Best Car Paint (2023 Guide)

Dec 03, 2023

Aidan Pounder is a Motor1.com product tester that has written automotive news content, car insurance guides, and extended warranty guides for HotCars, The Detroit Bureau, and other automotive sites. He spends his free time keeping up with European soccer.

Reviewed By: Charles Noyes

A high-quality car paint with good coverage and high pigmentation.

An affordable car paint with good weather-resistant properties.

An acrylic enamel car paint kit with everything you need.

An acrylic urethane-based car paint with a high image distinctiveness.

An automotive top coat with perfect color matching to your car.

There are a variety of factors worth considering when looking for the best car paint for your vehicle. But wading through samples of different types of paint with differing applications takes time and expertise that many people don't have.

The best car paints will stand up to the elements, be easy to apply, and be easy to match to your car's color. Read on to learn more about the characteristics of the best car paints and options from some of the biggest brands in the industry.

When seeking the best paint for cars, consider the following before making a purchase.

There are two methods for applying enamel paint to your vehicle.

There are four types of paint that you’re likely to encounter during your search for the best car paint.

To select the car paints featured in this buyers guide, we consult our network of experts for their thoughts on paint. These experts have over 100 years of combined experience in aftermarket auto fields ranging from detailing to accessories to tires, and everything in-between. These experts helped us identify the qualities that would be most important to someone looking for car paint and the standout brands in each category.

Our team then combed through dozens of resources such as DIY mechanic and auto enthusiast forums, manufacturer and paint-specific websites, instruction manuals from manufacturers, and reviews from online retailers. We pay particularly close attention to quality reviews and recommendations that highlight the quality of warranties, customer service support, build quality, materials, and overall reliability.

We also factored in the quantity and quality of online retailer reviews from websites such as Amazon, RealTruck, Advance Auto Parts, and more. We looked at factors such as notable customer reviews, prices, meaningful superlatives, and discount shipping eligibility. We did the research so you don't have to.

Since 2020, we have published over 200 auto product reviews in an effort to make shopping for auto products easier. Our team of writers, editors, researchers, and product experts collaborates to thoroughly vet top products. We try to perform in-house testing on real vehicles whenever possible before making our recommendations.

When testing is not feasible, however, our aim is to make your life easier by doing all the online research for you and presenting that research in the form of easy-to-read product comparisons and buyers guides, rather than outright recommendations. For more information on our testing methodology and how we evaluate every product, check out our methodology page here.

The House Of Kolor Shimrin2 Kandy Basecoat is both durable and easy-to-apply. This car paint uses a special basecoat technology that hasn't changed since 1982, and for good reason. This auto paint features fast coverage, high pigmentation, and low solids. Though this specific car paint is Kandy colored, Shimrin2 by House of Kolor is available in metallic and pearl as well.

This car paint has an extensive range of effects that go beyond industry-standard pearls and flakes. This paint has a three-component system consisting of its own Karrier Bases, Effect Pacs, and Kosmic Reducers. Additionally, this paint meets California standards as it has a low 3.5 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).

Amazon Review Score: 4.7 out of 5 based on over 250 ratings

Reviewers note that you’ll consistently get a smooth finish if you use sanding primer and that there's a strong color match to their vehicles when using this product for touch-up paint. Many reviewers sing the praises of the paint color, as it's rich and pops in the sunlight.

The Rust-Oleum 252469 car paint is enamel-based and comes in a 12.0-oz spray paint can for easy application. For a professional-quality paint job, this auto paint features a wide spray nozzle, making application a breeze. It also comes in at around $10 per can, which is an unbeatable bargain for spray paints.

The car paint works well on any exterior automotive metal, whether that metal is painted or bare metal. To protect your paint and car body from corrosion, this car paint is not only weather-resistant but also UV-resistant.

Amazon Review Score: 4.6 out of 5 based on over 3,500 ratings

Reviews point to the spray paint's ability to leave a high-quality paint job on your vehicle and that this enamel paint leaves a glossy finish after buffing. Many reviewers rave that the auto paint is the best product they’ve used for a DIY repaint job.

