Discover the Top 8 Best Automotive Paint for Beginners

Keeping your car in perfect condition is no joke. Therefore, it is essential to go through the best automotive paint to help you in this journey.

Is your car losing the spark it initially had? If that’s why you’re reading this, you’ve come to the right place.

Surely, with the best automotive paint, your car has the potential to stand out from the crowd and get the heads turning your way. When we specifically talk about paint, it’s not just the aesthetic factors you must consider.

There comes a myriad of other factors, including the paint drying time, durability, and the automotive base, which can make or break your experience with your favorite vehicle.

Who Needs this Product?

Hiring a professional to paint your car will not only break the bank but you can never be assured of the quality and paint they are going to use to get the job done. And let’s admit it, be it you or any other expert, the paint is never going to last as long as the original paint which paints visiting the professionals every 2-3 years!

This is where DIYing comes to the rescue.

You may need an automatic paint gun to get your automatic paint job done.

What Readers Will Learn?

If you feel stuck on finding the best automotive paint, you are not alone.

Here’s a brutally honest review conducted by our team of experts to make sure you don’t compromise your vehicle’s exterior quality. You can feel free to read the buyer’s guide at the end first to make sense of these paint reviews.

So, let’s ride in!

How I Tested the Products?

Automotive paint is expected to endure everything that comes in the way of your vehicle. Whether it is scratches, bird droppings, or severe weather, a thick layer of paint has the potential to go through it effortlessly, and that’s the approach I went for to test these best automotive paints available on the market today. 

To break it down, here’s a comprehensive list of the factors that helped me bring this guide to you.

Abrasion Resistance

As we all know, the biggest obstacles that your automotive paint needs to tackle are scuffs, scrapes, and other physical damage that can destroy the overall look of your car. Here, simply testing the pain isn’t necessarily the thing I considered. Ensure the clear coat that rests on top of the paint to measure its ability to withstand abrasions.

Later, I deliberately scuff the paint to examine it durably and evaluate the total results of all the best automotive paint brands. I then tried different application procedures to go through it again and get the final results.

Interestingly, the application process plays a crucial role in enduring the abrasion and improving the longevity of the paint.

Paint Hardness (Film)

Although I went through the application process, usually, the results can be predicted just by looking at the texture of the paint. A soft and filmy paint indicates a lack of durability, which will be highly susceptible to scratches and will wear it in no time.

However, harder paints usually tend to hold up against any abrasion that comes in its way and prevent it from expressing your bare car.

Therefore, hardness can be one of the essential factors to consider before opting for automotive paint.

Impact Resistance

There is a slight difference between impact resistance and paint film. Here impact resistance means the paint can absorb the damage like chipping and cracking of your vehicle. Before buying these paints, I knew that it was difficult to find paint that had both hard films and good impact resistance at the same time.

This is because softer paint absorbs better impact. However, harder paint is still preferable as it can yield a glossier finish with better weather durability. Therefore, I paid close attention to what the manufacturers claimed and what I noticed from the actual tests.

Physical And Mechanical Tests

As most of us usually get to see the effectiveness of paint after applying the paint, I made sure to carry out physical tests more than chemical ones. This means I went the extra mile to paint the vehicle and test how well it held up the damages and the overall aesthetic appeal of the car.

This helped test the visible traits like the hardness of the color, gloss, and adhesive abilities.

