| Best Choice |
|
Delk Products, Inc. FrostGuard Windshield Cover | CHECK LATEST PRICE | |
| Premium Pick |
|
Ice King Magnetic Windshield Cover | CHECK LATEST PRICE | |
| Best Value |
|
Chanvi Windshield Cover | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
A relatively small investment in a frost guard can protect you from scraped knuckles, frostbitten fingers, and the pointless irritation you experience when scraping your windshield in cold weather. Buy the right one and you can get years of excellent service, which is why we have put together this guide. Check out the best frost guards below.
The Best Frost Guard:
This Frost Guard from Delk is all about fast installation, which is a handy feature in these types of products. You can put it on your vehicle when you are parking for the night when it’s cold and dark and you just want to get into the house as soon as possible.
This product incorporates two rigid poles at either end that hold the material in place across the windshield. It has less strapping and attachments than you see on other products. Just put it in place, slip the strapping over the side mirrors, and go into your house to defrost.
It is made of strong, weather-resistant materials and comes with a quick dry pouch for easy storage. Sizing is simple too. The standard fits compacts, sedans, and smaller SUVS and measures 61 by 32 inches.
- FitFast Straps for Speedy Installation
- Durable Construction
- Standard Sizing
- Brand Delk Products, Inc.
- Model 800699524950
- Weight 1.28 lbs
This product takes advantage of the power of magnets to create an easy and close-fitting seal on your windshield.
Two double-stitched flaps are sealed into the doors to secure the sides, while the top and bottom sections feature magnets inside the fabric edges. This product is very easy to apply, and the close fit can prevent it from rippling, being damaged, or getting torn away completely by the wind.
The bottom section is extra long and trails down onto the hood to fully protect the windshield wipers. It comes in two sizes, standard and large, so it’s simple to select the right one. The price tag is friendly too, and this item is one of the cheaper ones on this list.
- Magnetic Edges
- Additional Wiper Protection
- Easy Installation – No Strapping
- Low Price
- Brand Apex Automotive
- Model pw-carover
- Weight 6.7 oz
We love a product that does what it promises on the packaging like this one from SnowOFF. As it puts it, “Fold off, Shake off, Drive off,” and that seems pretty appealing, right?
This is a premium product with a premium price tag, making it more than double the cost of some of the other items on this list. For the money, however, you get a lot of high-level features.
The standout is the sheer amount of attachments. Side panels go into the doors to secure the vertical sides. Straps with hooks easily attach to wheels and secure downwards, and suction cups take care of the rest. This results in a super secure attachment, making this ideal for use in climates with especially harsh winters.
The product is made from premium, high-quality materials for a superior finish, long lifespan, and high performance. The long skirt trails down onto the hood to protect windshield wipers, and it comes with a handy storage pouch to keep it safe and out of the way.
- Extra Secure Fit Using Wheel Straps, Suction Cups, Door Panels
- Premium Construction
- Extra-Long Hood Skirt
- Brand SnowOFF
- Model SnowOFF-CAR-BLACK
- Weight 0.67 oz
If protecting your windshield from ice and snow alone is not enough, this product lets you do that as well as proclaim your love for your favorite NFL team.
Apart from that, this is also a well-designed frost guard. The strapping and solid side poles make installation fast and simple. It is manufactured from weather-resistant and durable materials, and it also features built-in side-view mirror protection, which is a handy feature.
Standard sizes make it easy to select the right one for your vehicle, and the NFL-based designs make a practical but pretty boring product a little more fun. If you want to keep the snow off your windshield and tell the world the Cowboys are the best football team (or is it the Steelers?) this is the product for you.
- Support Your NFL Team While Protecting Your Car
- Easy Installation
- Standard Sizes
- Brand FrostGuard
- Model 52688
- Weight 3.63 lbs
This is a very useful product from OxGuard because it’s a dual-use windshield cover. You can use it in the winter to keep snow and ice away as well as in the summer to protect your car from the sun.
It is constructed of extra-thick, heavy-duty black polyester. It is strong and durable enough to stand up to winter weather, snow, and ice as well as the sun’s rays.
It has side panels and sideview mirror straps for an extra tight fit, and it comes with a mid-range price tag well below some of the more premium branded products on this list.
- All Weather (Winter & Summer Protection)
- Heavy-Duty Polyester Construction
- Side Panels & Straps for a Tight, Effective Fit
- Brand OxGord
- Model FBA_WSSC-01-NW
- Weight 1.65 lbs
If you live in an area with really harsh winters then you need to make sure you get a frost guard that forms a nice tight seal over the windshield. If the product can’t make that good seal it is likely to blow off in the wind. This product from Ice King is designed with that very issue in mind.
The product uses powerful, rare earth N52 magnets in the guard’s edge along with side flaps to ensure a very close seal. The guard is constructed of durable material, making this an exceptionally well put together frost guard that should be able to stand up to just about anything in the winter.
- Strong Magnets
- Side Flaps
- Durable Construction
- Brand Ice King
- Model SC-70
- Weight 8 oz
This guard from Chavani is a discount item a very low price, but don’t let that fool you.
It comes with a range of useful features, such as built-in sideview mirror protectors. Also, the mirror protectors include a strip of reflective material to prevent other drivers from clipping your mirrors.
