Coolants help to keep your engine running in top shape, so you don’t have to deal with a costly repair bill. They protect it from extreme temperatures, both hot and cold. Most cases of engine failure can be traced to cooling problems, especially failure to change a car coolant when it is due.
Best Coolant Brands for Vehicle Owners: Our Top 10 Picks
Admittedly, there’s a recommended car coolant brand for each car model but here, we are considering the best coolants that work for a wide range of vehicles. Here are the 10 top best coolant brands.
1. Zerex
Ranking first on the list is Zerex, a subsidiary brand of Valvoline that specializes in antifreeze and other car-care products. The American brand has always had the best ratings as far as car coolant products are concerned, and this has been so since it came into existence more than 70 years ago.
The premium brand is a foremost technology leader with approved chemistries by General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes Benz, and others. Thus, you have no cause to worry since all Zerex products meet or exceed industry and engine manufacturers’ specifications.
Furthermore, its patented formulas are recommended for most other leading light-duty and heavy-duty Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Its line of products offers a range of solutions that provides unsurpassed protection for your vehicle, whether it uses diesel, gasoline, or both. Key products from the brand include the Zerex Original Formula Green, Zerex G-05, and Zerex DEX-COOL coolants.
2. Motorcraft
Motorcraft is another top brand that’s renowned for making different types of car coolants for decades, which have been winning people’s hearts since they were first produced. The brand is a division of Ford motor company, a trusted manufacturer of auto parts, equipment, engine oils, and coolant.
Although the coolants from the company are made specifically for Ford vehicles, they are still suitable for a range of engines of other vehicles. Motorcraft engine coolants are top-rated because they provide year-round protection for your vehicles.
The brand adds a bittering agent to all its products to comply with industry regulations as its coolants are often mistaken for beverages by some. However, this doesn’t affect the performance of its products as they are sure to keep your vehicle’s engine from overheating in certain conditions while doubling as antifreeze to prevent your engine from freezing in cold conditions. Key products from the brand include the Motorcraft VC-13-G and VC-12.
3. Valvoline
Valvoline is a household name in the vehicle coolant industry, with a presence in more than 140 countries. The company was established in 1866, which means it is more than 150 years old. Companies that have been around for that long are usually those that make really great products that their customers love.
As mentioned earlier, Valvoline is also the maker of Zerex coolants but its coolant brand has also gained massive recognition due to the quality of its products. Its product line is one of the few that includes the Automaker Approved Chemistry, which means the coolant chemistry is tested and proven to meet industry standards.
Valvoline coolants are designed to protect your vehicle from freezing and overheating while minimizing your risk of cooling system failure and expensive repairs. A key product from the brand is the Valvoline Multi-Vehicle coolant.
4. ACDelco
One of the world’s leading automotive spare parts and coolant manufacturers, ACDelco is one of the few brands that almost every vehicle owner is familiar with. The American company is owned by General Motors and therefore produces and markets coolants for the automobile manufacturer.
ACDelco was founded in 1916 by the founder and owner of General Motors as an automotive component, and the brand changed names over its long history even though its products are still reliable.
Its specifically formulated coolants are known to provide resistance to corrosion by protecting brass, cast iron, steel, solder, and copper components while equally providing superior temperature protection for the aluminum components of your vehicle’s engine.
Aside from quality, another major attraction to coolants from ACDelco is that they are economically priced in comparison to other aftermarket coolants. Key products include the ACDelco Dex-cool and the Traditional Engine coolants.
5. Thermocure
Thermocure is one of the few brands that went out and engineered their own coolant to best suit different engines. It is a division of Evapo-Rust, an automotive company that specializes in making chemical solutions that deal with the problem of easily removing rust.
Thermocure Cooling System Flush is a non-toxic and biodegradable coolant from the brand. Unlike many other coolants, the Thermocure Cooling System Flush does more than cooling your engine, it also helps to easily and quickly remove rust from automotive engines.
