Nothing is more annoying than waking up early on a dark, frigid winter morning, stumbling out to your car bleary-eyed with coffee in hand, and being greeted with an unwelcomed sight: frost and ice all over your car.
You could wait for your car's heating system to take care of it if you have an hour, or you can take matters into your own hands and scrape it off yourself with an ice scraping tool.
Not all ice scrapers were created equal, though, some are ineffective, and some may damage your car. To help you choose the perfect ice scraper for your vehicle, this guide features reviews on the six best ice scrapers of 2020, along with helpful purchasing tips.
Backyard Boss Top Ice Scrapers for 2021
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Why You Should Trust Us
Backyard Boss's incredible team features experts in the home improvement and gardening industry. We've written countless reviews on everything home-related but have particularly impressive expertise in snow and ice removal topics.
With guides on the best ice melt, how to use ice melt, the best snow blowers, the benefits of handheld power brooms, and the best ergonomic snow shovels, to name a few, it's safe to say that if your home or car is covered in ice and snow, Backyard Boss has got you covered.
Our goal is to provide you with the most comprehensive, extensively researched guides we possibly can so that you have the happiest, most hassle-free winter at home yet.
Best Ergonomic Ice Scraper
This multi-functional tool features an ice scraper, ice chipper, and a snow brush along with an ergonomic foam grip that keeps you comfortable while you work.
- Durable design
- Ergonomic foam grip
- Ice scraper, ice chipper, and snow brush
- Too short for big vehicles
- Slightly narrow
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WHY WE LIKE IT: With an ergonomic foam grip, this excellent ice scraper makes cleaning off your car's windshield feel easy, preventing issues like hand cramps.
It features an ice scraper and snow brush, both of which are sturdy and strong, making quick work of heavy snow and thick ice that built up on your vehicle's windshield. This product's durable design perfectly equips it to last throughout the entire winter season. The scraper side even includes strong little chippers to make it easy to break through frozen stuff and clear it away.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT: This multi-functional tool is perfect for people looking for a sturdy winter scraper and snow broom for small to medium-sized vehicles.
Best Ice Scraper for Tall Vehicles
Perfect for people with larger vehicles, this snow removal tool not only is extra-long it’s also extra wide.
- Gentle foam broom head
- Great for large vehicles
- Too big for compact storage
- Locking mechanism can jam
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WHY WE LIKE IT: If you have a larger vehicle, you'll love this scraper's huge reach, with a telescopic pole that enables it to stretch to 49 inches long.
Your larger vehicle might be the light of your life, which this ice scraper takes into account, protecting it with a gentle but effective foam broom head. The foam head and scraper are extra wide, so you can remove snow from your car's windshield with fewer passes, enabling you to get going in as short a time as possible.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT: This is a good ice scraper for people who need a long-handled tool to tackle their large vehicle's ice and who also want something gentle but effective.
Best Basic Ice Scraper
This simple, compact ice scraper is a great tool for removing ice and frost off of vehicles.
- Foam grips with thumb rest
- Compact size for storage
- Durable
- Short
- No snow broom
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WHY WE LIKE IT: If you're looking for an ice scraper that is super basic and can fit into compact spaces like your glove compartment, this is a good ice scraper for you.
Perfect for light frost build-up or even ice, this scraper will get rid of both in a jiffy without requiring any use of heated aids. On the other side of the ice scraper blade is an ice chipper you can use to break up ice before scraping to make the job even easier. With a foam grip that includes thumb rest, this ice scraper was designed to not only be powerful but comfortable.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT: For people who want a simple, efficient, comfortable tool with no frills and a compact design, this ice scraper is an excellent choice.
Best Ice Scraper for Cars and Small Trucks
Removing ice all the way down to your windshield, this compact ice scraper is an incredible tool.
- Ergonomic foam grip
- Snow chipper included
- Bends a little bit
- Short
- No snow broom
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WHY WE LIKE IT: Designed to work wonders on iced-over cars and small trucks, this wonderful little ice scraper is simple but powerful.