Best Automotive Paint Review

1. Speedokote High Gloss Jet Black 2K Acrylic Urethane: Best Overall
2. Dupli-Color BSP202 Brilliant Silver Metallic Paint: Best Easy-to-Use Auto Paint
3. POR-15 46801 Top Coat Gloss White Paint: Best for Durability
4. Krylon K05151102 ColorMaster Paint + Primer, Metallic, Silver: Best for Beginners
5. Dupli-Color EBUN01007 Universal Gloss Black Perfect Match Automotive Paint: Best for Color Variety
6. Dupli-Color EHWP10800 High-Performance Wheel Coating Gloss Black: Best for Wheels
7. Rust-Oleum Black BlackRust-Oleum Automotive 251574 11-Ounce Trim and Bumper Spray: Best for Anti-Rust Properties
8. SEM Paints SEM15243 Satin Black Color Coat Aerosol: Best for Flexibility

1. Speedokote High Gloss Jet Black 2K Acrylic Urethane: Best Overall

One of the biggest challenges that any DIY automotive painter faces is to match the tone to the actual colors of your vehicle. Manufacturers of the automotive industry generally center their focus around creating the right shade, which can later be difficult to duplicate, let alone give a factory-like finish.

Luckily, Speedokote is to your rescue.

The Jet black color can work well on any vehicle you may have and ensure you pay attention to an important task. This particular paint is a ¾ gallon can of SMR-9705 High Gloss of Jet Black Paint along with a quart of SMR-9705A medium activation to make it a whole gallon. It also features a 2 component acrylic urethane coating that needs to be mixed in 3:1 with a 5% reduction with Urethane Grade Reducer.

It applies easily to your car and involves no missing to make it the best automotive paint for beginners. Coming to the brand reputation of the paint, the Ohio-based Speedokote is known for offering the highest quality refinishing products that can go light on your pockets.

Other than that, they offer a wide array of industrial, automotive, marine detailing, and repair products to make it your stop destination for all your repairing needs. Therefore, you can rest assured to get the best products at competitive prices. After days of testing, I can certainly vouch for their above-average drying ability, which can speed up the whole process for you.

• Uniform Jet Black Color
• UV Resistant
• Acrylic
• Medium Dry and Cure

2. Dupli-Color BSP202 Brilliant Silver Metallic Paint: Best Easy-to-Use Auto Paint

If you are thinking of DIYing your car motorcycle for the first time, there is no way you are doing it without the help of Dupli-Color. This specific lacquer system is designed for easy-to-apply application, which dries quickly but can yield a smooth finish.

It features a ready-to-spray system to ensure you do not have to get into the hassle of mixing or reducing color paints. It requires no recoat window to speed up the whole process for you. However, you can feel free to go ahead and personalize it as much as you want for the best results. That’s not even the best part. The Gloss Auto Paint is an acrylic lacquer that can match up any factory coat and color to allow you to do minor touch-ups on your car.

You can feel free to use the aerosol can to carry out a 360-degree nozzle to give wide and even coverage across the vehicle’s surface. I loved how effortless it was to get a professional-looking layer to take off the pressure from your shoulders.

• Ready-to-spray lacquer
• Ideal for automotive exterior body projects
• Brilliant Silver Metallic Color
• Single sized

3. POR-15 46801 Top Coat Gloss White Paint: Best for Durability

POR-15 Top Coat paint is a DTM ( direct-to-metal ) coating that excels at preventing rust. It can do wonders on metal and works perfectly to avoid corrosion or smudges. Coming to the safety factors of the paint. The POR-15 Top Coat safety colors comply with OSHA-recommended color codes to minimize physical hazards and offer protective equipment.

If the long-term sheen is your bet, you can never go wrong with its exceptionally formulated paint that can be applied directly to your metal substrates or previously paid surfaces without the use of Premier whatsoever. According to its past customers, it works as a barrier between your vehicle and corrosion.

However, for it to work properly, you unneeded to pay close attention to the surface that the paint is going to be applied on before the application process; I made use of keeping it free of oil, loose paint, grease, loose rust, and other matters that can alter with the durability and application of your paint. You can go ahead and scuff the previous paint with 320-grit sandpaper and let the surface dry thoroughly before moving on to the next coat.  

That said, if beginners aren’t aware of it already, go for the second coat after 2-72 hours, and the topcoat can take up to 3-4 days to dry out completely. However, these numbers can vary depending on the temperatures and humidity in your area. It is recommended to never paint for the can; instead, transfer it to another container and make sure you don’t mix the leftover paint back into the can. This can mess up your second layer of coat.

