With the best de icer car spray, you won’t have to worry about scraping ice in the bitter cold off your windshield or from your car’s locks. To help you find the best de icer car spray available today, we purchased the top 25 options and spent over 10 hours in the cold testing the sprays on our own frozen cars and windshields. As we tested the sprays, we measured speed and overall effectiveness on windshields primarily, but also considered effectiveness on locks and car doors. It doesn’t matter if you have the best electric cars or an old beater, you have to de-ice it.
After our testing (and freezing our fingers off), we chose the CRC Ice-Off 125-05346-3 for our top pick. This ice prevention spray works fast, can withstand sub-zero temperatures and even works great on car locks. So, keep reading below to learn more about the CRC Ice-Off and the other top four best de-icer car sprays so you don’t have to spend too much time out in the cold scraping ice off your windshield. These are the best tools for dealing with icy conditions.
Top 7 Best De Icer Car Spray Compared
#1 CRC Ice-Off 125-05346-3
Award: Top Pick
WHY WE LIKE IT: The CRC Ice-Off 125-05346-3 spray is the fastest-acting de-icer on our list and it can even work on locks. If you need comprehensive ice melt in a quick pinch, the CRC Ice-Off is an excellent choice.
- Fastest effectiveness
- Works on locks
- No expiration date
- Can only lasts 3 or 4 applications
- Doesn’t completely clear thick ice
The CRC Ice-Off 125-05346-3 de-icer spray is our top pick because of its overall effectiveness in clearing ice and snow off of your windshield in a matter of seconds. And with CRC’s proprietary PowerJet technology, the spray has long reach and an extra-wide arc to coat your windshield in the most efficient way possible.
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You can also use the CRC Ice-Off to unfreeze doors and clear ice from your locks. Unfortunately, this de-icer spray for car doors and windshields doesn’t do as well on really thick ice. If you regularly experience thicker than normal ice on your car, you may have to spray the CRC Ice-Off a few times in order to clear it off. Overall, though, this de-icer car windscreen spray is our favorite pick because of how well it performed under most circumstances and on all parts of your vehicle. It is one of the best car accessories you can have.
#2 Prestone AS244 Windshield De-Icer
Award: Honorable Mention
WHY WE LIKE IT: This pack of Prestone AS244 windshield de-icer includes six individual bottles in an affordable package for any budget. This 2-in-1 de-icer also includes a built-in ice scraper on the bottle for added functionality, one of our favorite features.
- Built-in ice scraper
- Good at preventing re-freeze
- High methanol content for fast melting power
- Struggles to clear thicker ice
- Spray nozzle is on the scraper
When you’re out in the freezing weather with a ton of ice or snow on your windshield, you’re not looking to spend a ton of time spraying your windshield and then digging around in your car for a scraper to take care of any icy leftovers. This is why we love the 2-in-1 design that this Prestone spray provides. After you spray, you can use the same can to scrape off any leftover ice with the attached ice scraper. Fortunately, the blade is made from durable polycarbonate, which is often stronger than scrapers you can buy in the store. The only design aspect we didn’t like about the included scraper is having the spray nozzle on the scraper.
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The Prestone AS244 de-icer is also offers the most powerful ice-melting formula on our list. This product contains a high methanol content that quickly melts ice. Like many other sprays, the Prestone windshield de-icer can struggle a little bit with thicker ice, but this fall back is mitigated with the included scraper blade. This and the best headlight restoration kit will help keep your car in top shape.
#3 Penray 5216 Windshield Spray De-Icer
Award: Best Budget
WHY WE LIKE IT: With a no residue formula and high-quality performance even in frigid temperatures, the Penray 5216 windshield de-icer spray is one of our favorite options on the list. This is especially true when you consider the fact that it’s the most affordable option on our list.
