Picture this: It’s a cold winter morning and you’re late for work, but your windshield is still caked with an impenetrable slurry of snow and ice. At some point, we’ve all reached for a credit card to scrape the ice away, ending up with frozen hands and a windshield that remains blocked. Thankfully, if you’re prepared with a car scraper, you’ll be able to clear the glass off and safely travel to your destination. Unlike every rudimentary solution that you macgyvered together in a rush, a dedicated car scaper will be easier to use, and much faster.
Take a look below at quick info on the best car scrapers, then scroll down for buying advice and in-depth reviews of these models.
What to Consider
Car scrapers generally come in two flavors: some with just a blade and others with both a blade and snow brush. Depending on the type of weather in your area, you'll want to pick the right tool for the job.
Compared to combo units with a brush and blade, dedicated ice scrapers are much smaller, easily able to fit in a glove box. Along with being compact, these tools are also the most affordable. Simple and inexpensive, the smaller models are ideal for drivers that experience freezing temperatures in winter, but rarely see snowfall—leading to an icy windshield after leaving their vehicle to sit overnight.
For more extreme winter climates that see regular snowfall, the combo brush-scraper is what you want. However, while the brush attachment is much better for clearing loose snow, the added functionality does come at the cost of portability. If you opt to buy one, you'll have to store it in the trunk or bed of your vehicle as the smallest model that we know of is 16 inches long.
If you can spare the extra cash, some models come with telescoping handles, which will be great for any hard-to-reach areas on larger vehicles. Should you opt for one, be sure to wipe off any excess water from the pole before retracting it, as they have a tendency to freeze shut. Another thing to look for will be a foam handgrip, which offers better comfort and control.
How We Selected
As a lifelong petrolhead and native Texan, I’ve had my fair share of frosty mornings where I would have benefitted from the use of a dedicated ice scraper. Having to wait for the defroster to clear my windshield has held me up on quite a few occasions. Pairing my personal experience along with reading countless Amazon reviews—also evaluating metrics like size, material, and weight—I put together this list of different tools that will keep you safe and on time.
Dimensions: 10 x 4.5 in. | Material: Plastic | Weight: 3.2 oz
You’ll find just about anything in Amazon’s Basics line, and this ice scraper is the ideal starting point for a budget winter emergency kit. Costing less than $10, it features a plastic handle wrapped in thick foam. The scraper end features a flat blade with a chipper on its side that splits the ice into more manageable sections. Many reviews had high praise for the padded hand grip, allowing them to get a comfortable and secure grip on the tool.
Dimensions: 11 x 4.5 in | Material: Plastic | Weight: 3.8 oz
This ice crusher-scraper combo from Hopkins is the only model with a tool at both ends. The scraper is pretty self-explanatory, but the crusher opposite to it is designed to break through thicker bits of ice. The foam-wrapped, oval-shaped handle will also give you a firm and comfortable grip on the tool. Manufactured by Hopkins and badged as a Subzero product, both brands have been making snow and ice tools for over 40 years.
Dimensions: 12.5 x 4.8 in. | Material: Brass and plastic | Weight: 2.8 oz
If the brand Snow Joe sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of Sun Joe, makers of power washers and other miscellaneous outdoor equipment. Both companies (Sun Joe being a complementary brand of Snow Joe) specialize in making outdoor tools for home and automotive applications. Despite being the most affordable scraper on the list, the Edge has a brass blade to break the ice—all the other models use plastic. And there’s no need to fear that the brass blade will scratch the glass, since brass is a softer material.
Dimensions: 27 x 7.5 in. | Material: plastic | Weight: 2.6 lb
Capable of tackling much more than just your windshield, this Joytutus and its extendable arm—which can reach up to 61 inches—will make clearing the roof much easier for van and truck drivers. On top of that, the snow broom can rotate up to 270 degrees for you to get just the right angle. The wiper cleaner will come in handy as well.
Dimensions: 16 x 4 in. | Material: plastic | Weight: 7 oz
This snow brush-scraper combo from Mallory is one of the simplest and most affordable. Sure, it can’t match the reach or functionality of some of its competitors, but it doesn’t really need to. At just $7, the SnoWEEvel is half the price of the Amazon Basics equivalent while offering roughly the same functionality. The only distinguishable difference is the foam grip on Amazon’s variation.
Dimensions: 36.4 x 12.2 in. | Material: plastic | Weight: 1.6 lb
While AstroAI’s combination ice scraper-snow brush doesn’t necessarily excel in any single area, it’s a jack of all trades. Its telescoping handle will be plenty long to clear snow off of the roof and windshield of smaller cars and SUVs. A clear party piece of this tool is the 360-degree rotating head—the more expensive model from Joytutus only adjusts 270 degrees—which gives you great adjustability to optimize clearing performance.
Matt Crisara is a native Austinite who has an unbridled passion for cars and motorsports, both foreign and domestic. He was previously a contributing writer for Motor1 following internships at Circuit Of The Americas F1 Track and Speed City, an Austin radio broadcaster focused on the world of motor racing. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona School of Journalism, where he raced mountain bikes with the University Club Team. When he isn’t working, he enjoys sim-racing, FPV drones, and the great outdoors.