Besides that, you must clean the lid’s lip as the remaining paint in these places can glue the two pieces together and slow down the entire process.

• No primer required
• UV resistant
• Direct to Metal (DTM) Rust Preventive Paint
• Use over POR-15 Rust Preventive

Reasons Not to Buy

It takes a long time to dry and has a poor quality white top which might increase the time taken to complete the painting process.

4. Krylon K05151102 ColorMaster Paint + Primer, Metallic, Silver: Best for Beginners

After days of testing, researching, and evaluating the results, I found out that this specific KrylonColorMaster paint has more to offer than we usually give credit for. It is the epitome of the best automotive paint for beginners for interior and exterior purposes as it can work well on surfaces like metal, wood, and plastics.

If you are intimidated by the whole coating and even layer process, this paint can do the trick for you. With a few buttons, you can tackle a large area of the surface and achieve a smooth and flawless finish for your good.

Best of all, the rattle spray comes in a wide variety of finishes, including matte, metallic, gloss semi-flat, satin, and semi-gloss. With this, you also get to have a premium option for creating a base coat for your paint which can hold up to 12 ounces of paint quickly.

This can be the best choice if you need to finish up the drying process in just 15 minutes and use the EZ touch Conical Tip to reduce finger fatigue while spraying. As a result, it gives a rich and brilliant color that will last for years to come. Considering this less drying time, you don’t have to drag this process for days to get your car up and running in no time. Thus, the specific formula can make it ideal for painting other body parts of your vehicle and instantly amping up the aesthetics and durability of your car.

The brand is also known for providing excellent quality paints at reasonable prices to help you get the best products under your pocket.

• 12oz
• Silver
• 1 Liter
• Used for Interior Painting

5. Dupli-Color EBUN01007 Universal Gloss Black Perfect Match Automotive Paint: Best for Color Variety

Looking for a perfect match for your car? Nothing can beat Dupli-Color EBUN01007 Universal Gloss Black in its extensive range of quick-drying color options and features an adjustable EZ touch 350-degree nozzle for added benefits.

With this, you can rest assured that you are getting a factory-like finish and perfect match filler primer that is ideal for regular touch-ups and any vehicle you may have. You can also count on the Perfect Match Clear Coat, which is ideal on all OEM paint surfaces and gets you the latest formulated paints.

One thing that makes people go head over heels for this brand is how it has shown incredible results for all of these products. The acrylic lacquer aerosol paint is specifically designed for its fast-drying properties, which get the job done without compromising the quality of your paint.

• Single sized
• Dupli-Color
• Universal Gloss Black
• Glossy finish
• Lacquer Paint Type

6. Dupli-Color EHWP10800 High-Performance Wheel Coating Gloss Black: Best for Wheels

This advanced paint works exceptionally well for amping up your worn-out wheels and restores the original condition of not only your vehicle but the rest of the parts too. I tested all sorts of paint types. The acrylic enamel used works incredibly well to protect against brake dust, chemicals, and heat which is slowly deteriorating the condition of your wheels.

Not just that, the highly durable finish of the paint has never let us down with its supper adhesive properties to steel, plastic, and aluminum wheel coverings. This means it not only provides a beautiful overall finish to your wheels right away but is the best automotive paint for beginners as well.

You can apply it easily and don’t have to fiddle around with ratios and mixtures to get a factory-like look. As for the price, I believe you get what you pay for, but this Dupli color exemplifies that you can get high-quality products without breaking the bank!

This is amazing as this lets you focus on actually painting the vehicle instead of stressing over the price and application process. The company started in 1938 when Army Lt. Colonel Sigmund E. Edlestone thought of eliminating the issues with our vehicles by selling touch-up paint for cars to match the original OEM finish of your cars. This solution is now being used worldwide to combat any sort of paint issues you may have with your regular paints.