- No residue formula
- Still sprays in -25 degree weather
- Wide spray coverage
- Not made for door locks
- Spray tips aren’t as durable as others
The Penray 5216 spray de-icer is our budget pick for this list, offering tons of value without requiring a large investment. The Penray’s biggest selling point is the no-residue formula it provides for de-icing. Many de-icers can leave a filmy residue that you’ll need to clean up with your windshield wiper fluid after the fact, but the Penray is residue free.
This car de-icer spray also provides a wide spray is lieu of single stream, which we prefer overall as it provides more coverage for your icy windshield in a single spray. When we tested the Penray 5216 on our frozen lock, however, we realized that it can flush some lubricating graphite out of the lock, which can cause worse freezing in the future. If you need a budget option for de-icing, you can’t go wrong with the Penray 5216 ice melter. Make sure to also check out the Sprayway SW758 Industrial De-Icer, which helps you quickly remove ice and unfreeze wipers and car locks. A de-icer is as essential as the best car alarm. It’s all about safety.
#4 Splash 073926346323 De-Icer
Award: Best Easy to Use Bottle
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Splash de-icer features our favorite bottle design as well as reliable ice melting power for an overall excellent user experience. If you don’t want to carry around a metal aerosol can, this Splash de-icer is a solid alternative.
- Stream or spray nozzle design
- Clears frost almost instantly
- Durable, easy-to-handle bottles
- Not great for doors or locks
- Sometimes leaves a residue
The Splash 073926346323 de-icer is the only option to feature a plastic bottle design that is more reminiscent of cleaning sprays than anything else. There are several things we love about this bottle design, specifically that it’s easier to handle in cold weather, especially if you find yourself without gloves.
The bottle also features a spray nozzle with two different modes: spray or stream. This way, you’ll get more versatility out of the Splash 073926346323 de-icer and can adjust your spray coverage depending on the situation. We did notice that the spray left some residue on our windshield, but only when we sprayed more de-icer than we meant to. This was also easily cleaned using wiper fluid, so it wasn’t that big of a deal. There are some gadgets that use the best car charger to work, but this de-icer is great.
#5 Prestone AS242 Spray De-Icer
Award: Best Refreeze Protection
WHY WE LIKE IT: Unfortunately, some spray de-icers can freeze almost immediately upon contact with a frozen windshield, but the Prestone AS242 has built-in refreeze protection so this doesn’t happen to you. It also features Prestone’s unique can design with a built-in scraper.
- Built-in scraper
- Works really well on wiper blades
- Includes helpful scraper blade
- Spray button can be difficult to press
- Narrow spray stream
If you’re worried about refreeze with your car spray de-icer, you won’t want to pass up the Prestone AS242 Red Hot spray. Its proprietary formula can reduce dangerous refreeze when temperatures in extremely cold weather, something that can be rare to find. The liquid also does excellent on thick ice, making it a great choice for very cold locations. We were impressed with how well it worked on thawing the ice around your windshield wipers.
The Prestone AS242 also gives you the unique built-in scraper design specific to Prestone products. We really love the scraper blade here, as it’s more durable than store-bought brands and gives you instant access to scraping power after spraying. If there was one thing we would improve about the Prestone AS242, it would be to widen the stream so it wasn’t so narrow and covered more area. Crank up the best car stereo and get rid of that ice.
#6 CRC Ice-Off Windshield De Icer
Award: Best Quality
WHY WE LIKE IT: The CRC Ice-Off 05346 comes in a pack of 12, giving you more than enough product to last through the winter months. This de-icer spray comes in super durable cans that can take a drop or two without any long-lasting damage, making them perfect for those extra-cold days.
- 12 pack
- Super fast melting power
- Doesn’t damage car finishes or rubber
- Can sometimes refreeze
- Needs a lot of product to melt ice
The first thing we noticed about the CRC Ice-Off 05346 de-icer is its overall design. This was a can that was obviously designed for durability. We know just how clumsy human fingers can get when they’re really cold, and CRC accounted for that. These cans can survive drops from standing height with ease, where other brands would have nozzles break or cans damaged past the point of being able to use them. If you’re worried about durability, you won’t run into that hear.
