Can you wax a ceramic coated car? [Here’s when you should]



The simple answer is YES but then you have to ask the question WHY?

Both wax and ceramic coating are designed to protect the clear coat on you car.

So lets first look at just what that is.

What is clear coat?


This is a paint protection film of clear type of varnish that is sprayed over a vehicle's paint after it has been painted in the factory.

This provides a protective layer on top of the car's paint to absorb and light damage the car may encounter from road debris or roadside furniture such as branches and harmful contaminants. You could describe it as a sacrificial layer on the car's surface.

It will absorb minor impacts from say road salt and branches to protect the vehicle's surface.

Wax on Ceramic Coating

Ceramic coating is applied on top of the clear coat. This then adds additional protection to the car surface.

If you apply a coat of say paste wax or any other type of wax then you are just adding another layer on top of a ceramic coating so really what is the point?

I suppose you could be further protecting the investment you made in the Ceramic Coating as the layer of wax would provide another layer of protection on the ceramic-coated car?


UV ray protection

One reason you could apply car wax to a ceramic coated car is if the car is often parked or stored in direct sunlight and there could be a chance that harmful UV rays could create UV damage and gradually erode the car ceramic.

For this reason a good thin layer of a spray wax that is purposely made to increase protection in direct sunlight such as these UV WAXES and other environmental factors such as acid rain could well be worth it.

Get the Wet Look

Another reason could be to get a real wet look on your car for a special occasion or for a show. One of the good ole carnauba waxes would sure do that trick such and give you super hydrophobic properties to bead the car surface when it rains.



Benefits of Ceramic Coating

There are huge benefits of the ceramic coating, the main one being its most durable type of coating. Most of them provide a protective barrier for five to seven years but as with anything they do not last for ever.

Therefore, as your paint sealant begins to fade and things like tree sap and bird droppings eat into it. Then could be a good idea to use some paint correction techniques and apply a coat of traditional car wax to simply help the ceramic car coatings to endure maybe another twelve months.

This additional diy coating of car waxes could really deflect the UV rays, neutralise the tree sap and bird droppings which could then be washed off for best results giving a new life to any tired nano-ceramic coatings


Nano coatings or nano-ceramic coatings are the most popular type of exterior car detailing purchased in recent years and really are the cutting edge of the car care industry products. Many professional grade detailers now only use ceramic coatings and consider traditional waxes as dinosaurs!

But each to their own and as you can see by the above examples wax does have a place in the new era of ceramic coatings

To Protect your Ceramic Coating with a coat of wax I suggest the following routine.


  1. Pressure wash the car to remove the road debris and grime so as not to cause any swirl marks.
  2. Apply a Foam coating with a foam cannon or if you don't have one read our blog post on how to make one! Use a car shampoo specifically designed for washing Ceramic Coatings such as our suggestions HERE
  3. Use a good quality wash mitt and the two bucket was system. This will ensure if any grit or road grime is left on the car surface then it will be removed without any chance of causing damage to the car's surface
  4. Next rinse off all the suds with a cold water hose of a pressure washer.
  5. You will then need to dry the car paint surface. You can use a microfiber drying towel for this or some detailers use a dryer or blower such as a leaf blower!
  6. Now would be a good time to do an inspection of the whole car surface so assess the condition of the vehicle's finish and look for any minor imperfections
  7. These can then be treated with maybe a polishing compound or other paint corrections type of product. But to be honest any car owners with a car ceramic coated in under three years should be in good condition as that was the point in investing in the coating. It is doubtful you would need to clay bar as there would be little or no dirt engrained into the surface. As this is what the purpose of a clay bar is.
  8. Next would be the ideal time to apply the wax coating. You could use a carnauba wax or any traditional wax
  9. Apply in circles all over the surface and allow to "Cure" to a dull haze. This usually happens quicker on a ceramic coated car than it does on a normal daily driver car.
  10. Finally buff the wax with a microfiber towel or a rotary buffer to really bring out the shine and give the wax coat real strength to last a long time

This process could easily add another twelve to twenty four months to weakened ceramic coating products on a ceramic-coated vehicle.

Bucket and Wash mitt to Wash deep scratch area


So to return to the question of "Can You Wax Ceramic Coated Cars?"


The answer is yes but the benefits are limited.

Unless as I have highlighted the ceramic coating is becoming weakened, and this WILL happen to the best ceramic coatings, then you should really have to apply any wax.

The time I could see you maybe having to do it is if bought a car and was "Told" it had been ceramic coated. It would be then that you wouldn't be sure how long since it had been done that could cause some concern, and a good wax coat could be the ideal solution. But most car owners who have their cars coated by professional detailers have some sort of certificate or record of when the coat was applied. The cost of the application justifies the presentation of some sort of record so hopefully you would have access to that.


Five to Seven Years for Ceramic Coatings

Then bare in mind that the average ceramic coating lasts between five and seven years you can then decide as to what course of action can be taken in the long run.

I hope you are better informed now on the choice you have when deciding whether to wax your ceramic coated car or not.

A final option maybe to remove the ceramic coat, which we have a blog post on HERE and recoat OR then wax the cars original paintwork.

Ceramic coating and car wax are both good things and a great way to make your car look better and protect it. Both options should be investigated further before deciding as there is a substantial outlay if you go for a new ceramic coating but then after for at least 5 years you should be able to just wash your car to regain that just waxed showroom look!!


So, good luck in which ever way you choose to go and be sure to think carefully about your options as you wouldn't want to waste time doing something you really didn't need to be doing if the ceramic product is still wearing well on the car's finish. But don't be scared of applying a coat of wax if the situation dictates