Can a ceramic coating protect a car from scratches?

A ceramic coating will help to protect against scratches and the difference is noticeable. However, it will not make your car scratch-proof.

Ceramic and Graphene coatings are the toughest coatings you can get, with a 9H rating, and so they are the best you can do to make your car's paintwork scratch resistant. If somebody keys your car or scrapes a bike along it, it is unlikely to be much help, but lighter scratches such as those you might get from the bush by the side of your driveway might be significantly reduced... but you should probably trim the hedge. 

With that said, you can still get scratches, however their effects will be reduced and are less likely to go through the clear coat, meaning it is more likely they can be polished out if they occur.

Furthermore, the self cleaning nature of ceramic coatings means you will wash your car far less often and dirt will wash off easier, which means less micro-scratches and wash marks, and less chance of the kind of accidental damage that can occur from washing, i.e. when grit is trapped in a wash mitt.

If you have a vehicle which is likely to get scratches, we would suggest coating vulnerable areas with Paint Protection Film, which can offer far greater protection as a sacrificial layer.

What this question is really about

Most people asking this are trying to make sense of mixed messages. They have heard claims that ceramic coatings “reduce scratches”, but also warnings that coatings don’t make cars scratch-proof. The missing piece is understanding that not all scratches are the same.

Not all scratches are equal

When people talk about scratches, they are usually referring to very different types of damage.

• Light scratches and wash marks – fine swirling caused by washing, drying, or wiping dusty paint
• Medium contact scratches – brushing hedges, dog claws, bags or boxes dragged across panels
• Deep impact or vandal damage – bike handlebars, shopping trolleys, keyed paint, or sharp metal edges

Where ceramic coatings clearly help

Ceramic coatings do help reduce light wash-related scratching. By making the surface slicker and harder, they lower friction during safe washing and drying, which reduces the rate at which swirl marks build up.

Where coatings help more than people realise

In our experience, ceramic coatings can also reduce the effect of many everyday contact scratches.

Once coated, the paint surface typically reaches around a 9H hardness rating. This makes it harder than many materials it commonly comes into contact with.

• Plastic bumpers or wing mirrors brushing past
• Cardboard boxes or shopping bags placed on roofs or boot lids
• Dog claws jumping up at doors
• Vegetation and hedges on narrow country roads

Why paint transfer matters

When the paintwork is harder than the object contacting it, you are more likely to see paint transfer onto your car rather than a gouge into your paint.

In these cases, the mark often looks like a scratch but can be reduced or removed because the damage is not actually into the clear coat.

What ceramic coatings still can’t do

• They will not stop deep scratches from sharp metal objects
• They won’t protect against deliberate vandalism like keying
• They cannot absorb high-impact force

How to think about scratch protection realistically

Based on years of working with ceramic-coated cars, our experience is that tougher paintwork does help. Scratches are often reduced, or the damage they cause is less severe. However, this is a reduction in risk and severity, not elimination.

Best-practice takeaway

• Ceramic coatings do not make cars scratch-proof
• They significantly reduce wash marks and light scratching
• They can reduce damage from many everyday contact scenarios
• They do not protect against sharp, deliberate, or high-impact damage
• Tougher paintwork helps, but realistic expectations matter

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 23/01/2026 14:13