The de-icer spray itself is also high quality and able to melt ice with ease, even when it’s a quarter of an inch thick (although you still might need to scrape a little if it’s that thick). Unfortunately, the CRC Ice-Off typically needs a little more spray to completely clear the snow, ice and frost from your car’s windshield. Fortunately for you, this comes in a pack of 12, so you won’t need to worry about them running out anytime soon. The best radar detector is great and all, but getting rid of ice is about safety, so it should be a priority.
#7 Prestone AS276 Ice and Frost Shield Glass Treatment
Award: Best Frost Prevention
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Prestone AS276 Ice and Frost Shield takes a different approach to de-icing your windshield. Instead of removing ice reactively, the Ice and Frost Shield works to prevent ice and frost from setting in the first place. And it really works, making it one of our favorite picks on this list.
- Invisible barrier on windshield
- Don’t need much to cover entire windshield
- Can leave residue on windshield
- Doesn’t work on existing ice
The Prestone AS276 Ice and Frost Shield works hard to do exactly what its name implies. Rather than spraying de-icer directly on a frozen windshield, you apply this product to your windshield before the frost even starts to set in. When you use this Prestone de-icer, you create a barrier of protection between your car’s auto glass and the freezing temperatures. This unique and innovative approach allows you to just jump in your car and go on those frigid mornings.
The Prestone AS276 can leave some residue on your windshield, just by nature of the product and the way it’s intended to be used, but it’s easily washed away and never presented a problem during our testing. You can also use this product every day without fear of car or windshield damage. If you’d prefer to prevent ice from forming, then you have to check out the Prestone AS276. Speaking of winter, the best car floor mats you may want to only use the best rooftop cargo carrier when conditions are safe.
How We Decided
When it comes to de-icer car spray, you obviously want the option that melts ice fast. As we tested a variety of different sprays, we measured overall effectiveness first and foremost. We didn’t include options that took more than 2 minutes to clear the snow and ice from your car’s windshield. The best de-icer car sprays will actually clear the frozen water from your windshield in seconds, allowing you to get in your car and go with hardly any time lost at all.
We also tested sprays for their effectiveness on doors and locks, because windshields aren’t the only thing that can get frozen. Most de-icer sprays should be safe to use on the rubber seals around your windshield and car doors, and we didn’t include any damaging sprays on our list. Some sprays will even thaw the locks on your car doors, but these can be rarer to find since many sprays will clear out the graphite lubricant in your locks.
Finally, we only considered products that gave you more than a couple of applications before depleting entirely. Of course, your mileage may vary with de-icer sprays and how long they last, depending on the size of your car and how much you spray during each application. The best de-icer sprays last around four to five applications. These are best used for quick-fix situations where you don’t have time to use de-ice your car’s windshield with the internal defroster.
De Icer Car Spray Buying Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- De-icing Effectiveness
The top feature to look for when purchasing de-icer spray for your car is how effective the spray is. While you may assume that all de-icers do what they’re supposed to do, it simply isn’t the case in all situations. Some sprays only get rid of a top layer of ice before freezing again. Some require a bit of scraping after spraying. And some melt the ice entirely without you needing to do much more. We scored the latter two options the highest, preferring de-ice sprays that didn’t refreeze soon after application. - De-icing speed
Another factor in de-icing effectiveness that deserves its own consideration is how fast the spray gets rid of the ice. Sprays don’t do much for you if you have to wait 30 minutes for it to kick in. We rated de-icer car sprays that can melt the ice on your windshield within a few seconds to a few minutes. - Safety
When it comes to safety, you should know that all de-icer sprays are made with chemicals that can be harmful to you, your kids and your pets. This is why it’s important to keep your spray bottles in a safe location away from innocent hands and spray your car only when you can be sure you aren’t going to spray anyone around you.