What gives Dupli color a competitive edge over the rest is how it gives you the freedom to choose any color you may like and match your vehicle to stand out in the crowd. Therefore, the unmatched features, affordability, and convenience make it one of the best paints you can buy for your vehicles today.

• Single sized
• Gloss Black
• Metallic finish
• Enamel, Acrylic paint type

7. Rust-Oleum Black BlackRust-Oleum Automotive 251574 11-Ounce Trim and Bumper Spray: Best for Anti-Rust Properties

Manufactured in the United States, the Rust-Oleum Trim, and Bumper Paint is everything you need to ace a good painting job on your car. it ensures renewed sorts of weather or discolored bumpers and moldings. One of the things that make it stand above the rest is its unmatched formulation, which makes it a perfect application for wheel walls and other surfaces exposed to corrosion and prone to harsh weather.

The fast dry and OEM color match stops any rust formula and uses any-angle spray technology to cover all sides of your vehicle. The Trim and Bumper Paint is perfect for metal trim, and rearview mirror covers and keep your car in perfect condition at all times.

It uses a corrosion-resistant formula that can cover around 50 square feet of the body surface without requiring any mixing whatsoever. What’s more? You never have to wait long between different painting sessions; 30 minutes is just enough to do the work for you.

That’s not it, and the Rust-Oleum Auto Body Paint offers a high-quality basecoat with anti-rust properties, which is high in durability and satisfaction. Once the paint dries, you can rest assured to get an endless bright shine to amp up its aesthetic at all times. To top it off, the jet black paint comes with thick, hard paint to make the whole journey seamless for you.

• 11-Ounce sized
• Black color
• 325 Milliliters
• Matte Finish Type

8. SEM Paints SEM15243 Satin Black Color Coat Aerosol: Best for Flexibility

Think of versatility, and you have SEM paints all the way to rescue your cars. The automotive spray can work well on carpet, vinyl, carpet, and plastic. Each can contains 12 ounces of paint which is enough to cover your entire vehicle.

The elastomeric coating used in the paint is flexible to ensure the heavy wear and tear of your house. The improved spray tip can cover a large surface area with reduced atomization for more added smoothness.

If you struggle with covering the nooks and corners of your car or motorcycle, this can be an excellent way to protect your vehicle against any part of external damage or friction that can rub off and deteriorate the aesthetics of your car.

Other than that, the fade-resistant and permanent color of the paint eliminates the hassle of adding in extra coats of colors for a rich look. Other than the color factors, you also need to 0take into account the finish of the paint.

Here, the satin finish is great for a luxurious look and complements the exotic curves of your vehicle. Whether it is the classic black you are looking for or a customized color to suit the original aesthetics of your car, SEM is armed with just the right features to help you cover anything you want to get your vehicle in the ideal shape.

• Black
• Satin Finish
• Can
• Can withstand friction

Buyer’s Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Investing

Now that you are perfectly equipped with all the best automotive paint known in the market today, it’s time you start shortlisting and find one that works well for you. This means you need to get your purpose straight, whether repainting the entire car or making a few touch-ups to cover the scratches.

Some people also buy paint only to paint your wheel rims. Therefore, depending on the purpose and the final look you prefer, you can start looking for the right paint to make this process easier for you.

To help you in this hunt, I have done all the homework for you!

Here are some of the factors you must consider before making up your mind.

Primer Coat

A good primer coat is what differentiates a good application from a bad one. In the market, you usually get primers in black, white, and grey colors. When selecting a primer, go for :

●     White color for light paints;

●     Black for darker colors;

●     And grey for a more metallic look.

These colors will make sure the original metal color does see through the final layer of paint and help it last longer. Remember, primer isn’t the only thing that can yield these unprecedented results. You also need to get rid of any sort of chipping, cracks, or leftover paint. This eliminates peeling or flaking.

