on, rinse off
- Very effective
- Decent value

Cons

- A secondary, but light, application necessary to prevent drying
- Reasonably long dwell time
- Bottle slightly uncomfortable in the hand

Autoglym’s Advanced Wheel Cleaner is a relatively new product to the market. The instructions say to apply to a dry wheel, spray on from the bottom up and allow to work for between two and four minutes – we left it for three. It also warns to not let it dry and that agitation may be used for “heavily soiled or neglected wheels”. We chose no agitation. 

It goes on nicely from the bottle, which is shaped in Autoglym’s familiar rectangular profile. It’s thicker than some liquids here, meaning it clings well to the wheel and the brake residue. Almost instantly, the product began to change colour to a dark purple with the residue running down the wheel. 

After three minutes, we rinsed it off with the pressure washer and it revealed a very clean wheel; there was no brake-dust residue remaining on the wheel and the alloy was as bright as we have ever seen it. 

Tester’s insight
“The Advanced All Wheel Cleaner was very good; it went on easily, though the pump spray on the rectangular bottle was a little uncomfortable in the hand for half a wheel, and may be more so for all four. However, that’s a small price to pay for excellent cleaning performance. It did exactly what you expect and costs less than £2 per 100ml.

Buy it if

- You want to spray on and rinse off
- You have other Autoglym products that it will compliment

Don't buy it if

- You like getting more hands on
- You don't want to wait three minutes to rinse

The facts

3. Halfords Wheel Cleaner – Best value alloy wheel cleaner

What Car? Rating – 4/5

Pros

- Cheapest here
- Goes on easily
- Is effective

Cons

- Thin so runs off
- More applications required to prevent drying
- Agitation recommended 

The Halfords product is a fairly unassuming package, comprising a basic bottle and spray pump with 500ml of cleaner for just £6. That makes it the least expensive product here. 

The instructions suggest leaving for three to five minutes to allow the colour to change, and not allowing the product to dry. It then says to agitate the surface with a brush before rinsing off. 

It goes on easily and covers fairly well, although the liquid is thin and begins to run off immediately. It instantly begins to show a purple colour where it reacts with the metallic compounds in the brake dust, and it has a very pungent odour. Coverage is reasonable but we did need to reapply during the dwell period to prevent it from drying out. 

Agitating the product on the wheel is quite easy – it seemed to loosen the heavier areas well and didn't require too much working. While it removed the majority of the brake dust and road grime, there were some specks of what appeared to be tar that remained. 

The overall result was a nicely-cleaned wheel that did not require excessive effort to remove the dirt and brake debris. 

Tester’s Insight
“The Halfords Wheel Cleaner is the baby of the bunch, in terms of the size and the cost per 100ml. That said, you do need to reapply to prevent it drying out, which means you’ll use more per wheel. However, it’s effective once you get enough on the wheel and agitate it. It did a good job of loosening the brake debris, bringing our test wheels up nicely.”

Buy it if

- You are after ultimate value – it's the cheapest
- You don't mind putting in some effort

Don't buy it if

- You want a solution to apply once and leave
- You want to spray and rinse

The facts

4. Meguiar’s Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner

What Car? Rating – 4/5

Pros

- Instant cleaning action
- Very good performance
- Easy to use spray bottle

Cons

- Most expensive here
- Benefits from agitation
- Must be applied to dry wheels

The Meguiar’s offering feels a premium product, as does most of the brand’s range – and price tags. It goes on nicely from the bottle and is reasonably thick – more viscous than a liquid but not quite a gel – and appears to begin working straight away, with dark purple streaks coming off immediately. It feels effective, with good coverage and you don't seem to need too much. 

The instructions are very clear that it should be used on dry wheels only and not allowed to dry, with a suggested dwell time of two to four minutes – we left it on for three. This is another that is designed to be sprayed on, left and rinsed though again, the familiar; “agitation may be required for heavily soiled or neglected wheels” caveat is included. We did not use the brush. 

After three minutes, we rinsed off by using a pressure washer, and were impressed. Generally, it brought the wheel up very nicely, removing almost all of the brake residue with the exception of a couple of hard-packed areas that perhaps could have done with some agitation. But overall, a good performance. 

Tester’s insight
“The Meguiar’s is a very good performer; it’s almost on par with the Autoglym and superior to the Wonder Wheels, but is hindered by that price tag. For comparable quantities, it is more than 40% more expensive than the Autoglym but doesn't feel 40% more effective, making it a more expensive, though broadly comparable, performer.”

