Best Car Screen Cleaners for 2023, Tested

Our car experts choose every product we feature. We may earn money from the links on this page.

Are screen cleaners really necessary to clean smudges, smears, and germs from the touchscreen in your car? We put five to the test to find out.

Are there any new cars on the market that don't come with a glass infotainment screen dominating the dash? They're getting bigger and bigger by the model year, too. Car screens are here to stay, playing (quite literally) ever-larger roles in the operation of modern cars and trucks.

Of course, there are several different types of screen cleaners on the market designed to clean all sorts of devices, from computers to phones to big-screen TVs. Lately the automotive aftermarket has responded as well. But do screen cleaners work and are they really necessary to clean the touchscreen in your car? We put five to the test to find out.

With more and more in-car functions controlled via screen, touchscreen monitors are one of the dirtiest surfaces in any modern vehicle. With driver and passenger tapping them often—and any screen begs to be smeared by greasy kid fingers—smudges, smears, and germs can accumulate rapidly.

From wipes to sprays, screen cleaners are designed for almost every device we use in our modern lives. While most screen cleaners are designed mainly for household electronic devices, some brands are vehicle-specific. Most of these are automotive interior cleaners and detailers that claim to be safe for use on touchscreens. Are these any better for your car than regular screen cleaners? Are any of them better than plain ol' Windex?

To find out, we recently put five screen cleaners to the test in our garage. Using chocolate-smeared fingers to create dried smudges and a dirty 3/8-inch combination wrench to produce greasy hand and fingerprints (we're still trying to identify the knucklehead who used this wrench and put it back in the toolbox without wiping it down), we tested all five for effectiveness and ease of use. Did they remove the grime, as well as the smudges? Did they leave behind streaks or film? Here's what we found out.

Total Interior won the top award in our recent Best Interior Cleaners test in large part because of its ability to clean glass and touchscreens—something not all interior cleaners will safely do. Total Interior wins Best Overall screen cleaner for much the same reason.

Let's be clear: Chemical Guys Total Interior did not clean our Lexus's screen any faster or better than the other products on this list. We chose it as our Best Overall Screen Cleaner because of its versatility in all-around car cleaning. Simply put, using this stuff keeps you from buying a separate cleaner specifically for your car's touchscreen. In our book, that's value and convenience—and we love those things.

It works tremendously all over the cockpit and cabin of any vehicle, and the grease and smudges we put on our test nav screen came off with an easy wipe, no rubbing required. If the stuff works and you already own it, why buy anything else? Especially now that it comes in handy 50-packs of wipes you can keep in the car.

We found a nice big screen in the Hearst Autos vehicle fleet to test our screen cleaners. Its left side is still dirty with grease and smudges; the right side was cleaned.

The Chemical Guys Interior Detailer made quick and easy work of the touchscreen in our test vehicle. It's also available in a 50-pack of wipes.

Another product that also made our Best Interior Cleaners test, Meguiar's works all over the interior of any car, as well as on the windshield and touchscreen. It's our Best Value pick because 1) It has applications beyond the nav screen, and 2) It's far more affordable than the competition. In fact, this is—by far, surprisingly—the least expensive product on this list.

Meguiar's Interior Detailer Cleaner degreased our touchscreen in one smooth wipe, with just a quick buff to remove the inevitable streaks. It left the screen clear and smudge-free.

Pro Tip: The #1 thing to remember when using any automotive interior cleaner on your nav screen is not to use the same microfiber cloth on your screen as you used on the dash, door handles, etc. Wiping dirt and debris across your car's screen can score the glass permanently, so always use a fresh, clean microfiber towel to wipe your screen.

Meguiar's Quick Interior Cleaner Detailer also worked well. If you already own a bottle of interior cleaner/detailer that claims to be safe for screens, there's no need to buy another product—unless you want to use it on all your devices, computers, and TVs.

With 70 towelettes and an included microfiber towel, WHOOSH! wipes are the most convenient screen cleaner of the bunch, because they stow easily in a console, glovebox, or trunk. Just wipe the screen clean, then wipe again with the microfiber to dry the drops. They're designed for all types of screens, from phones to camera lenses to eyeglasses.

In our test, WHOOSH! wipes worked well in cleaning smudges and fingerprints from the screen of our Lexus NX450h+. The only downside with wipes is they leave the screen wet and require a second step to finish the job: a dry wipe and buff with a microfiber towel. If the screen isn't fully dried—which in our case took more than just a wipe, it needed a decent drying and buffing—streaks and spots will occur.