The guard is secured by security flaps and strategically placed magnets for an extra-secure hold. It’s a bit of a shame that there are only a few magnets included, which is less than some of the more premium products on this list, but there are a lot of good features and the low price is also appealing.
- Mirror Protectors
- Low Price
- Built-In Magnets
- Brand Chavani
- Model momo-carover
- Weight 4.8 oz
Best Frost Guards Buying Guide & FAQ
As they like to proclaim on a certain, very popular fantasy TV show – Winter is Coming!
Whilst the winter in your area may not bring dragons and shambling armies of the undead it will bring frost, ice and snow. If you don’t want to be scrapping that off your windshield every morning then a Frost Guard is a very good investment.
As we’ve seen above however, these deceptively simply products can offer a few design features that differ from model to model. That’s why we have put together this buying guide, to ensure that you both buy the product that is right for your needs but that you also have the all the knowledge you need to use it correctly.
Related Post: Best Anti Freeze
What Does a Frost Guard Do?
This seems like as good a place as any to get started – just what does a Frost Guard do?
Well, its number one priority is of course to stop you having to scrape your windshield after every storm or period of snowfall.
Let’s face it, scraping windshields is one of the absolute worst tasks that drivers face every winter – or even year round, depending on where you live. That’s why someone invented Frost Guards and when that person meets St Peter at the Pearly Gates they will find they already have a reservation set aside!
Scraping can also damage a windshield, so even aside from the annoyance factor of having to do it, it really is best to avoid it if at all possible.
The cold weather itself can also damage both the windshield and also your windshield wipers. If the windshield has a crack or chip then moisture can get into there, freeze and expand. This will over time weaken your windshield until it completely cracks or even shatters.
Windshield wipers can get frozen to the windshield, which can damage the rubber blades and seriously shorten their lifespan before replacement.
A good Frost Guard will help to protect against all of that.
Related Post: Best Garage Heaters
Do Frost Guards Prevent All Cold Weather Problems?
We here are CarAutance are not in the game of being snake oil salesmen. Therefore we can’t, and indeed won’t, make the claim that Frost Guards are going to prevent any and all problems that could come up during winter.
Pricewise, none of the products on this list is going to set you back more than 30 bucks. It is just not practical to expect a product with that price range to truly prevent any and all problems – especially if you live somewhere with a particularly harsh winter weather system.
That being said though, they will certainly go a long way to preventing serious issues, and frankly having a guard in place will be of more benefit than not having one at all.
Like we just pointed out anyway, the price is very low – the cheapest on this list will give you change from a $10 bill – so even if they are not a 100% effective against all winter problems they still a great investment.
At the very least, if they stop you having to scrape the windshield every morning, then that alone is saving you time and irritation and it’s also protecting the windshield from constant scrapings and the damage that can cause.
Related Post: Best Snow Tires
What Makes a Good Frost Guard
There are a number of features to look for, and your personal needs may make some more attractive than others. In general, keep an eye out for:
- Securing Points – Possibly the most important part of the design of these products is how they are secured onto your vehicle. Many designs will incorporate side panels that are shut in the doors but it’s the optional extras that make some products more, or less, secure. Extras like…
- Magnets – They can help to create an excellent seal that keeps moisture away from the windshield. However, they only work if the metal they are attaching to is free of snow and ice. If you live somewhere where the car is often covered in snow and ice then this may not be the best option, as you’ll have to keep clearing it away before you can attach the guard.
- Straps – A very practical and hardwearing way to add extra strength to the guard’s attachment. They can be fiddly to put on in bad weather however, when a guard blowing in the wind can make looping and tightening straps harder than usual.
- Dual Weather Protection – You’ll notice that a few of the models on our list can tackle both summer and winter weather. That is of course a very handy feature that essentially means you get twice the product for your investment.
- Side View Protection – A couple of models also boast side view mirror protectors. They are essentially like gloves for your mirrors, slipping over the body of the mirror to prevent snow and ice build up here too.
Related Post: Best Portable Garage
What to Avoid When Buying a Frost Guard
As these are by and large pretty simple products, it is actually quite hard to really make a huge mistake when buying one – and if you do, just try a different model, it’s not like you have to re-mortgage the house every time you buy one!
That being said, there are a few things that are worth avoiding if you want to saves some time and money with your purchase.
- Wrong Size – Probably the worst thing you can do is to buy the wrong sized guard. A product that is too small will simply not cover the windshield properly. It will also be hard to attach and can allow moisture to seep underneath because it will not be able to form a complete seal. A guard that is too large will have the opposite effect, and will swamp the windshield of the vehicle in swathes of useless material. Again, it will be hard to secure it properly, however with a too large product, that can lead to the guard flapping around in the wind, becoming damaged or even being ripped away.
- Poor Secure Points – In addition to being the right size, you also need to have appropriate securing mechanism. All of the models on out list have at least one effective anchoring method – be that straps, magnets or suction pads – in addition to the side flaps that are shut in the vehicle door.
Think very carefully before you buy a product without the flaps that sit in the doors. Not only do they help to create a nice tight seal across the windshield glass, they are also something of a security feature. It’s not unknown for people to try to steal guards right off of cars – but that is far harder to do if the guard is secured in place by the door.
Related Post: How To Open a Car Door That’s Frozen Shut
Sources:
- Car Cabin Temperatures – ThoughtCo
- Windshield Wiper Protection Tips – Southwest Volkswagen
