Autoglym Professional Instadry Drying Towel Review

What We Say

What is it:

A synthetic chamoismicrofibre hybrid drying towel, described by Autoglym as; A rapid drying, incredibly absorbent, easy to wring out, PVA impregnated cloth.

How we tested it:

Autoglym provided us with several of their towels to put to the test and we have done so on a range of vehicles, observing of most importance obviously the drying capability. Also of interest to us is paintwork safety, ease of use and quality of the product.

We Liked:

• Good initial absorption of water. Towel softens and gets easier to use as it does so.
• Can double for glass cleaning use.

We Didn't Like:

• Paint safety concerns, rough surface and no pile to it unlike deep pile drying towels which factor in safety through plushness.
• Not as absorbent as rival drying towels.
• Even on small cars we found you either needed 2 towels or to wring out regularly. Rival towels can dry 3-4 vehicles without being wrung.
• Awkward to store, when dry, sets firm. Microfibre towels can be more easily folded and hung over things.

Overall:

We heard about the Insta-dry towels before they were released and were intrigued as were built up with high praise pre-launch. We never like to be critical but in all honesty, we don't really see a place for the towel. With prices ranging from £8-£12 for the towel, there are rivals on the market in the same price point that offer 2-3 times the drying power whilst having 700gsm+ of softness for your paintwork and much easier to use and store. We compared the towel side by side to another drying towel we have on test on a Mini Cooper and whilst the rival towel was slightly damp after drying, the car was dry in one hit. With the Insta-dry, we were stopping to wring the towel out and had to call upon a second towel to finish up anywhere near as quickly. Sorry, not one for us.