A car air dryer isn’t a gimmick, it’s a must-have for any serious car detailer. Guess everyone’s been in the situation where they’ve thoroughly washed and dried their car on a clear sunday morning only to find drip marks and mineral deposits under their logos, mirrors, handles, grill… a few hours later. Using a car air dryer to blow all the water from crevices and seams you can’t reach with your drying towel can prevent this.
Check out our pick of the best car air dryers:
Why you should consider using a car air dryer
Although you might think that you don’t really need a car air dryer, once you’ve tried it, you’re hooked! These are the most important advantages of using a car air dryer after washing your car:
- No More Drips or Runoffs: We’ve all been there: no matter how thoroughly you try to dry your car, after a short drive there will always be streaks and runoffs from water that was trapped in places your towel can’t reach. With a car air dryer that’s history. Its powerful air jet will blow any water that’s trapped out of all unreachable gaps.
- No Mineral Residue: When your car is left to dry on its own after you’ve washed it, water droplets evaporate and leave mineral deposits. These deposits are hard to remove and leave white-grayish spots on your car’s coating. This is especially noticeable on dark paint. By blowing off these droplets with a car air dryer before they have the chance to dry, you won’t get any nasty water spots.
- Zero Scratching: No matter what precautions you take to avoid scratching or marrying your car’s coating, there will always be some contaminants left on your car’s surface. Dirt particles will get trapped in the drying towels and will, to some degree, cause scratches on your car’s coating. Professional detailers call this “marring”. When you blow your car dry using a car air dryer instead of wiping, you won’t cause scratching at all because it is touchless.
- Less Work: Why strain your back by drying your car with a towel? It’s so much easier to blow it dry, and it’s faster too.
- Less Towels to Wash: Let’s state the obvious: with a car air dryer you don’t need to wash a bunch of drying towels anymore, maybe just one or two. This will save you time and money. Less laundry also means you’ll be using less water and less detergent which is good for the environment.
- Less Chance of Rust: There will hardly be any water left in crevices, seams and paint imperfections after blowing your car dry with a car air dryer. Therefore the chances of rust forming will be greatly reduced because of the very short dwell time.
Things to consider when buying a car air dryer
Before buying a car air dryer, you should consider several options to choose the right one for your situation:
- Corded / Cordless: Corded car air dryers are generally more affordable than similar-specs cordless types, because they don’t need a battery or charger. You don’t have to charge the battery either, but you do need a power outlet and your freedom of movement may be limited because of the power cord.Because you only have to manipulate the lightweight air hose and not the actual blower, a corded air dryer generally is more agile to use and causes less muscle fatigue. Battery-powered car air dryers on the other hand, can be used everywhere, even where you don’t have access to a power outlet.
- Cold air / warm air: Some corded car air dryers can produce warm air instead of cold (ambient) air. This can be beneficial to speed up the drying process and is therefore often preferred by professional detailers. However, warm-air car dryers are always corded because the heating process is too power-consuming for battery-powered devices. Also, because a warm-air car air dryer needs time to heat the air as it passes, the air speed is limited to about half of the air volume (CFM) cold-air car air dryers can produce.
- Versatility: Some types of car air dryers can be used as a leaf blower or workshop blower too, making them a handy multi-purpose tool that can be used not only to dry your vehicle but also around the home and garden.
Best Overall Car Air Dryer
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Best Overall Car Air Dryer
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- Type: Corded 120V
- Air Temperature: Warm
- Intended Use: Professional / DIY
This professional-grade car air dryer from Adam’s, the renowned US based detailing specialists, comes in fire truck red and is a joy to work with. Noise-cut technology takes noise levels down to max. 88dB.
It’s standard equipped with a 15 ft. rubberized power cord and a self-retracting 30 ft. hose. When the power’s turned off, the hose self-retracts to 10ft. What a great space saver!
Two rubberized attachments, a straight rubber nozzle and a wide fan nozzle, make this car air dryer safe to come close to any surface without the risk of damage. Adam’s Air Cannon moves over 320 CFM of clean, warm, dry, filtered air moving at a whopping 660 mph! It has an adjustable speed control with a slow-start function for added safety. Even more, Adam’s gives a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty and guarantees 110% satisfaction!
Customers say they love the lightweight long expanding air hose. They say it’s surprisingly powerful for a warm-air car air dryer.
In our experience, a professional grade warm-air car dryer like Adam’s can make a huge difference in drying time compared to one with cold air, especially when you’re washing your car in colder ambient temperatures. If your budget allows, and you have a power outlet where you wash your car, we highly recommend Adam’s Air Cannon. It’s our favorite!
PROS:
- Heated air
- Noise-cut technology
- Professional quality
- Powerful
- Self-expanding/retracting 30 ft hose
- Wheeled
- US based company
CONS:
- Needs a power outlet
Best Budget Car Air Dryer
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Best Budget Car Air Dryer
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This wheeled, dedicated 2800W warm air car dryer comes equipped with a 14 ft. hose and several different nozzles. If you’re looking for a bargain, this is it. Don’t let its price deceive you though, it performs amazingly well!