Buy it if

- You clean your wheels regularly
- You want a spray and go solution

Don't buy it if

- You have an eye on budget
- You allow brake debris to build up

The facts

5. Rain-X Graphene Wheel Cleaner and Protectant

What Car? Rating - 4/5

Pros

- Instant action
- Great performance
- Quoted wheel protection

Cons

- Fairly thin so poor cling
- Need to reapply 
- Expensive compared with others

Rain-X isn't a brand you would normally expect to produce wheel cleaners, but here it is. It uses ‘graphene technology’ and is a wheel cleaner and protectant that, Rain-X says, cleans, shines and protects your wheels, with the Graphene coating helping to reduce subsequent build-up of brake deposits. 

The four-step graphical instructions says to leave for two to three minutes, agitate then rinse off. As it’s quite thin, you seem to need quite a lot of it. The colour change begins to occur quickly but the thin nature means you have to re-apply to prevent it drying out. 

When agitating, it appeared to lift the brake deposits well and foamed up nicely, leaving a clean wheel after rinsing with no stubborn deposits left. Its performance is the best of the cleaners that require agitation, only just ahead of the Halfords product, but it is almost double the cost of the latter.

 Tester’s insight
“Of the cleaners that need agitation, this was the best of the bunch, finishing slightly ahead of the Halfords in our placing. We couldn't immediately discern any difference in the final surface finish of the wheel compared to other products, but time will tell. What does hinder the Rain-X is the cost – it is almost double that of the Halfords which, if you are budget-conscious, could sway you.”

Buy it if

- You are happy to agitate and want great performance
- You want some protection to the wheels after cleaning

Don't buy it if

- You are budget-conscious
- You are averse to getting hands-on

The facts

6. Simoniz Iron Active Wheel Cleaner

What Car? Rating – 3/5

Pros

- Goes on easily
- Decent coverage
- Good price

Cons

- Long dwell time
- Reapplication needed to prevent drying
- Required more agitation than others

Iron Active Wheel Cleaner from Simoniz is also a bodywork pre-wash treatment, and is described as a ‘fall-out remover’ to be rubbed with a cloth prior to washing. 

The instructions say to spray on and leave on each wheel for five minutes until the product has turned dark red, then to agitate with a brush before rinsing. It specifies washing one wheel at a time, not allowing the product to dry and to avoid spraying on to braking components though this would be particularly difficult for some wheels which have lots of void space between the spokes. 

It is another reasonably thin liquid, comparable to the Halfords product, but its odour isn’t as strong. The liquid seems to begin working quickly, with dark purple coming from the edge of the wheel rim. We could see the odd bubble begin to form as it ran off the wheel, demonstrating where the reaction between the metallic elements in the brake debris and the cleaner. 

After half of the dwell period, the dark purple began to turn a rusty brown and the product was drying out, so we had to reapply at around three minutes. The brown sections turned purple straight away but it did mean more product was used. 

It needed more agitation than the Halfords to loosen caked-on brake debris, suggesting that it's not as aggressive. However, once rinsed, the wheel came up very nicely, although it required more water to do this because more suds and foam were produced. 

Tester’s insight
“The Simoniz was a good product that did a decent job, although not as effectively as the Halfords. It went on well, but seemed close to drying and required a second application, and it was harder work to get the brake residue off, too. It did a good job of shifting grime, and is decent value.”

Buy it if

- You want the same product for wheel and bodywork
- You don't mind waiting for it to work

Don't buy it if

- You only want to apply once
- You don't want to have to agitate it – you will need to

The facts

7. Wonder Wheels Colour Active Super Wheel Cleaner

What Car? Rating – 3/5

Pros

- Comfortable spray trigger
- Clings well to wheel
- Reasonable performance

Cons

- Quite expensive
- Difficult to identify colour change
- Not as effective as some

Wonder Wheels is purple from the bottle so it is a little tricky to identify how and when it is working. The liquid goes on relatively thickly, but is thicker than those which suggest agitation and only runs a little. Even at three minutes it was showing little signs of drying. 

During the dwell period, it didn't appear to react with the brake debris as effectively as some of the others with little evidence of the colour-changed liquid running from the wheel. However, once the product was rinsed off, the wheel came up quite nicely. 

There were a couple of areas where the debris was clearly deeply ingrained and these looked as if they would require additional application or agitation. It also warned not to spray onto braking components – but like the Simoniz, it was difficult not to. 

Overall, it was a reasonable performance, which defied our early expectations.