Here, the primer prepares the surface for your coat and helps to lock the moisture in the bare metal to avoid oxidation in rust. Therefore, before you buy the right paint, make sure you are paying equal attention to the primer which can inevitably yield better overall results for your paint. This is especially true if you are going for spray paints.

Paint Type

If you are thinking of getting the best automotive paint, you must have stumbled across two types of paints: Acrylic and Urethane.

Do you know which can prove to be the right choice for you? Here is a comparison to answer this effectively.

Automotive Paint: Urethane vs Acrylic

Urethane paints are the industry standard paints that are used to give a professional finish to your vehicle. This is the preferred choice by the automakers as neither acrylic nor urethane paint can replace its effectiveness. Not just that, Urethane is the main reason why the original car paints are like to be more durable than any other DIY ones.

Nowadays, an addition of urethane paint has also emerged to offer relatively the same effects.

When properly maintained, you can also expect urethane paint to last longer than acrylic automotive paint. Urethane dries faster, which makes it easier for manufacturers to build large numbers of cars at once.

So, what’s the catch, you may ask? Read on to find out!

Reasons to Buy

Urethane paints are durable and chip-resistant which can also be applied over lacquer. Considering how it is durable, you can rest assured that makes a cost-effective choice in the long run. Another reason why many people prefer to go for Urethane is that it dries instantly to speed up your process.

Reasons Not to Buy

Although it is packed with perks, it is highly toxic for health which is usually used in an industrial environment. Seeing the complex procedure to get urethane paints only for your vehicle, can be a difficult choice for beginners. As for the loo and price, acrylic paint offers better options.

Speaking of that, acrylic paints have a completely different approach to automotive paint and overall look. It mainly uses water as the primary agent for its paint, while polyurethane paints are mostly solvents.

Therefore, acrylic paints are less toxic while you are DIYing at home. Unlike Urethane, acrylic paints don’t require extras like hardeners, fancy equipment, and other chemicals, making it easier to use straight out of the can. Therefore, you are likely to find most automobiles are acrylic as they are more convenient to use for people in general.

Another difference to bear in mind is the application process. As acrylic paints tend to emerge from water droplets, they can take longer to dry; meaning you may have to wait for 1-2 days before going over with another coat.

You can also go further and classify different types of acrylic paints.

As a general rule of thumb, acrylic lacquer is more expensive than acrylic enamel. However, acrylic enamel paints are also fast-drying, and if you mix them with urethane harders, it can lead to unmatched gloss and durability, which is impossible to resist.

These paints are also fade and chip-resistant, making them an ideal choice to have with you. The only drawback here is the application process that requires you to sand the surface, apply a clear coat, and then go over with your first acrylic paint to wait for a few days for the second one.

Reasons to Buy

 It gives a glossy finish with minimum effort to make an ideal choice for beginners. It also provides a superb protective shell

Reasons Not to Buy

It takes a long time to dry and is not as durable as urethane.

All in all, considering how acrylic paint is lighter than urethane, you need to carefully consider the primer as the metal can expose it to rust and dull color. The best one among these two depends on the purpose that you are going for.

Most people prefer to go for acrylic enamel for quick fixes as it’s more affordable and doesn’t involve you in hassles.

Types of Base Coats

If you have decided on the paint and color, it’s time you get to the most important part of the whole porch: the base coat.

As mentioned earlier, acrylic paint doesn’t require hardeners or a strengthener. This means after you are done with the paint application process, you’re leaving it raw for the moisture to attract and decrease the longevity of the paint.

Therefore, when it comes to acrylic paints, apply a clear coat or a urethane base coat at the end of the process to protect the primer and the metal frame. It also has the potential to preserve the shine for long periods.

This base coat can either be water-based depending on your preferences or give a more pearlescent or solvent base for a metallic look.

Painting Area

This is more relevant to our application process than buying automotive paint. Think of all the places you want to paint. Is it the full car? Motorcycle or perhaps a few parts? If it’s something as big as an entire car, you may need to go for a paint spray that offers better coverage, saving time.