This car air dryer produces decent warm air volume and power without waking the whole neighborhood. Both its airflow and air temperature can be adjusted individually to High, Low or Off setting with the flip of a switch. This means you can use it with just cold air too.
There’s lots of positive customer reviews out there that state this car air dryer really is a lot of bang for your buck and that it is quieter than expected. They say that the air that comes out is surprisingly hot, which considerably shortens the drying process.
PROS:
- A lot of bang for your buck
- Delivers surprisingly hot air
- Ample power
- Reasonable noise level
- Adjustable air temperature and speed
- Long, flexible hose handles effortlessly
- Wheeled
CONS:
- Not as powerful as professional grade competitors
Best Cordless Car Air Dryer
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Best Cordless Car Air Dryer
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- Type: Cordless 56V
- Air Temperature: Cold
- Intended Use: Professional / DIY
This cordless beast blows like a hurricane. Its brushless engine turns a jet-engine-style turbine, powered by a 56V / 5Ah ARC Lithium-Ion battery. With its “Turbo” button pushed down, it generates an incredible airspeed of 200 mph with a huge air volume of 765 CFM. It can also be used in normal mode or tuned down with its variable speed dial.
In “Turbo” mode the battery lasts about 15 min., in normal mode about 30 min. Knowing that thoroughly drying a large size car takes about 5 min., battery time is more than sufficient. There is a handy battery charge indicator on the back of each battery pack too, so you know at all times how much battery power is left.
Many accessories are available for this car air dryer to make it multi-functional around the house and garden, such as gutter cleaning attachments and spare batteries. It doubles as a first class leaf blower too. In our opinion, the Short Tube Attachment is a must-have for car detailing.
The 56V EGO battery packs can power all 50+ EGO tools, and EGO’s Power+ LB7654 is built so sturdy that it comes with a 5-year warranty.
Customers are impressed by this blower’s performance and versatility. They say it’s the most powerful battery-powered blower out there.
PROS:
- Cordless
- Impressive power
- Ample battery time
- Very durable construction
- Multi-functional for home and garden too
- Battery and charger included
- 5-year warranty
CONS:
- Much heavier than a corded car air dryer
- Less agile than the air nozzle of a corded car air dryer
Best Compact Car Air Dryer
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Best Compact Car Air Dryer
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- Type: Cordless
- Air Temperature: Cold
- Intended Use: DIY
This compact battery-powered three-speed car air dryer is the most powerful in its kind. It measures just over a foot and can be equipped with a short rubber nozzle that won’t damage your car paint should you accidentally bump it. With an air speed of over 135mph, it easily removes water and moisture from hard-to-reach spots like door handles, grilles, gaps, logos and more…
This great little blower runs on a Dewalt 20V MAX battery which needs to be bought separately if you don’t own other battery powered Dewalt tools. The DEWALT-DCE100B is surprisingly light and agile. It can be used around the house and garden as a leaf blower or workshop blower too. It comes with an extension for a longer reach.
This small power house has a huge customer base. They state that they are impressed with the balance, light weight, and ease of use. They like the fact that it has a sturdy build quality and runs on their other Dewalt batteries too.
PROS:
- Compact
- Powerful
- Sturdy build quality
- Versatile around house and garden
- Rubber nozzle prevents damage
- Runs on other Dewalt tool batteries too
CONS:
- No battery or charger included
Comparison Table of the Best Car Air Dryers
| Brand | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Overall Car Air Dryer | Adam’s | Air Cannon Car Dryer Blower |
| Best Budget Car Air Dryer | SHELANDY | Motorcycle & Car Dryer |
| Best Cordless Car Air Dryer | EGO Power+ | 765 CFM |
| Best Compact Car Air Dryer | DEWALT | 20V MAX Blower |
Final Thoughts
If you aim to avoid scratching, marring and mineral deposits while washing and detailing your car, you can’t do without a car air dryer. By blowing your car dry after washing it, you don’t run the risk of scratching your car paint with debris or minute sand particles that collect in your drying towel. Water drops won’t have the chance to dry and leave mineral deposits either.
Car air dryers don’t have to be expensive, they come in different prices:
Our Best Budget Car Dryer is a bargain! It’s all you’ll need for that satisfying weekend detailing session. Its air is hot, even when the price is not!
If you want professional quality for frequent use, then take a closer look at our Best Overall. Although it’s not the most expensive one in our selection, it’s our preferred car air dryer.
Don’t want power cords tying you down? For maximum agility and lightness, we recommend our Best Compact Car Air Dryer.
If you’re looking for hurricane power, you’ll be amazed by the brute force of our Best Cordless Car Air Dryer.
No matter which car air dryer from our selection you choose, you’ll be blown away by the results! (pun intended)
Happy detailing!
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