Clear Your Windshield Fast: Best Ice Scrapers and Snow Brushes for 2024, Tested

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

When it comes to winter gear for your vehicle, arguably the most important tool is an ice scraper or snow brush. They're the tools of choice to defeat those early-morning snow-covered windshields (we see you, credit-card scrapers!). Store one in your trunk or under a seat, and you're ready to roll. But which one should you buy?

We wish it were an easy answer—but like many things, there are a variety of types to choose from. In this test, we'll get into why ice scrapers, snow brushes, and snow brooms all look different and help you decide which one you should buy.

Things to Consider

The most important aspect to consider before you purchase a snow removal tool is your expected use. How often will you use it? What kind of snow will you be removing? Do you need a large or small scraper? Will you need to purchase an extension pole, or does it come with the product? To help answer these questions, let's get into the types of snow removal tools.

Type of Snow Removal Tool You Need

There are three main types of snow-removal tools: snow brooms, snow brushes, and ice scrapers. Some include just one of these components, while others combine two or three tools into a snow-removing Frankenstein.

• SNOW BROOM

If you live in a climate where endless fluffy snow is the norm, consider a snow broom. This strange-looking tool usually boasts a long reach and a distinctive foam squeegee at one end. It excels at removing large amounts of snow quickly. Simply drag or push it across the windshield and roof of your vehicle and the bulk of the snow will fall away.

The main downside to snow brooms is their lack of effectiveness against ice. Foam squeegees can easily get ripped up and compromised on frozen snow and hard or jagged ice, damaging their key feature. Thankfully, most snow brooms come with an ice scraper on the handle end—use that to remove scratchy ice. Another thing to keep in mind is storage, as these devices can take up more room in your vehicle than the other two types, especially if you use an extension pole.

• SNOW BRUSH

If you deal with consistently low to moderate snow totals throughout the winter, we recommend a snow brush for your winter kit. A snow brush is a midpoint between the strengths and weaknesses of a snow broom: It doesn't remove as much snow as quickly but is far more compact. These tools work well at flinging off small to medium amounts of snow, along with getting in crevices snow brooms can't, such as around mirrors, headlights, and door handles.

The downside to these is that a snow brush can't remove large amounts of snow quickly the way a snow broom can, and they may not reach all the way across the roof of your car, truck, or SUV. That said, the stowability of a snow brush makes it easier to balance its pros and cons. If you get the occasional snowstorm but mostly deal with a few inches here and there, a snow brush is a good choice.

• ICE SCRAPER

When it comes down to it, an ice scraper is pretty darn close to essential. Sure, removing snow is nice, but there's almost always a layer of ice underneath. Snow brooms and brushes can't remove it on their own, which is why most feature a scraper attachment. But you can also simply buy an ice scraper if you don't deal with much snow at all during the winter.

A stand-alone ice scraper can usually fit in the palm of your hand, making storage a breeze. There are a few different styles, which we try out in this test. The downside to these is their lack of snow removal ability, as well as the close proximity of your hands to the ice. Wear gloves: not just to keep your mitts warm in frigid temps but also to protect your fingers and hands from sharp, chipped ice.

Reach

Reach is an important thing to factor into your snow removal tool purchase. Brooms have the longest reach, while scrapers have the shortest. If you have trouble reaching the top of your vehicle, consider picking up a snow removal tool (and/or an aftermarket extension pole, widely available) that features an adjustable length—something we found extremely handy during our testing.

Storability

Finally, storage is something to keep in mind as well. Decide where you'd want to store the tool inside your vehicle during the winter—and where you're going to put it when the weather warms up. If you're trunk-space challenged, you'll want a smaller scraper; if you have space to spare, a longer snow removal tool can't hurt.

How We Tested Snow Brushes and Ice Scrapers

We waited for a classic Michigan winter storm to roll through, and when one did, it was a doozy. A large amount of snow followed by frigid (double-digit negative!) temperatures created a snowy blanket that covered an icy crust on all our test vehicles. Here are the testing parameters we evaluated:

• Build Quality

• Reach

• Total Length

• Blade Width

• Adjustability
  

• Performance
  

With warm hearts and frozen fingers, here are the results from our evaluation of the Best Ice Scrapers and Snow Brushes.

SnowBuster

We were very impressed with the Eversprout SnowBuster (and we're not alone—see Editor's Note below). We love the wavy S design of the head, as it digs in and pushes and pulls snow efficiently. The 1.5- to 3.0-foot-long extension pole is adjustable thanks to snap locks, allowing you to set the length to whatever you need. Additionally, the removable head is compatible with different-length poles, so it can also be used to scrape snow from your home's roof if you decide to purchase a longer extension pole.

The broom head and scraper head are both quality attachments, but you do have to swap them out. Each attachment uses its entire surface to get the job done, so the design makes sense; incorporating both tools into one head would have compromised the ability of each.

Overall, the SnowBuster is a fantastic snow broom option thanks to an intuitively shaped foam head and excellent adjustability.

Editor's Note: At the time of publication, the SnowBuster was out of stock everywhere, except directly from Eversprout. We reached out to the company, who assured us they were working hard to get the SnowBuster back in stock at major retailers as soon as possible.

532 Snow Brush

For a simple, easy-to-use snow brush that also incorporates an ice scraper, it's hard to go wrong with the Mallory 532. It's not a super-long snow remover, but we like the bristle strength and foam grip. The plastic scraper isn't the greatest, but the length of the tool allows you to apply some leverage to the blade, so it works fine. The whole tool is easy to store in both the vehicle and the garage, and with plenty of colors and styles to choose from, it's super budget-friendly.

For a cheap, no-frills way to remove both ice and snow that you can keep in your vehicle all winter long, this snow brush is a solid choice.

14125 Ice Scraper

If you're looking for a compact ice scraper, we really liked the SubZero 14125. At just 11 inches long, it'll fit quite easily in a glovebox or door pocket. The scraper side is slightly flexible, allowing it to conform to the curves of a windshield. Opposite the scraper is a toothed ice chipper for that extra-thick crusty stuff—we hit our windshield first with the chipper and followed up with the blade for the best results.

We really liked this ice scraper, and the price made it even better.