WHOOSH! wipes worked as well as any of the sprays, and it's an easy package to tote around. Note that most cleaning wipes will leave you with a wet screen, so a second wipe/buff with a clean, dry microfiber towel is necessary.

Formulated for use on even the most sensitive types of LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens, EVEO also claims to remove static electricity from screens. In our test, we saw no reason to doubt that claim. EVEO did a fantastic job at cleaning our screen in just one wipe, and left virtually no streaks. We like the packaging, and found that its high retail price is often marked down.

The only drawbacks we could find with EVEO are 1) The 16-ounce bottle makes it prohibitive to carry around in the car, so it's really only useful on detail day (EVEO wipes are an option), and 2) Do any of us really need yet another bottle of $20 stuff on our garage shelf?

In this case, the cost—and the shelf space—might be justified. EVEO worked really, really well on every phone, laptop, computer monitor, and glass surface we cleaned with it. It even cleaned a car window (we had to try it) and claims to work great on glass stovetop surfaces and most big-screen TVs, too.

EVEO worked remarkably well, and is safe for use on glass stovetops and big-screen TVs—even OLEDs. If you're looking for a household screen cleaner, the bigger price tag is easily justifiable. It also cleaned the car windows!

Flawless makes eco-friendly cleaners for all kinds of things, right here in the USA. This screen cleaner is derived from natural sources and contains no toxins, harsh chemicals, or odors. It works on glossy and matte displays, glass and plastic, and LED, LCD, and OLED TV screens. In our test, it worked well in removing smudges and fingerprints from our car's infotainment screen, cut through grease like a champ, and left the screen on our test vehicle shiny and clear.

Flawless comes in a 16-ounce bottle for household applications, but is also available in a 3-pack of mini 2-ounce bottles so it's easy to drop one into the center console or glovebox of any vehicle. Just make sure you carry a clean microfiber cloth to use exclusively on your screen; you don't ever want to scrape any dirt or debris from a dirty cloth onto your car's touchscreen.

To that end, the cleaner is top-quality; the provided towel is not. We found the included microfiber felt thin and rather flimsy compared to others we had in the garage, and we wouldn't trust its red dye not to bleed in the washing machine.

We like Flawless because it's an American-made product derived from 100 percent natural ingredients. Odorless and toxin-free, it's safe for pets and kids. Better still, a 3-pack of mini 2-ounce bottles makes it easy to stash one in the car, another at your desk, and one more in a purse or backpack.

So what's the best car screen cleaner? In our testing, we found that all of the above products worked well for cleaning the infotainment screen in a car. The wipes required an extra drying step, but the end result with all of them was the same: A clean, streak-free touchscreen.

We chose Chemical Guys Interior Detailer as our Best Overall simply because 1) It also won Best Overall Interior Cleaner in our recent test, and 2) Many auto enthusiasts will already have it in their car-cleaning arsenal. Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer Cleaner makes the top of the list for the same reason, with the additional accolade of "Best Value" for its low price.

We realize, of course, that many auto care companies also manufacture interior cleaners that are safe for screens—Griot's Garage Interior Detailer comes to mind. However, we weren't able to get our hands on those products for this test. That said, if these auto-centric cleaners work so well on screens, there's no reason to think others won't, too. Be sure to read the label on the interior cleaner/detailer in your car cleaning kit before using it on your touchscreen. If it claims to be "safe for screens," give it a go before you buy a screen-specific cleaner.

The other products in this test worked just as well for cleaning car screens, with the added benefit of household applications: If you own a bunch of touchscreen devices or a modern big-screen TV, they'll work terrifically all over the house.

All of us have a tendency to treat the driver's seat as our personal throne. That's where we're in our element, so we get comfortable—and complacent. Whether our fingers were last tapping on our phone screen, grasping the handle of a wrench, or carefully unwrapping a half-melted Hershey bar, we all tend to jump in, tune the radio, adjust the AC, and set a destination on the nav screen—all without first washing our hands.

And if you have a family? Other drivers use the car and its touchscreen, too. Of course, kids can't resist touching any kind of screen, ever, and who knows where those tiny fingers have been? All parents have swiped their car's touchscreen and felt... mystery muck. Yuck.

That's why you should properly clean your touchscreen every time you clean your car—if not more often.