It's one of the best-designed scrapers out there, with a durable plastic construction. In fact, it was even designed to curve and bend a little bit while scraping so it can easily clear the curved parts of your windshield without leaving any frost behind. It's on the shorter side, but that gives you more control and precision. The foam grip keeps your hand comfortable, preventing cramping and making the tedious activity of scraping ice much more enjoyable.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT: This compact ice scraper is perfect for people who own cars and small trucks and want a tool that thoroughly and efficiently removes frost and ice.
Best Ice Scraper With Snow Broom
If you need a 4-in-1 tool that's capable of reaching hard spot on tall trucks and vans, this is an excellent option.
- Auto-locking pole
- 4-in-1 multi-tool
- Great for all winter weather
- Scraper has no give
- Large which hinders storage
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WHY WE LIKE IT: If you need a tool that can do it all, and features a high-quality snow broom, then this is the ice scraper for you.
Having an all-in-one tool to deal with snow removal on your car, like the Hopkins 80037 Subzero 60-inch quick-lock pivoting snow broom, is ideal for the winter season. You can use the stiff-bristled snow broom to push snow off your vehicle and then flip around to the other side to use the winter scraper to get rid of frost and ice. The extendable pole is helpful to have when you need to clear bigger vehicles, like SUVs, vans, and trucks.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT: Someone who wants a multi-tool that can handle snow and frost on larger vehicles.
Best Ice Scraper Multi-Tool
This 4-in-1 multi-tool will help you deal with all kinds of winter weather.
- 4-in-1 Multi-Tool
- Good for all winter conditions
- Quite long
- Some parts cheaply made
- Large size hinders storage
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WHY WE LIKE IT: With an excellent brush, effective scraper, quality squeegee, and handy ice chipper, this multi-tool will be one of your best buys this winter.
Use its brush head to quickly clear snow off of your car, and then flip it over to the opposite end to use the included ice scraper. The ice scraper end even includes a handy ice chipper to help you do the job more efficiently. With an extended length of 39 inches, you'll easily be able to clean off large vehicles.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT: If you're looking for a four-in-one tool that will chip at ice, clear ice, remove snow, and then squeegee your windows completely, this could be the best winter scraper for you.
Types of Ice Scrapers
There are two types of ice scrapers: traditional ice scrapers and snow brooms with ice scraper attachments. Below are descriptions of the disadvantages and advantages of both.
Traditional Ice Scraper
Traditional ice scrapers are the more common of the two because of their simplicity and availability. You can pick up a traditional ice scraper at vendors that range from home goods stores to gas stations.
These compact tools are easy to store in your car, either in your trunk or glove compartment, because of their small size. They also tend to be fairly inexpensive, making them the more affordable option.
However, traditional ice scrapers do lack the versatility of snow brooms because they typically only perform 1-2 functions while snow brooms can perform up to 4. Many ice scrapers now come with ice chippers on their other side, which you can use to shred ice before scraping it, making the removal process quicker and more efficient.
If you only deal with an occasional frosty morning, where your car is covered with a light dusting of crystalized ice, then you likely only need a winter scraper. If you don't get a lot of snow where you live, you can definitely skip the snow broom.
Snow Broom
The winter scraper and snow broom combination are one of those must-have tools if you live in the snow belt. I'm looking at you, Mid-west, New York, Canada, etc.
Before you scrape ice off your car, you can use the snow broom function to clear snow away, allowing you to only use one convenient tool for your vehicle's snow removal process. Because of these tools' long handles, they can get to hard-to-reach spots on your car. This allows them to clear snow off the roof and hood of your car with ease.
Once the snow is knocked down, you can flip the tool over and start chipping away at the ice that's built up on your windows. Aside from this being a huge timesaver in the morning, it's also a safety tool. You can't just drive around with snow on your car – it's dangerous. And in most places, it's the law that you remove all that snow.
The only downsides of snow brooms are that they tend to be bigger than traditional ice scrapers, which makes them harder to store and to be more expensive. However, if you live in a particularly snowy area, they are definitely worth the cost.
