Best Wiper Blades

Wiper blades are out of sight and out of mind until one misty, snowy, or rainy night when suddenly you rely on them to stay alive. Perhaps the easiest of all DIY jobs, replacing your wiper blades offers instant satisfaction. Streaks disappear, the glass seems clearer, and you won’t hear any chatter once your blades are replaced.

Car Talk's Key Takeaway

• There are four types of wiper blades.
• Gimmick wipers blades are to be avoided.
• Full blades are replaced now. The rubber is not stripped off and replaced anymore.
• Experts recommend four main brands for replacement wipers, along with OEM.

Car Talk's Recommended Best Wiper Blades

The following are recommendations based on interviews with Car Talk Experts:

• Best Wiper Blade Overall: Michelin »

• Best Wiper Blade Overall Runner Up: Rain-X »

• Best Value Wiper Blade: ANCO »

• Best Selection of Wiper Blades: Bosch »

• Best for Ford, VW, and Rear Wipers: OEM

Car Talk's Top Pick Recommendations

#1 Michelin: Best Overall Wiper Blades

About Michelin Wiper Blades

Michelin is rarely the least expensive brand in any of its many automotive products, but it is usually the best. This holds true not just for tires, but also the company’s wiper blades. The company makes a variety of styles and uses multiple different materials to offer shoppers a wide range of wipers to fit their individual preferences, not just fit their vehicles.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Beam style
• Silicone and other materials
• All-season rating
• Price range: $40-$70

#2 Rain-X: Best Runner Up

About Rain-X Wiper Blades

Rain-X is a company that offers a wide range of solutions for clear windshields including wiper blades and surfactant chemicals. Like Michelin, this is a company that we trust to provide a top-notch product.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Beam style
• Open style
• OEM-replacements
• Silicone and other materials
• Price range: $25-$45

#3 Anco: Best Value Option

About Anco Wiper Blades

Anco wiper blades make our list because it is often the best value in any given wiper blade size. You’ll find that mechanics trust Anco blades and often keep these in stock at their shop.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Beam style
• Open style
• OEM replacement style
• Price range: $21-$44

#4 Bosch: Best Selection

About Bosch Wiper Blades

Looking for an unusual size or style wiper blade for your vehicle? Try Bosch. This brand has a wide range of styles and types. Bosch is also a quality, trusted brand.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Open style
• Rear-hinge style
• Beam-style
• OEM replacement style
• Price range: $25-$50

What are wiper blades, and what do they do?

Rubber and silicone wiper blades help remove water from your windshield, help you clean off dirt and pollen, and they also assist in keeping your windshield ice and snow-free. That is the obvious part. What many folks don't realize is that there are presently four different types of wiper blades in use.

The four types of wiper blades are:

1. Open
2. Beam
3. Hybrid
4. Winter

Open blades have plastic or metal support arms. They are affixed to the wiper arm, and the structure has air gaps. Metal or plastic structures act like springs to help your blade conform to the windshield shape as it moves.

Beam-type blades have a totally different design. They use a flexible plastic structure that lays over the windshield and flexes along its length. Beam is newer than open.

Hybrids are a mix of the two designs.

Winter blades are the same as open, but they have a full sleeve of soft rubber covering the blade assembly to prevent ice build up.

What to consider when replacing wiper blades

When it’s time to replace your wiper blades, there are three main considerations. The first is compatibility. Most automakers use a design that is easily and widely copied by the aftermarket manufacturers. They may even be the supplier to the OEMs. Our expert, Jr. Damato, said, “Ford and VW tend to be brands that have the hardest-to-replace wiper blades. I often use OEM parts for my customers for these brands.”

Size is next. Wipers are sold in inches or centimeters in length. On most vehicles, the driver’s side has a longer blade than the passenger, so you end up with two different lengths for the front. If the vehicle has a rear wiper, it is typically very small and often custom. Jr. told us, “Many rear wipers are OEM only.”

Next thing to figure out is what design you favor. Beam-style blades are the newer style and becoming increasingly popular. Our two experts each have their own preferences when it comes to design.

AAA’s John Paul says, “I prefer traditional style rather than beam blades unless the car came with them.” John also likes to use winter-specific blades, saying, “For New England-ish weather, the combination winter-all-weather blades with the shielded covering are helpful to keep ice from forming on the wiper assembly.” Jr. Damato prefers to use beam-type blades.

We turned to our own Car Talk Community, where the members posted some real-world examples of their experiences tying both styles of blades.

• Member Mountainbike: “I have found the new “beam type” windshield wipers to be far better than the old style. They don’t freeze up in winter, and they have much less of a tendency to chatter on the highway. I wouldn’t go back to the old-style wipers.”

• Member VDC Driver: “I recently bought Goodyear beam-type wipers (on sale) at Costco for a fraction of the price of the Bosch wipers. So far, the Goodyears seem to be very good, but it will take a while to see if they last as long as those pricey Bosch wipers.”

• Member FoDaddy: “As for beam vs. traditional, there’s no comparison IMHO. Beam blades tend to last longer, handle snow/ice with more grace, and offer a cleaner wipe, particularly as they age.”

• Member ASEMaster: “As wiper blades have become longer to sweep bigger windshields, old frame blades have given way to the beam style because they flex more easily to conform to the contour of the glass, and the aerodynamic shape actually helps keep them from skipping off the windshield at freeway speeds.”

• Member db4690: “I live and work in sunny Los Angeles, so I can’t comment on how those beam-style blades do in bad weather, but we have both beam and regular blades in our fleet. In our fleet use, the beam-style blades do NOT have any advantage whatsoever. They don’t last any longer, nor do they clean better.”