That’s not all; the product is known to help remove rust scale and deposits from radiators, water pumps, water jackets, engine blocks, and heads. It clears away that rust and restores your cooling system to normal working condition. Also, it is able to restore your engine’s ability to the cooling system and consequently makes it last longer.
However, the brand states that the product should not be used in freezing temperatures. Another key product from the brand is the Thermocure Coolant System Rust Remover.
6. Evans
Another coolant brand is Evans Cooling Systems Inc., manufacturer of the popular Evans coolant. The brand pioneered the first commercial waterless engine coolants, boasting more than 20 years of delivering non-aqueous engine coolant products to the market.
Unlike traditional coolants that contain 50 percent water, Evans coolants are different in that there is no water in them. Rather, its coolants are made up of the same basic propylene glycol, eliminating the issues that are common with water-based coolants. Plus, the coolants are non-toxic and cause no harm if wrongly ingested since the active ingredient is used as a sweetener in many products.
Furthermore, the Evans coolants provide a superior form of engine protection as they prevent voids and corrosion due to the absence of water, allowing for a longer and healthier engine. As far as temperature is concerned, this brand’s coolants can protect up to a boiling temperature of 375°F and cold temperatures below -40°F, which is better than what traditional coolants offer. A key example is Evans Coolant EC53001.
7. Recochem
Recochem is a renowned manufacturer of range of chemical products including fuel additives, performance fluids, and coolants. The Canadian and privately held brand has earned a global reputation for superior products for over 65 years.
It uses a special formula that is suitable for different vehicles like Lexus, Toyota, and Scion models. Its products are designed to meet and exceed these particular vehicle specifications, providing high-temperature aluminum protection and extended protection against rust, corrosion, and pitting caused by all cavitation for all coolant system metals.
Apart from the excellent performance of the coolants from this brand, Recochem has some of the most affordable OEM products that offer value for money in today’s overcrowded market place. Key products from the brand are the Recochem Pink Premium and Blue Premium coolants.
8. Engine ice
In your journey to get a reliable coolant for your vehicle, a brand name you’d like to come across is Engine Ice. It is an American brand owned by CycleLogic Products Inc. and it has come to be recognized worldwide as a coolant that’s suitable for racing cars, bikes, and any other vehicle that is liquid-cooled.
A distinct feature of Engine Ice’s products is that it uses propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol, making it a non-toxic option for reducing operating race temperatures and effectively keeps boiling temperatures of up to 256°F or less. It has also proven to help prevent corrosion within all cooling systems including aluminum, copper, cast iron, steel, magnesium, and solder. A key product from the brand is the Engine Ice TYDSOO8.
9. Mopar
Mopar is a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler, which is one of the three big three U.S. car companies. However, Mopar doesn’t just make parts, oils, and coolants for Chrysler but also for Dodge, Jeep, and Ram. Although the brand name was first used in the 1920s, it was not until 1937 that the brand was created.
The brand claims that its coolants are a long-term formula, blended for dependable performance for as long as possible. Unlike other coolants on the market, you don’t have to mix Mopar’s coolants with water and you can rest assured that they will keep your engine running cool in the summer while guarding against the extreme cold in the winter. Key products from the brand are the Mopar ms-12106 and the ms-9769.
10. K-Seal
Rounding up the list of the 10 best coolant brands is K-Seal, a brand that specializes in making coolants that work with all water-cooled engines regardless of size or fuel type, and that permanently seals leaks in the head, head gasket, block, radiator, heater matrix, freeze plug, and water pump casing.
When added to the cooling system, the ingredients disperse and flow freely around the system suspended in the coolant. And if there’s a leak, the coolant tries to fix it. Generally speaking, stop leak products don’t produce excellent reviews but the K-Seal coolant has garnered tons of positive reviews and an average of four stars. Its key products are the K-Seal permanent coolant leak repair series.
Wrap-up
Coolants are vital for your engine’s health as they prevent it from freezing and overheating. Just select any of the coolant brands that’s right for your car model and you will be giving your engine what it needs to run efficiently and safely.
