Coolant protects your engine from overheating, so it’s pretty important. Your engine deserves good coolant, and we’ve picked some of the best engine coolant for your car.
We know that coolant is there to prevent your engine from overheating, and keeping it topped up is essential car maintenance. However, it does so much more than that. It contains antifreeze to prevent your engine from freezing solid when temperatures plummet. It also lubricates the parts it comes into contact with. This means it helps to protect your water pump, head gasket, cylinders and pistons. As it’s so important for a healthy engine, you don’t want to scrimp when it comes to coolant. There is an awful lot to choose from, but I’ve picked a handful of the best engine coolants to help you buy the right one.
How we chose these products
Although I haven’t had the chance to test each of these products directly, I’ve owned and maintained cars for many, many years. As such, I know which brands have a good reputation in the automotive scene, and crucially what sort of specifications are important for coolant to have. Understanding what engine coolants do is part of knowing which products to choose. If you require more information on how it works, be sure to visit our guide to engine coolants.
Best Engine Coolant
Prestone Coolant/Antifreeze
RRP: $10.38 (1ga). Buy Now. £17.19 (4 litres), Buy Now.
Prestone Coolant/Antifreeze is an excellent choice of engine coolant. Available in 1-litre and 4-litre bottles, either ready-to-use or concentrated, it delivers superb performance. Prestone can safely be added to existing coolant/antifreeze without causing damage. This means it’s perfect whether you’re flushing your coolant, or just topping it up. Rigorous testing means Prestone Coolant/Antifreeze delivers corrosion protection for 150,000 miles/10 years. And it protects from -37°C all to way to 129°C. It’s easy to see why this is such a popular engine coolant, and you can’t go wrong.
Evans Waterless Engine Coolant
RRP: $51.95 (1ga). Buy now. £64.95 (5 litres) Buy Now.
While it might be more expensive than traditional coolant, Evans’ waterless range has a lot of benefits. These engine coolants contain no water, which eliminates the problems caused by water-based coolants, increasing reliability and extending engine life. The Evans Waterless range protects from -40°C up to 180°C, eliminating the risk of overheating and boil-over you get with water-based coolants. Waterless coolant also generates 75% less vapor pressure, significantly reducing strain on hoses, seals and gaskets. It also reduces cavitation erosion by 75% compared with water-based coolants and eliminates oxidation corrosion.
Finally, Evans Waterless Coolants eliminate pre-ignition and detonation caused by overheating, increasing combustion efficiency and delivering more power. If you’ve got a high-performance car and are looking for a coolant upgrade, you need to check out the Evans Waterless range.
Comma Xstream Engine Coolant
RRP: £15.04 (not available in the US). Buy now.
The Comma Xstream range of coolants has something for every engine. Suitable for petrol and diesel engines, it’s a superb choice of coolant for your car. This advanced Organic Additive Technology antifreeze and coolant uses an advanced silicate additive package. It works from exterior temperatures of -36°C up to 45°C, and protects your engine against corrosion, erosion, overheating and freezing. Delivering year-round protection and peace of mind for up to five years, Comma Xstream is a superb coolant.
Valvoline Zerex G05
RRP: $17.99 (1ga). Buy now.
This extremely popular engine coolant is an excellent choice to keep your engine happy. Suitable for both petrol and diesel engines, its original long-life chemistry is specially formulated with the highest-quality virgin ethylene glycol and Hybrid Organic Acid Technology. Zerex has been designed to deliver exceptional protection against corrosion, leaking, and deposits as well as freezing and boiling. The low-silicate, reduced pH, phosphate-free formula protects all cooling system metals from corrosion.
Zerex contains nitrites that protect diesel-engine cylinder liners from cavitation, while deposit control additives guard against hard-water deposits and scale. This means that radiators, water pumps and other metal cooling system parts stay clean and your antifreeze flows properly. Whether you’re just topping up your system, or performing a full flush, Zerex won’t disappoint.
CarPlan Premium Red Antifreeze & Engine Coolant
RRP: £11.99 (not available in the US). Buy now.
Premium Red Antifreeze is a concentrated antifreeze and summer coolant. It is Ethylene Glycol-based and incorporates the latest in Silicate Organic Acid Technology. CarPlan Premium Red Antifreeze & Coolant uses a synthetic process and additive package. This means it offers superior corrosion resistance over extended service periods. According to CarPlan, it can be left in as a coolant and rust inhibitor for up to five years. It can be diluted 1:3 for summer use or 1:1 to deliver protection down to -36°C. A good-value choice of coolant that does a good job.