What about novelty wiper blades with multiple wiping surfaces, colors, etc?

Every expert we spoke with said that novelty wipers should be avoided. John Paul said, “Don't go for novelty blades (dual, triple blades) with weird colors/chrome. My experience is they don't wipe well.”

Jr. Damato concurred, saying, “Multi-blade was a fad that didn’t work well.”

How to clean and care for wipers

Left to themselves, wiper blades will quickly start to leave streaks and may have a shortened lifespan. It is easy to clean wipers. You simply lift them up a bit off the glass and wipe them with a paper towel that has been spritzed with a cleaner. Window washer fluid works very well and is absolutely compatible with the blade’s rubber compound. Glass cleaner is another option, but water works well and doesn’t contain ammonia or vinegar, the two main active ingredients of glass cleaner. If the blade has been doused with tree sap, isopropyl alcohol is a great option, but we don't recommend this for everyday use.

Some blades won’t clear the hood and allow for easy lifting. Here, your owner’s manual may be helpful. All wiper blades have a method by which they can be left upright. Many manuals call this the “service position.”

Caring for wipers is mainly cleaning, but Jr. Damato also suggests that owners not rely on wipers to remove ice from windshields. “I also tell anyone who will listen to never run a wiper blade over a dry surface. You are dragging along dirt and sand over your glass, and it can cause scratches you can never remove.”

Costs associated with replacing wiper blades

For most mainstream vehicles, a set of wiper blades costs under $50 per pair. Non-name wipers can cost less, but brand name wipers tend to offer a better outcome. In general the brand name wipers blades tend to last longer.

Dealers tend to mark up the price of blades a bit, and even local shops need to turn a small profit on all work, so buying your own is always a smidge less expensive than buying blades from your mechanic. However, Jr. Damato adds, “We never charge any labor to replace wiper blades.”

Quality brands like Bosh, Michelin, ANCO, and Rain-X may be slightly more expensive than no-name brands and big-box store brands, but you may only be paying a few bucks more for a high-quality product vs. one with dubious quality.

Read more on the Cost to Replace Wiper Blades here.

Can I replace my wiper blades myself DYI?

Replacing wiper blades is something that any vehicle owner can do themselves. However, it is not entirely risk-free. The main thing to avoid is accidentally letting your blade-less wiper arm snap down on the glass. This can break the windshield or chip the glass. To avoid this, place a shop towel over your glass in case you accidentally bump the arm down. It happens more than you think.

Removing and replacing a wiper blade consists of using a small tab under the blade to let the blade slide up and off the arm. Replacing the new blade on the arm is as simple as letting the new one slide onto the arm until it clicks. Watch a YouTube video to see how it’s done.

AAA’s John Paul says, “Change your blades yearly, clean them monthly (alcohol and a cloth work fine), and don't be cheap; buy quality blades. Good vision in all weather conditions, especially in rain and snow, is very important for driving safely.”

Jr. Damato agrees that changing wiper blades is an easy DIY project. However, he added that he and his team of mechanics can and do adjust wiper blades using tricks they have developed over years of experience. “If your blades are chattering or skipping, a mechanic may be able to make a small adjustment to correct their operation.”

How often should you replace your wiper blades

Jr. Damato recommends replacing wiper blades every six to twelve months for most owners. This seems to be what most mechanics suggest.

Car Talk Community member and vehicle fleet manager db4690 shed some added light on this. He says, “When a vehicle comes in for its scheduled service, which is every six months, I don’t care what shape the blades are in. They’re getting replaced regardless. The mechanics who don’t do it tend to look bad because invariably, the vehicle operator will be back in the next few weeks, complaining that his wipers aren’t cleaning the windshield. And some of these vehicles are based very far from the shop, so coming back is a really big deal, and I don’t want to make unnecessary work for the operators.”

Always keep an old set of wiper blades in your trunk

One smart idea is to keep a set of your old wiper blades in the trunk as long as they are not torn or damaged. New Englanders know that on some frigid morning, they may try to lift up a wiper blade to clear snow and have it leave its rubber stuck to the glass. When this happens, it’s great to have that intact old blade to put on until you can buy a replacement blade. Wiper blades are easy to stash with your spare tire under the cargo floor.

Car Talk expert ASE mechanics weigh in on wiper blades

Straight from our ASE-certified mechanics:

Jr. Damato, Junior’s Automotive Sales and Service

• “Multi-blade was a fad that didn’t work well.”
• “Ford and VW tend to be brands that have the hardest-to-replace wiper blades. I often use OEM parts for my customers for these brands.”
• “I also tell anyone who will listen to never run a wiper blade over a dry surface. You are dragging along dirt and sand over your glass, and it can cause scratches you can never remove.”
• “We mainly use Michelin, ANCO, and Rain-X in our shop.”

John Paul, AAA’s Car Doctor

• “I prefer traditional style rather than beam blades unless the car came with them.”
• “Change your blades yearly, clean them monthly (alcohol and a cloth work fine), and don't be cheap; buy quality blades. Good vision in all weather conditions, especially in rain and snow, is very important for driving safely.”
• “For New England-ish weather, the combination winter -all-weather blades with the shielded covering are helpful in keeping ice from forming on the wiper assembly.”
• “I recently tried RainX blades, and they are quite good. I also use ANCO and Trico.”

Conclusion

Changing wiper blades yourself is an easy DIY project. Experts we spoke with use Michelin, ANCO, Bosch, Rain-X and Trico. It is important to change your wiper blades at least annually to enjoy the best results.

Read more on the topic of Car Owning here.