Meguiars Shampoo Comparison: Ultimate vs Meguiars Gold Class vs NXT

Some people like to wash their cars a few times a month, others only once or twice per year. The choice of car shampoo affects your washing result and your car surface. In this article, I’ll give you a detailed Meguiars shampoo comparison: Ultimate vs Gold Class vs NXT 

Brief History of Meguiars Car Shampoo

Meguiars is a US-based company producing car care products. It has been around since 1901 and is still family-owned. Its high-quality car shampoos are well-known in the car detailing world.

For the purpose of this composition, I’ll compare three of their shampoos and call them “Ultimate”, “Gold Class” and “NXT Generation”.

Overview of Meguiars Shampoos

The three reviewed shampoos are very similar. They contain a high-quality formula but still have some differences. I’ll discuss how they differ below.

Generally, these shampoos are high quality but not as soothing as the Meguiars Car Wash. So I’ll leave this comparison for a future article.

Meguiars Shampoo Comparison: Ultimate vs Gold Class vs NXT

Meguiars Ultimate Wash & Wax: Ingredients and Application Overview

This shampoo has a very good lathering action which is nice for washing your car in the winter. It has the ability to clean stubborn surface dirt and remains relatively fresh afterward. Compared to the other two car washes, this is combined with wax to provide extra protection for your vehicle.

Find out: How to remove and prevent water spots on your car!

Ultimate shampoo consists of the following ingredients:

The shampoo is free of parabens, dyes, and fragrances. The fragrance scent of the shampoo is quite strong but not very good at all. I think it smells like cheap laundry detergent with a touch of gasoline or a synthetic leather smell.

Meguiars Ultimate Wash & Wax Application – Step-by-Step Instructions

The shampoo can be used as a foam or foam concentrate and is applied to the car surface by hand. The foam is a bit too concentrated for a foam cannon so it has to be applied by hand.

1. Wash the car in warm water and rinse it with a regular washcloth. This softens your car’s surface and removes whatever dirt you had on it before.

2. Use the Meguiars Ultimate Shampoo to remove stains with a soft cloth or sponge (microfiber towels are recommended).

3. Rinse with clean water and dry your car.

Meguiars Ultimate Wash: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Rich lather for a thorough wash.
• Removes dirt without scratching car paint.
• Pleasant smell.
• Combined with wax to provide extra protection

Cons

• A larger bottle is more difficult to store in the car wash bucket.

Meguiars Gold Class: Ingredients and Application Overview

Gold Class Shampoo Ingredients

This is the most basic of all the shampoos included in this review. It is one of the first products from Meguiars but still has kept its stand on the market so far. It’s a good shampoo after all.

It contains no detergents and uses softeners instead. This’s why it’s not as strong as the other two car shampoos. Gold Class smells like mild laundry detergent. The foam is a bit too thick for a foam cannon, so it has to be applied by hand.

Gold class shampoo is best used for cars that have mild surface soils. It also makes a great car shampoo for summer since it does not leave an oily residue behind.

Meguiar Gold Class Application – Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Wash your car with warm water and a washcloth or sponge.

2. Use the Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo to remove dirt and other stains with a soft cloth or sponge (microfiber towels are recommended). Be careful not to scratch the paintwork too much in this step.

3. Rinse with clean water and dry your car.

Gold Class: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Rich lather for a thorough wash.
• Removes dirt without scratching car paint.
• Pleasant smell.
• Pleasant price point.

Cons

• Lower cleaning power than Ultimate or NXT Generation shampoos.

Meguiars NXT Generation Ingredients and Application Overview

NXT Shampoo Ingredients

This is the most expensive but also most powerful of all the shampoos included in this review. It contains high amounts of detergents and is free of perfumes and dyes. The foam is very rich and thick, which makes it suitable for a foam cannon. The smell of the shampoo is quite strong again due to the high amounts of fragrances that are added to it.

Wondering: How to clay your black cars for the best results!

NXT shampoo is recommended for cars that have deeper scratches and are in need of deep cleaning. Buyers Meguiars NXT is very happy with the washing result. It also leaves a distinctive scent that is not pleasant at all. In my opinion, it smells like cheap gasoline. Again, the fragrance of the shampoo is very strong but still good.

NXT Shampoo Application – Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Wash your car in warm water and rinse it with a regular washcloth or sponge.

2. Apply a small amount of NXT Shampoo to a soft sponge or cloth and work it into the car surface as best as you can.

3. Work a second application of NXT Shampoo over the first one and repeat the process until you have removed all dirty surface dirt.

4. Rinse with clean water and dry your car. If necessary, you can use a soft microfiber towel to remove any remaining soap residue (except between the edges).

NXT Shampoo: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Rich lather for a thorough wash.
• Removes dirt without scratching car paint.
• Strong cleaning power

Cons

• Too strong of a smell for some people’s taste (too much perfume)
• Slightly expensive per ounce
• A large bottle is difficult to store in the car wash bucket.

Check out this quick and simple guide to wash your car from Meguiar’s.

FAQs

#1 Which Is the Best Meguiars Shampoo?

This is a difficult question to answer. I tried to find the best shampoo for different purposes. The Meguiars Ultimate Shampoo is suggested if your car needs a healthy wash with a thorough cleaning. If your car needs a deep cleaning, then the Meguiars NXT Shampoo is probably the best shampoo for you.

#2 Is Meguiars Gold or Ultimate Better?

The Ultimate shampoo is probably the best one. It can be used as a foam or foam concentrate and it is easy to apply the right amount of lather to your car. The Gold Class shampoo is slightly too rich for a foam cannon. NXT Generation Shampoo is the most powerful of all shampoos, which can be very useful if your car has deep scratches.

#3 Does Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Have Wax in It?

I do not think so. However, it is good to re-wax your car once a year with a non-meguiars product. Meguiars make good wax as well that you can use for this purpose.

#4 What Is the Best Price for Meguiar’s Shampoos?

Prices vary slightly between online stores and countries, but I would say that the best price is somewhere between $8 and $9 per liter.

Conclusion

To conclude, I would like to say that I had a very pleasant experience using all these shampoos. Meguiars Car Shampoo is not comparable to other car wash products since it is very good with hard water, pH-neutral and generally considered environmentally friendly.

Find out: Dilution ratios for car detailing professionals you should know!

I would highly recommend Ultimate shampoo since it offers the best for your money. The Gold Class shampoo is probably the second-best product from Meguiars, which cleans well but also smells nice. If you need something strong and powerful, then I would recommend NXT Generation.