2025 test10 productsCar Care & Detailing
Which Plastic Trim Restorers Brand Wins?
We compared 10 plastic trim restorers options head to head. Cerakote came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Cerakote
Price shown in test: $17 for 10 wipes ($1.70 per wipe/oz basis)
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Runner-up
Hybrid Solutions
Price shown in test: $16 for 10 oz ($1.60 per oz)
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Spec claims | UV protection (microwatts per sq cm through treated glass, lower is better, untreated control peaked at 1,881) | Dust attraction before rinse | Ease of cleaning after a water rinse | Water beading/hydrophobic test | Durability through bug and tar remover, then degreaser stress tests | Final durability rating | UV protection (microwatts per sq cm, lower is better, untreated control 1,881) | Final overall average finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cerakote$17 for 10 wipes ($1.70 per wipe/oz basis) | ceramic product, no greasy mess claimed, 200 wash guarantee, claims showroom new results; made in USA | 1,875, about the same as Meguiar's and Mother's, not a standout UV performer | best/least dust of all products, rating of 1 (1st place) | best result, rating of 1 (1st place) | beaded up nicely, performed even better than Mother's | still performing just as good as new after bug and tar remover, still repelling water and preventing oxidation after the degreaser test, described as practically indestructible | 1st place, rating of 1 | not tested | not tested |
| 2Hybrid Solutions$16 for 10 oz ($1.60 per oz) | graphene acrylic trim restore, claims to restore and protect faded trim to like new, claims superior UV protection and that the coating doesn't wash off; made in USA | not tested | 3rd place, rating of 3 | tied for 2nd place with 303 and Chemical Guys, rating of 1.5 | performed well | held up reasonably through the bug and tar remover step (still beat CarGuys/303/Chemical Guys at that point) but was described as looking oxidized after drying and was 'pretty beat up' by the final check after the degreaser test | not tested | 1,272, by far the best UV result of all products, about 32 percent less UV than the untreated control | 2nd place overall with an average finish of 3.3 |
| 3Mother's Back to Black$11 for 10 oz ($1.10 per oz) | easy one-step spray coating, made in USA | not tested | described as a real magnet for dirt, among the worst performers | did not respond well to rinsing, still looked pretty bad even after a spray of water | doing a great job repelling water despite attracting dirt, one of the better hydrophobic performers | took a toll from the bug and tar remover but beaded better than Hybrid Solutions; still looking the best so far and not oxidized after drying at that stage; ultimately wiped out by the degreaser but 'still looks pretty good' at the final check | 2nd place, rating of 2.5 | 1,874, essentially no UV protection, about the same as Meguiar's | not tested |
| 4CarGuys$18 for 8 oz ($2.25 per oz) | claims to bring plastic, rubber and vinyl back to life, claims long-lasting and easy to use; made in USA | not tested | gathered quite a bit of dust and dirt | released quite a bit of dirt, close to as good as Cerakote | looked good, not quite as good as Cerakote | experienced some damage from the bug and tar remover, beginning to struggle after drying, described as mostly used up by the final check after the degreaser test | not tested | 1,879, essentially no UV protection | not tested |
| 53D Trim Care$20 for 16 oz ($1.20 per oz) | claims non-greasy and easy to apply; made in USA | not tested | collected more dirt than CarGuys, described as looking even worse than Mother's | held on to quite a bit more dirt than CarGuys and Cerakote | beaded up nicely, almost as good as Mother's | still looking pretty good after the bug and tar remover, wear and tear beginning to show after drying, described as mostly used up but a little better than Adam's by the final check | not tested | 1,875, essentially no UV protection, about the same as CarGuys | not tested |
| 6Adam's Black Trim Restoretranscript states "$22 for oz or $5.50 per oz", the ounce count before "or" is missing/garbled; implied to be about 4 oz given the per-ounce math, but kept verbatim since the exact bottle size was never actually spoken | requires gloves due to staining, begins curing in 5 to 6 minutes, fully cures in about 6 hours, recommended reapplication every few months; made in USA | not tested | looked quite a bit better than 3D but not nearly as good as Cerakote | did a great job releasing dirt once sprayed with water | better than Meguiar's but not as good as 3D | described as totally cooked after the bug and tar remover step and completely used up by the final check after the degreaser test, one of the weaker durability performers | not tested | 1,872, essentially no UV protection, about the same as Meguiar's | not tested |
| 7303 Aerospace Protectant$22 for 16 oz ($1.38 per oz) | described as an aerospace protectant, explicitly NOT claimed by the manufacturer to restore faded plastic trim (only to keep vinyl/rubber/plastic looking newer longer); made in USA | not tested | better than Adam's but not nearly as good as Cerakote | tied for 2nd place with Hybrid Solutions and Chemical Guys, rating of 1.5 | does not have good hydrophobic qualities | struggling quite a bit after the bug and tar remover, badly oxidized after drying, described as still looking pretty cooked by the final check | not tested | 1,861, a little better than average, the 2nd best UV result behind Hybrid Solutions | not tested |
| 8Chemical Guys$22 for 32 oz (69 cents per oz) | claims to restore and prolong, silk shine protection, dry to the touch finish with no oily/greasy/sticky residue claimed; made in USA | not tested | performed better than most of the other brands on initial dust collection | tied for 2nd place with Hybrid Solutions and 303, rating of 1.5 | does not have good hydrophobic qualities | struggling after the bug and tar remover, badly oxidized after drying, still looking pretty cooked by the final check | not tested | 1,881, identical to the untreated control, no UV protection at all | not tested |
| 9ExoForma$25 for 8 oz ($3.13 per oz) | gloves recommended due to a staining dye; no manufacturing country listed on the bottle | not tested | really collects the dust, one of the worst performers despite a nice finish when dust-free | maintained a very strong grip on dust and dirt, one of the worst results even after rinsing, similar to Mother's | a little better than Chemical Guys but still weak | looked good but not repelling water after the bug and tar remover, continued to look better than Chemical Guys after drying, described as pretty used up by the final check | not tested | very close to the same as Chemical Guys (1,881), essentially no UV protection | not tested |
| 10Meguiar's Ultimate Black$10 for 12 oz (83 cents per oz) | claims to make trim look like new, extended durability lasting weeks, claims outstanding UV protection, dries fast, non-greasy; made in USA | not tested | had more dust than the untreated plastic, about the same as the automatic transmission fluid hack | dust washed away nicely with a quick rinse | better than untreated plastic but water was sheeting rather than beading | took a toll from the bug and tar remover, wiped out and oxidized after drying, totally wiped out by the degreaser, back to about the same as the untreated control by the final check | not tested | 1,873, essentially no UV protection despite the claim of outstanding UV protection | not tested |
How it was tested
- UV protection (UV meter reading through treated glass versus an untreated control)
- dust and dirt attraction driving behind a vehicle on a gravel road, before rinsing
- ease of cleaning / dirt release after a plain water rinse
- water beading / hydrophobic performance
- chemical durability stress test sequence: bug and tar remover, then a degreaser, checked after each step and after final drying
“And the Cera Coat ran circles around the competition finishing in first place in every category... It would definitely be my choice if you're okay with a high gloss finish.”