Is Ceramic Coating Worth It? Here’s How It Holds Up In The Real World

The pursuit of achieving and maintaining a shiny and clean car is never-ending, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make it easier. If you’ve spent time researching the best ways to keep your car looking brand new then you’ve probably heard about ceramic coatings. Back in the day, the best weapon that car nuts had to fight the good fight against water spots, bird droppings, and UV damage to their car’s paint was by waxing it frequently. In order to maintain the most consistent paint protection with wax, it needs to be applied every couple of months, and it’s still susceptible to environmental contaminants and harsh soaps that can breach the barrier provided by the wax. 

A properly applied professional ceramic coating protects a car’s paint more completely for around three-to-five years, and a properly applied off-the-shelf ceramic coating protects for two-to-three years. Professional ceramic coating jobs are expensive for typical car owners, and off-the-shelf ceramic coatings are still pricey and take a lot of prep work to be done right, so is it really worth it? If you’re serious about paint protection, then yes, and here’s why.

When you get a car ceramic coated, you’re having a synthetic, silica-based nanoscopic protective surface coating applied to the exterior of your car as a liquid that cures to form a new hard, very shiny, yet invisible layer that’s chemically bonded to the surface of the paint or glass or plastic. The technology first started infiltrating the automotive world in the mid-2000s, and as the science has advanced, it has gotten much more affordable, accessible, and diverse, now with specially formulated ceramic coatings that can be applied to and protect a car’s painted body panels, glass, plastic exterior trim, or wheels to make it easier to clean off brake dust. Most ceramic coatings are comprised of the compound silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is an organic compound commonly found in quartz rock and in different types of desert and beach sand. Some ceramic coating brands also use titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an additional hardening agent.

A properly applied ceramic coating does many things to protect and improve the appearance of whatever surface it’s applied to. Since the coating is silicone-based and applied as a liquid, it actually fills small scratches and surface imperfections and forms a very shiny and perfectly flat surface on top, effectively eliminating the appearance of scratches. It’s also hydrophobic and UV protective, so liquids bead up and slide off any ceramic coated surfaces minimizing the chance for pesky water spots or mineral deposits to form, and it prevents UV rays from damaging paint. Its hydrophobic properties make it easy for dirt, grime, brake dust, and other surface contaminants to be swept off the surface just by rinsing it with water, making car washes a breeze. It’s also very glossy when clean, so it makes the surface shine brightly, and it lasts longer than other solutions like waxing.

Ceramic coatings are expensive to have professionally applied, and the at-home ceramic coating products require a lot of prep work, careful application, and don’t last as long as the concentrated professional products. The coating is semi-permanent, so proper upkeep like regular washes with dedicated soap are still necessary to maximize the coating’s effectiveness and lifespan. It doesn’t prevent scratches or rock chips; if you’re looking for protection like that then you need a paint protection film or PPF.

Several factors affect the cost of getting a professional ceramic coating including vehicle size, age, and condition. Prior to applying a ceramic coating, it’s often necessary to first do a paint correction which can vary in price and severity, and some shops charge more than others. In general, expect high-quality professional ceramic coatings to cost between $750 and $5,000. A brand new Fiat 500e is going to be much cheaper to ceramic coat than a decade-old Range Rover. The legit places offer warranties on their work, so look for that, too.

If long-term paint care and a pristine shiny appearance are high on your priority list, then investing in a high-quality professionally applied ceramic coating is worth the time and money. Off-the-shelf solutions provide a lot of the advantages for less money if you’re on a budget but be sure to do your research and follow the product instructions. Professionally applied ceramic coatings are generally sold at much higher concentrations than the ones that you can buy at an auto parts retailer, so they tend to last longer, but if budget is a concern the off-the-shelf ceramic coating kits are good options. Make sure to use car wash soaps that are specially formulated to play nicely with ceramic coatings, and perform all the upkeep recommended by the specific ceramic coating manufacturer that you choose to go with to maximize the benefits and the lifespan of the coating.