7 Types of Ice Scrapers for Cars: Pros, Cons and Best Uses

Ice scrapers come in more shapes than most people realize, and each type is good at some jobs and poor at others. This guide walks through the main types of ice scraper for cars, what each does well, where each falls short, and how to pick one for your vehicle and your winters.

Key takeaways

• Light frost and thick ice are different jobs. Pick for the ice you actually get.
• Hard blades of any material belong on glass only. Snow on the paint needs something soft.
• Blade width decides how much glass each stroke clears.
• Where the scraper lives between storms matters as much as how it scrapes.

The main types of ice scraper

1. Basic handheld plastic scraper

The one you grab at a gas station. A short grip and a blade about 4 inches wide.

• Good at: light frost, quick touch-ups, being cheap and small.
• Falls short: thick ice. The thin blade tends to skate across glazed ice, and a full windshield takes a long time one narrow strip at a time. Nothing soft for snow on the body.
• Best for: a backup, or mild winters.

2. Brass-blade scraper

A small scraper with a brass blade, softer than glass but harder than most ice.

• Good at: hard ice on glass.
• Falls short: the blade is narrow, and brass must never touch paint or plastic trim.
• Best for: drivers who mostly face hard ice and want a compact tool.

3. Brush-and-scraper combo

A long handle with a brush on one end and a scraper on the other. Many telescope.

• Good at: reaching the middle of a tall windshield and the roof, and brushing snow off.
• Falls short: the scraper end is usually narrow, long handles can flex under pressure, and the brush and handle won't lie flat in the car.
• Best for: tall vehicles with light to medium ice.

4. Foam-head snow broom

A wide foam head on a pole, made for pushing snow.

• Good at: moving deep snow off a roof or hood without bristles.
• Falls short: no ice blade at all, so you still need a scraper.
• Best for: heavy-snow areas, paired with a separate scraper.

5. Heated or electric scraper

A scraper that warms the blade from a car outlet or battery.

• Good at: thin ice and frost.
• Falls short: needs power and a cord or charge, and it's still a blade, so glass only. Warmth helps less on thick ice.
• Best for: drivers who like gadgets and get mostly thin ice.

6. Scraper mitt

A small scraper sewn into a glove.

• Good at: keeping one hand warm on a quick frost job.
• Falls short: a small blade and no reach. Wet mitts freeze.
• Best for: occasional light frost.

7. Tray-style scraper

A flat platform with blades on its edges and no handle, held with both hands.

• Good at: wide blades for thick ice on glass, a soft edge for snow, and stowing flat.
• Falls short: no long handle, so very tall vehicles call for a different hold or a step up.
• Best for: drivers who want snow and ice handled by one tool that stays put in the car.

How to choose between them

Think about your ice

If you mostly see frost, almost anything works. If freezing rain glazes your windshield every few weeks, you need a thick blade that digs into ice instead of sliding over it, and some way to start a break line in the stubborn spots.

Think about your snow

Snow sits on the roof, hood and doors, which means it sits on paint. Hard blades of any material belong on glass only. Pair your blade with a brush, a foam head or a rubber edge.

Think about your vehicle

Sedans rarely need extra reach. SUVs and trucks do, either from a long handle or from a hold that turns a longer side of the tool toward the middle of the windshield. See long handle vs. no handle.

Think about where it lives

A tool with a long handle and brush won't lie flat, so it ends up loose in the back seat or deep in the trunk. A tool that stows flat or upright stays where you put it and is easy to reach.

Where The EDGE fits

The EDGE is a tray-style scraper, and we make it, so take this as our description. It's 18 × 14 inches, patented, and made from heavy-duty ABS plastic. Three hard blades handle glass and ice: the Primary 18" Bull Nose Blade and two 14-inch Extended Reach Blades, together called the Tri-Force Blade System. Ice Scoring Teeth start a break line in thick ice, and a Wiper Blade Clearing Groove handles frozen wipers. The paint-friendly Rubber Snow Plow clears loose snow from any surface. It gives you 4x more removal per pass than a 4-inch scraper, stows flat or upright, comes with a 5-year guarantee on the unit, and costs $29.99.

See The EDGE, or read our snow scraper buyer's guide.

Frequently asked questions

What type of ice scraper is best for thick ice?

One with a thick, square blade edge that digs into the ice, plus scoring teeth or a similar way to break up the hardest patches. Brass blades and wide hard blades both work on glass.

Can I use an ice scraper on my car's paint?

Not the hard blade. Use a brush, foam head or rubber edge for snow on the body, and keep hard blades on the glass.

Are heated ice scrapers worth it?

They help with thin ice and frost, but they need power and still only work on glass.

How many ice scrapers should I keep?

One in every car you drive in winter, so nobody leaves without one.