However, if there are free parts that need painting, it’s painted to get liquid paint or spray that can help you reach all the tiny corners in your vehicle. This can be determined by looking at the nozzle of the paint spray or counting on a toothbrush to reach those areas.

Other than that, make sure you have space under, over, and around your vehicle to make this painting a mess-free process for you.

Safety Equipment

When you are buying automotive paint, you might also pay attention to the safety equipment that can eliminate all the health hazards you may have with your paint, especially if you are opting for urethane paint. This includes a high-quality respirator, safety goggles, and gloves for maximum safety.

Make sure you have no children around and are working in a well-ventilated area to prevent the toxicity in the paints. 

Besides that, self-reflection always gives the best advice when you are thinking of repainting your vehicle yourself. Through this guide, you must have understood that choosing the right color isn’t the only challenge that you need to face here. You also need to look for paint that can look good for years with no damage and quality compromise. So you can begin to understand your priorities by asking yourself the following questions:

●     Am I experienced enough to use any kind of paint?

●     Should I use a single or two-part format?

●     Do I have enough space to carry out the repainting procedure myself?

●     Is primer necessary?

●     How much am I willing to invest in my vehicle?

Sure these questions wouldn’t suffice alone to help you make the right decisions, but they will lead to more personalized questions that will help provide answers to all of your swarming questions in mind.

Thus, depending on these, you can go ahead and reread (or finally read, if you followed our advice above) the best automotive paints mentioned above and take your pick. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Now that you are perfectly armed with all the information needed to ace your automotive painting, there are still questions that are left unanswered. But guess what? I’ve got your back again! Here are the top burning questions and their answers to make sure you begin this journey fully equipped.

Q. How Much is Paint Car Paint Required?

Although most of it depends on the size of your car, a normal four-door sedan car can take a gallon of primer. 2-3 gallons of the basecoat for the single-stage work and 4-5 gallons of topcoat. However, these figures can vary with the type and size of the car you have. It’s never a bad idea to read the instructions or ask the seller for details. 

Q. Is it Possible to Paint over a Car’s Existing Paint?

The answer isn’t as clear as you may think. Although this is possible, it is better to remove the existing paint first to help make it stick better. This could make the paint flake and improve the overall look of the car. You can do this by using sanding to leave bare metal underneath. Then go ahead with a primer to prevent rusting, the basecoat, and lastly, the topcoat for best results.

However, while doing this, make sure you know how long it would take for the specific paint to dry. If it fails to do so, it can even do more harm than good.

Q. What kind of paint do car manufacturers use?

Nowadays, professional car painters use acrylic polyurethane enamel, a colored base coat followed by a clear topcoat. There are many names used to describe this kind of paint; whether it is “acrylic, “acrylic enamel, or “urethane”, all of them have relatively the same meaning.

Q. What is the difference between automotive paint and spray paint?

In general, automotive paint is likely to be harder and UV-resistant on the surface. At the same time, spray paints are easier to apply but will start to fade in 4 to 6 months. Therefore, many people prefer to go for automotive paint for a prolonged shiny look. Another difference here is the price. Considering how spray paints are less durable, they do offer lower prices initially, but it can add up in the long run.

Q. How Long Does the New Coat of Paint Last?

Even though DIY paints are less likely to stay for as long as the original, they can last for 20 to 30 years if done right. However, this period can change according to the paint brand, application, and wear and tear of the vehicle.

Final Words

When it comes to paints, everything boils down to personal preferences. If there has to be the most important takeaway that I want to have from this guide is to go for automotive paints that offer some sort of rust protection to eliminate the biggest problem most people have.

If we consider the most popular choice and what I felt worked best for the vehicle, then it has to be Speedokote High Gloss Jet Black 2K Acrylic Urethane as it covers everything from UV protection to fade-resistant features to help it last longer than most the paints out there. However, you can always do your side of the research and pick the one that works best for you.

Cheers!