It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly how often you need to clean your car, and we may only give them a wash after realising that there’s a handprint in the grime on the boot lid, or when we drop something inside and have to retrieve it from a mass of hair, dust and crumbs. Given that our recent research found that 3 in 5 (60%) of car owners say that they often feel embarrassed due to the uncleanliness of their car, it sounds that this is more likely than not to be the case!
The long and short of it is that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer to keeping cars clean, both when it comes to the interior and exterior. Your car cleaning routine will differ based on a number of personal factors, such as how often you use the vehicle, the types of roads you drive on, the passengers you carry (whether a human or furry friend!), whether you eat and drink in your vehicle regularly, and whether you transport things like muddy walking boots or sports equipment.
Aside from keeping your car looking shiny and fresh, did you know that regularly cleaning your vehicle will also help its longevity, as well as the re-sale price? Cars naturally lose some of their value throughout their life (some more than others) but keeping both the interior and exterior in good condition will help your vehicle to maintain as much of its value as possible, getting you the best deal when you come to sell it on.
Not to mention, leaving your car without a wash for a prolonged period can cause the paintwork to be damaged by salt, dirt and bird poo, leaving it chipped and corroded – which significantly increases the chance of your vehicle becoming rusted, which is a much bigger problem to solve.
According to our previous research, conducted alongside Dr Jonathan Cox from Aston University, the gearstick, dashboard, driver’s seat, back seat and boot of a car can contain as much, if not more bacterial contamination than you’re likely to find on an average the toilet seat and flush. With bacteria including E.Coli, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Staph. Epi and Staph. Aureus all present in vehicles which aren’t regularly cleaned, it just goes to show that you can never be too careful when it comes to the invisible nasties lurking in your car!
So, all of this got us to thinking: how often should we really be cleaning our cars? We’ve worked in collaboration with cleaning experts to find out and have created a calculator for vehicle owners to use to see for themselves. Read on to find out how often you should be cleaning your vehicle…
How Often Should You Be Washing Your Car?
With there being so many factors that can determine how often your car should be cleaned, both inside and outside, we’ve created a Clean Car Calculator to give you a personalised guide as to when you should be dusting off the vacuum cleaner and car shampoo.
Just answer our quick set of questions, and we will give you guidance on your recommended car cleaning routine…
Which Car Owners Clean Their Cars The Most?
As well as creating the calculator, we also wanted to find out which car owners keep their cars the cleanest, and which are allowing them to become grubby.
When asked how often they clean their vehicles, once a month was the most common response with 22% of car owners giving their vehicles a wash at this frequency. However, Tesla drivers are much more conscientious when it comes to cleaning their cars, with more than a quarter (27%) saying they wash their car every day – leading to owners of the EV vehicles washing their cars a whopping 130 times per year, on average.
Honda and BMW owners follow in second place, with 52 washes per year – a considerable way behind their Tesla-owing counterparts – but still much ahead of most car owners, who complete 12 washes per year on average.
| Car Brand | Number of exterior car cleans completed per year (Median) |
| Tesla | 130 |
| Honda | 52 |
| BMW | 52 |
| Mercedes | 21 |
| Toyota | 21 |
| Audi | 21 |
| Renault | 12 |
| Citroen | 12 |
| Other | 12 |
| Peugeot | 12 |
| Hyundai | 12 |
| Kia | 12 |
| Volkswagen | 12 |
| Nissan | 12 |
| Vauxhall | 12 |
| Ford | 12 |
However, when it comes to interior cleaning, it seems like most people tend to clean the interior and exterior of their cars at the same time, with 22% of all drivers saying that they clean their car’s interior once per month. Interestingly, those aged 16-24 were the only age group not to follow this trend; most other age groups said that they clean the interior of their vehicles the same number of times per year as the inside, on average, while 16-24s clean the inside around half as often (21 times per year, vs 52 for the exterior).
When it comes to brands, Tesla owners still rank among those keeping their cars the cleanest, though they seem to clean the interior much less frequently than the exterior – at an average of 52 times per year, a difference of 78 cleans compared to the exterior.
| Car Brand | Number of interior car cleans completed per year (Median) |
| Honda | 52 |
| Tesla | 52 |
| Audi | 21 |
| BMW | 21 |
| Mercedes | 21 |
| Ford | 12 |
| Vauxhall | 12 |
| Toyota | 12 |
| Nissan | 12 |
| Volkswagen | 12 |
| Kia | 12 |
| Hyundai | 12 |
| Peugeot | 12 |
| Other | 12 |
| Citroen | 12 |
| Renault | 12 |
How Are People Cleaning Their Cars?
We also asked car owners which methods they use to keep their vehicle clean – do people tend to spot clean the odd bit of bird poo on their vehicles, or is it a more thorough car detailing that people prefer?
