If you park outside in winter, frost on the windshield is a nightly event. The fastest fix is to stop the ice touching the glass in the first place, rather than fighting it at 7 am with a scraper and a running engine.
What works
- Cover the glass the night before. A windshield cover takes the frost instead of the glass. In the morning you pull it off and the ice comes with it. It is the only method that gives you clear glass with no scraping and no waiting. We sell one: the car windshield snow cover. Its side flaps close inside the front doors, so there are no magnets or suction cups to lose, and it covers the wipers too.
- Park facing east if you can. The morning sun starts on the frost before you get there. It helps, but it does nothing on a grey day or before sunrise.
- Use a de-icer spray, not hot water. Hot water on cold glass can crack a windscreen, especially one that already has a chip. De-icer works, but you are still waiting and wiping.
- Protect the wipers. Frozen blades tear on the first swipe. A cover that reaches the wipers solves it; otherwise park with them lifted off the glass.
- Keep the inside dry. Frost on the inside of the glass comes from moisture in the cabin: wet mats, snow on boots. Dry the mats and run the air conditioning for a few minutes before you switch off.
What does not work
- Hot or boiling water. It can crack the glass.
- Running the wipers on a frozen screen. It ruins the blades and can scratch the glass.
- Idling for fifteen minutes. Slow, costly, and restricted in many places.
Which cover size?
For most cars the 143 × 93 cm size (width × height) is right. If your windshield is bigger, the 147 × 100 cm size (width × height; “100 x 147 cm” in the size selector) fits better. Measure the width of the glass. Our snow cover size guide goes through it in detail.
The short version
Put a cover on in the evening, take it off in the morning. Everything else is a backup.
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