Do modern cars need paint protection?

With the technology surrounding vehicle paint having gotten more advanced, you may be wondering if you need to have a paint protection system in place.

Lawrence Minnie

8 Apr 2022 · 07:24Car Ownership

1 / 4

Surface protection

Paint technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the last few decades. Car paint is now more vibrant and the colour spectrum wider than it has ever been. Some paints now even have the ability to self-heal after minor scratches and dings.

What this means is that most new paint jobs don't actually require paint protection, but that doesn't mean that your car's brightwork can't benefit from some extra defence.

When it comes to your options for a protective coating you have 4 to choose from. A plastic adhesive film, a vinyl wrap, a ceramic coating, or graphene coating.

If you have an older car with scratched or faded paintwork applying a paint protection system may be a lost cause unless you do a paint rejuvenation or correction

The biggest consideration here is what kind of environment your new car will find itself in on a daily basis and if that is an aggressive environment you may want to consider one of the above paint protection systems.

Written by Lawrence Minnie

Lawrence has been involved with motorsports for almost 30 years. Whether it's two wheels or four, if it has an engine, he will try to race it. This love of motor vehicles has led him to ride, drive, film, photograph, and write about his passion. Freelance for a while but now a permanent fixture on the AutoTrader team for over 7 years, Lawrence contributes written, photographic, and video content for AutoTrader and AutoTrader Bikes.Read more