According to our survey, cleaning both the inside and outside of the car is the preferred option for keeping a car clean – which is a budget-savvy way to approach cleaning, provided you make the time to do this regularly. Following this, a clean via a hand car wash, such as those often found in supermarket car parks was the second most popular option, with just over a quarter (27%) of car owners using this method.
Full detailing was the least popular option of those offered, with just under 1 in 10 (9%) of drivers opting for this service to keep their car clean – although this number was considerably higher among Tesla owners, with over a third (36%) doing so.
| Rank | Cleaning method | % of car owners |
| 1 | An extensive clean of both the inside and outside of my car, carried out by myself | 37% |
| 2 | Interior and exterior clean at hand car wash (e.g. in supermarket car park) | 27% |
| 3 | Automatic car wash of exterior (e.g. at fuel station) | 21% |
| 4 | Cleaning the ‘visible’ areas of my car, using various cleaning products | 21% |
| 5 | Spot clean (e.g. bird poo/spillages etc) | 19% |
| 6 | A quick wipe over | 17% |
| 7 | I clean the outside of my car as people see it, but don’t worry too much about the interior | 14% |
| 8 | Full detailing | 9% |
What Are The Best Ways To Clean A Car?
Knowing how best to care for your car can be tricky, with so many products such as car shampoos and ceramic coatings all promising DIY-wash car owners the best results.
To help make your life a bit easier if you prefer to take to the sponge yourself, we’ve spoken to David Walker from Epic Automotive Detailing who has provided his expert tips on how to make cleaning your car quicker, easier and get a better result:
- Ditch the car wax – Compared to traditional car wax, foam sealant only takes 30 seconds to apply which is a game-changer, especially for busy car owners. While car wax provides a glossy finish and some protection, foam sealants offer a longer-lasting shield against various environmental factors. If appropriately applied, sealants can keep your car looking sleek and pristine for up to three months – perfect for anyone looking to maintain their vehicle’s shine without spending hours cleaning it.
- Achieve streak-free windows with damp synthetic leather followed by a dry towel – Damp synthetic leather is the perfect tool for loosening and lifting dirt, grime, and smudges from the glass surface without leaving behind any streaks or residue. Follow up with a dry towel by gently buffing the glass. This will not only remove any remaining moisture but also give the glass an extra shine.
- Empty your entire car and start from the back – Starting at the back of your car is a strategic move as you’re not only decluttering efficiently but also preparing for any sudden downpours, which is something we always must keep in mind especially when living in the UK. There’s nothing worse than cleaning your car only to have everything rained on before you finish. This tip ensures that your hard work won’t go to waste.
- Avoid washing your car in direct sunlight – While it might be tempting to wash your car on a sunny day, it is generally not recommended as it can damage your vehicle’s paint and finish. When your vehicle is exposed to direct sunlight, the paint can get hot, and the heat can cause the soap and water to dry up quickly, which is difficult to remove. Therefore, we recommend washing your car in cool and cloudy conditions.
- Don’t leave your car to dry naturally – Leaving your car to dry naturally might seem like an easy option, but it often leads to water spots and streaks, especially if you live in an area with hard water. To ensure the best results, we recommend taking matters into your own hands (quite literally) and drying your car with a towel. Besides aesthetic reasons, drying your vehicle with a towel will also help to prevent water spots from etching into your car’s paint over time.
For more information on maintaining and repairing your vehicle’s interior, why not look at some of our other car upholstery tips, too?
David Kottaun, Operations Manager at Scrap Car Comparison adds:
“Washing your car regularly can seem like an unnecessary chore, but it’s much better to give your car quick washes fairly frequently, than leave yourself faced with a horrendously grubby motor to wash months down the line. There’s nothing worse than starting to clean your car, only to find all sorts of plant life growing along the window seals, and insects in residence in the wing mirrors or under the number plate, not to mention realising that your paintwork has been damaged because of the grime.
“In most cases, we won’t have our cars for our entire lives, so putting in a little bit of work will not only help you be proud of your vehicle, but also increase the chance of getting a better resale price and minimise any value lost. It’s easy to think that skipping a wash will have no ill-effects, but the reality is that one skipped wash too many could lead to many more costly problems in the long run. Hopefully our Clean Car Calculator will help to give you the motivation needed into a good car cleaning routine and keep your motor looking shiny!”
Methodology
Scrap Car Comparison partnered with Censuswide to survey 1,000 UK drivers, aged over 18 asking them how frequently they clean both the exterior and interior of the car, if they feel embarrassed at the uncleanliness of their car, and if they have avoided driving somewhere/giving someone a lift in their car, due to embarrassment over its uncleanliness.
Survey conducted in March 2024.