What to Look for in an Ice Scraper
Now that you know what kinds of scraper you want, you need to consider the features below to make sure it is truly the perfect ice scraper for you. While some may seem superfluous, you might be surprised at how helpful they are – and you'll be grateful for them in that below-zero weather.
Durability
Ice scrapers have a tough job trying to remove an extremely hard substance from an also hard surface. Make sure you get a high quality, durable ice scraper so that it lasts you through the winter months, and you never have to deal with one breaking when you need it most.
Some of those ice scrapers you find at gas stations or drug stores aren't the highest quality. You may get a great deal on it but pay twice as much, and you could get an ice scraper that'll last you several winter seasons.
Sturdy Snow Broom Bristles
OK, who hasn't been prepared for a snowstorm and had to grab their kitchen broom to sweep off snow from their car? It doesn't work all that well, does it? Well, no. Those bristles are flexible and meant for sweeping up hair, dust, and debris. Snow is solidly packed, wet, and hard to move unless you have a proper tool. Look for a snow broom that has stiff plastic bristles. These won't damage the paint on your car but will still push the snow off easily.
Auto-Locking
Snow brooms often have telescopic poles to help them stretch out and clear hard-to-reach spaces while still permitting them to be reasonably compact enough to store in your car.
Having an auto-locking telescopic pole is a must because it will firmly hold the pole in place while you do tough work and is also a convenient timesaver.
You may have taken that feature for granted in the past, but can you imagine having to lock your pole into place with a latch or something while wearing gloves? In negative winter temperatures? Nope.
Foam Head
Rather than worry about the bristles of a snow broom damaging your car's paint job, you could opt for a tool that includes a foam head. Foam is definitely not going to damage anything on your car, but it is still effective at removing snow.
Foam Grips
Scoff all you'd like at scrapers with foam grips, but if you get one with this premium feature, you'll definitely realize it's worth the small extra cost. Many of these grips were designed to be ergonomic, preventing your hand from cramping while you work.
When it's frigid cold outside, it's difficult to grasp tools. The foam grip makes it a little easier for you to get a hold of your winter scraper or snow broom, so you can finish the task without stopping to flex your joints every few moments.
Pivoting Head
A feature you may overlook that can really help out when you have a big snowstorm is a pivoting snow broom head. Sure, you could buy a less expensive model that doesn't pivot, but then you wouldn't be able to navigate the bristly head around side-view mirrors, handles, and other tight spaces.
Ice Chipper
Ice chippers are a must when it comes to ice scraping tools, helping you work through particularly big blocks of ice on your vehicle's windshield with ease. These chippers shred ice, creating divots in it that enable your scraper blade to efficiently work through them.
How to Use an Ice Scraper Without Scratching Your Windows
If you buy a quality ice scraper, like any of the ones on this list, then you shouldn't have to worry about them scratching your windows. They were designed specifically for vehicle use, so they were made not to scratch windshields.
Plastic ice scrapers are the best option to use if you are really worried about scratching your windows. If you want to use a snow broom, use one with a foam head. It will still efficiently remove snow from your car but will have zero chance of damaging it.
Another way to protect your car is to get a squeegee on the end of your snow broom ice scraper so that you can remove all moisture and de-icer residue after you work.
How We Picked
In picking the absolute best ice scrapers on the market to showcase for this guide, we looked for the most high-quality ice scrapers within categories like best for tall vehicles, most ergonomic ice scraper, best multi-tool, best ice scraper with a snow broom, and so on.
Each product picked had all the qualities that represent a good ice scraper, including durability, strength, effectiveness, and ease-of-use. Every option reviewed is an incredible choice, but only one of them can be the best choice.
The Bottom Line
While all the ice scrapers on this list are excellent choices, the best ice scraper is the Hopkins 80037 Subzero 60" Quick-Lock Pivoting Snowbroom. This 4-in-1 multi-tool includes everything you could possibly need to keep your car clean this winter. We also appreciated how it worked well on small and tall vehicles with a long extension length.
Of course, every option on this list is an excellent choice, so if you went with a different one, be sure to let us know in the comments. As always, if you found this guide helpful, be sure to share it! Good luck ice scraping!