Touchscreens are likely one of the dirtiest, most germ-covered surfaces of any automobile. Sure, your dash gets dusty and your floorboard accumulates (a disturbing amount of) trash. However, it's that dash-mounted screen that gets the most fingers, and therefore germs, on it.

But are car screen cleaners really necessary? After all, isn't it just glass?

Not necessarily. Many typical household glass cleaners contain either ammonia or alcohol. Most manufacturers recommend avoiding harsh chemicals on touchscreens, as they can affect functionality and perhaps damage the surrounding dashboard.

Sure, it's cheaper and easier to use plain ol' Windex or Glass Plus, mainly because you've probably already got that stuff. Despite the temptation, though, you should avoid using household glass cleaner on your car's touchscreen unless you're positive the one you're using contains neither ammonia nor alcohol. Besides, you may already own a great screen cleaner and not realize it.

Many modern automotive detailing products, including Chemical Guys Interior Cleaner and Meguiar's Total Interior Detailer, are safe and effective to use on your car's touchscreen. Read the label to be sure.

The fact is, there's an even less expensive method to clean your car's touchscreen, no products required—except a microfiber towel. (Again, you want to avoid scraping dust particles across the surface of your touchscreen to prevent scratches, so always use a clean microfiber towel.)

Many of the experts and gearheads in our Hearst Autos test garage told us they rarely use any kind of cleaner on their personal touchscreens. Up and down the line, those who saw us testing and photographing screen cleaners—we're talking about people whose opinions we trust and whose bylines our readers know and respect—told us that whenever they get behind the wheel, they just drip a bit of water onto a clean microfiber towel, and wipe. Done.

As a parent, however, I'm left asking the question: Will a simple water wipe eliminate germs in the family SUV? Yeah, no. Sorry, but knowing my children, and the impressive but disgusting level of filth they can achieve, I'm going to use a cleaning agent on my car's touchscreen.

To get to the bottom of whether car screen cleaners were truly necessary, we used a very scientific methodology. That is, we got our fingers and hands dirty, and touched the heck out of a screen in a test vehicle in the Hearst Autos stable. We let it dry for a while, and then cleaned it according to the product's instructions. We did that five times.

We first made sure all the products did the job they claimed to do—and they all did. The wipes left droplets on the screen, which required a second wipe with a microfiber. But they all cleaned the chocolate and grease off the screen, leaving it clean and clear.

While using, we looked for any greasy film or residue left behind. We also considered any particularly strong odors, and took note of cleaners that left residual streaks. Most did, but all came away clean with a soft buff—that is to say, a few more gentle wipes with the microfiber towel.

Word to the wise: Don't discount a screen cleaner because it leaves streaks on your screen. Take your time and do it right. We noticed far too many people online complaining that the product they used wasn't some sort of magical solution that cleaned perfectly with just one wipe. All screen cleaners—all glass cleaners, really—will streak unless you take the time and care to give the surface a soft buff at the end of the process.

With a combined 206 years of automotive publishing experience, Hearst Autos—Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweek—knows cars better than just about anyone. The Gear Team is committed to delivering honest evaluations, hands-on tests, and product reviews driven by decades of knowledge and experience. We get our hands on almost every product, tool, and piece of gear we feature.

If we can’t get our hands on the gear, we rely on the combined wisdom of our writers and editors, as well as auto experts we trust. We’ll never say anything is “the best” if we wouldn’t recommend it to our friends or buy it ourselves, and we won’t claim we’ve tested something if we haven’t. Learn more about our product testing here.

Jon Langston is an avid motorcyclist and gear collector whose work has appeared in Men’s Journal, Cycle World, The Drive, Rider, Iron & Air, Motorcyclist, and more.

Collin Morgan is an Associate Commerce Editor at Hearst Autos, where the former Rust Belt mechanic and gadget enthusiast presents the best gear for your automotive endeavors.

The Best Infant Car Seats, According to Experts

Top-Rated Seat Covers for Your New Ford Bronco

Tested: Best EV Chargers for 2023

Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners for 2023

Gifts for the Car Enthusiast

American Flag Etiquette for Your Vehicle

Father's Day Gift Guide for Car-Loving Dads

Deal Alert: Complete Mechanics Tool Set 41% Off

Porsche Finder is Uploading Your Next Dream Car

Capital One Makes Purchasing Your Next Car Easier

Gift Ideas for Your Car-Loving Dad

25 Editor-Picked Car Gifts & Gadgets for Mom