The Restoration Shop Acrylic Enamel Auto Paint includes a gallon of acrylic enamel paint, a pint of acrylic hardener, five strainers, and five wood paint mixing sticks. The acrylic enamel has an 8-to-1 mix ratio, and the car paint as a whole is 2.8 VOC. This car paint is a single-stage and high-gloss paint that's designed for overall automotive refinishing.

The acrylic enamel paint is extremely durable, as it features both chemical- and solvent-resistant coatings. Additionally, the car paint is resistant to chipping, cracking, fading, and even UV rays. It should also be noted that this auto paint doesn't require the use of a reducer.

Amazon Review Score: 4.5 out of 5 based on over 250 ratings

Reviews mention that, if you have access to a spray gun, paint gun, or sprayer, you’ll be able to give your car a professional paint job with this auto paint. Others note that this auto paint is easy to use for beginners. Many reviewers are impressed with the quality of the product they receive for the price. Negative reviews complain about the paint canister being damaged upon arrival.

The Speedokote High Gloss Jet Black is a two-piece set including a 0.75-gallon can of SMR-9705 and a quart of SMR-9705A medium activator, which yields 1.0-gallon sprayable. The acrylic urethane paint is less than 2.8 VOC, and it mixes at a 3-to-1 ratio. This car paint is designed to withstand the elements with its UV resistance. Additionally, the paint is medium dry and medium cure.

This car paint from Speedokote is a high-gloss paint with a high distinctiveness of image (DOI). It should also be noted that the auto paint is chemical-resistant, meaning you can trust this paint job to last.

Amazon Review Score: 4.6 out of 5 based on over 320 ratings

Reviews note the paint and hardener mix is enough for two full coats and that the paint gives a factory-quality paint job even on a 25-year-old Ford F-150. Many reviewers are impressed by the high-gloss finish of this car paint. Negative reviews mention that you need to buy Speedokote's fish-eye eliminator and reducer with this product for the best single-stage paint results.

The Dupli-Color Clear Perfect Match is a three-item bundle that includes two topcoat spray paint canisters and a Dupli-Color PW100 prep wipe towelette. The included towelette is specially formulated to remove oil, wax, grease, and other contaminants from your painting surface. This car paint is an acrylic lacquer paint that's high-quality, fast-drying, and easy to use. It also leaves one of the best gloss finishes in the industry.

Dupli-Color's Perfect Match line of car paint is available in a variety of exact-match colors for current, as well as late-model, imported, and domestic vehicles. The paint is specifically designed to perfectly match the color of the original factory paint that was on your vehicle.

Amazon Review Score: 4.3 out of 5 based on over 260 ratings

Reviews note that applying a clear coat prior to applying this top coat will yield the best results and that there is a short drying time. Many reviewers are impressed by the high-quality paint job they received for the price. Negative reviews complain that the spray paint shoots spurts of paint rather than a consistent spray.

If you’re looking for the best car paint, there are a number of different things to consider. Price is an obvious consideration, but what kind of finish are you looking for? Knowing whether you want a matte black finish on your classic muscle car or a glossy, electric blue finish on your new Jeep will make the world of difference. From there, it's simply a matter of deciding which type of car paint will work best for your needs.

House of Kolor paint is our review team's choice for the Best Overall car paint. However, there are various types of paints for different uses.

Most modern cars are typically painted with acrylic polyurethane paint. However, there are three other types of paint that cars can be painted with: acrylic lacquer, acrylic enamel, and water-based paint.

The two types of automotive paint are waterborne and solventborne. Solventborne paints are what have been traditionally used on cars for many years. Waterborne have recently grown in popularity due to health concerns over solventborne paints.

Urethane-based paint products are typically the most durable option when it comes to car paint.

The cost of repainting a car range from $300 to well over $1,000 depending on the size of the area being painted, and if there needs to be another layer like a clear coat or primer added.

Single-stage acrylic paints are the best automotive paints for DIY work, although they may not be as durable as work done in a body shop.

Many professionals use urethane-based paints due to their durability. Body shops and automakers also regularly use urethane paints, although it can be difficult to use and may not be the best car paint for every customer.

*Data accurate at time of publication.