Tester’s insight
“The colour of the Wonder Wheels meant it wasn’t immediately clear how well it was working. It clung to the wheel surface well but appeared to require additional agitation on some areas of deep brake debris that other products didn’t. A reasonable performance but not as good as some and also, quite expensive.”

Buy it if

- You clean your wheels regularly
- You need to get rid of light debris

Don't buy it

- You have heavily-soiled wheels
- You want a clear colour-change indication of readiness

The facts

8. Turtle Wax Redline Wheel Cleaner

What Car? Rating - 3/5

Pros

- Begins to work instantly
- Decent performance
- Good price

Cons

- Incredibly powerful odour
- Reapplication needed to prevent drying
- Long dwell time

The Turtle Wax Redline Wheel Cleaner is a very pungent product, with a strong odour. It goes on fairly thinly but begins to turn red almost instantly, suggesting an aggressive make-up. The instructions recommend a dwell time of three to five minutes, so we left it on for four before agitating with a wheel brush. 

When we did this, it formed a thick, gloopy foam that became slightly less red in colour as it lifted the brake debris from the wheel with sections of red eventually being replaced by brown foam. We re-applied lightly to prevent it from drying out – something accelerated as we started agitating the formula with a brush. As a brush-on, it has decent cling to the wheel, more similar to the Simoniz than the Halfords. 

It rinsed off the wheel without forming too many suds, although some of the more stubborn marks remained in place. It required more agitation than the Halfords by the time it was fully rinsed, but the appearance of the wheel was very good, remaining marks aside. 

Tester’s insight
“Initially, this felt like it should be very powerful and effective and, in the main, it was. However, I needed to reapply the solution when brushing to prevent it from drying, and it didn't lift dirt and brake debris as well as some here. A reasonable performance, but it could really offend the nose.”

Buy it if

- You have no sense of smell
- You are happy to put some effort into brushing

Don't buy it if

- You are pushed for time
- You don't like heavy chemicals

The facts

How we test alloy wheel cleaners

We began by cleaning the alloy wheels on our test car, then driving it for several weeks. Because front wheels are more susceptible to brake dust, we swapped the wheels front to back part-way through the driving cycle to ensure that all four wheels were uniformly dirty. 

Following the instructions for each product, we formed a mask from a thick piece of foam allowing us to apply each product to half a wheel. We then rinsed with a pressure washer after the stated dwell period. Where a range of dwell times was suggested, we used a mid-point between the two. 

We alternated front and rear wheels to prevent cross-contamination of product or unintentional water application, and ensured all products were applied to cool wheels out of direct sunlight. We used the same brush for the products that suggested agitation and rinsed wheels with the pressure washer between products.

We took photographs before, during and after the process to highlight the products’ penetration and effectiveness.

How we rate alloy wheel cleaners

Cost

We broke the price of each product down into a unit cost per 100ml of product to better determining value. Where more product was required, this was factored in.

Application

We assessed how easy each product was to apply to the vehicle’s wheels; was the bottle comfortable in the hand and how easily did it go on? Did the product cling well to the wheel or did it run off? Were excessive amounts of product needed to cover the wheel and achieve the required finish?

Agitation

Did we need to agitate the product with a brush once applied or were we able to simply rinse the product off? 

Finish

Did the product remove all the road dirt and brake dust residue from the wheel? Did the wheel feel like it would resist the build-up of subsequent brake dust and dirt in the future? 

What’s in an alloy wheel cleaner?

All of the alloy wheel cleaners here on test are marked with the ‘Harmful’ exclamation mark symbol since the chemical constituent typically can be toxic if swallowed and harmful to the skin or eyes, as well as the environment. Further, the Simoniz product also carries the ‘Corrosive’ symbol, suggesting it contains either an acid or alkaline component and is the only product here to be so marked. 

To remove dirt, tar and brake deposits, wheel cleaners need some chemicals to do this and the main ones are as follows:

Sodium Mercaptoacetate

Six of the eight products here use this as their main component, typically with several other, smaller-proportion surfactants to help lift dirt from the substrate. Described as a ‘Danger’ by the European Chemical Agency, this is toxic if swallowed and harmful to skin and aquatic life and may be corrosive to metals. It is typically used in washing and cleaning as well as textile dying. 

Sodium Thyoglycolate

A synonym of Sodium Mercaptoacetate.

ThioCare

Manufactured by Bruno Bock, this is derived from Thioglycholic acid but is pH neutral and is described as “a reactive cleaning agent for the removal of metal oxide particles on sensitive surfaces.”

Benzisothiazolinone

This has fungicidal properties and is typically used in car care products, domestic cleaning and stain-removal products.

How we test products

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

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