7 Best Car Paint Sprayers of 2023, According to Experts

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Give your ride a shiny new coat of paint with these highly rated picks.

So you've decided to give your car a bit of a makeover with a new coat of paint, but aren't quite sure how to start in order to do it on your own. Changing your car's color or refreshing the paint job is something you can do from the comfort of your own driveway as long as you have the right automotive paint sprayer to provide a clean and even coat on the body, door panels and hood. No longer do you need to worry about paying an arm and a leg to touch up your car after a small scratch to the fender. If you aren't a professional painter, getting started may seem like a daunting task, but this guide and product picks will help you decide on the best car paint sprayer for your vehicle as well as how to properly spray paint a car all on your own.

The Good Housekeeping Institute reviews cars from SUVs to cars for parents as well as an array of auto products like windshield wiper blades and winter tires. In addition to our own vetting process, our experts consulted our brother publication Car and Driver to help compile this list of the best car paint sprayers.

This beginner set from DeVilbiss offers a great value for a kit. It comes with two different sized sprayer options (cups are 600cc and 250cc), adjustment knobs for optimizing spraying and other common features (various tip sizes, cleaning tools, etc.). Online reviewers note the importance of ensuring a tight seal to avoid any leaks.

A step-up in terms of performance, the Fuji Spray can handle more serious hobbyist work and can be used on a variety of surfaces beyond automobiles. It offers either a 400cc or 1000cc bottom feed cup and six different aircap set sizes, and a long 25 foot hose to allow for easy movement while spraying. The quality build makes it a bit heavier than other selects here, but the combination of quality, ease of use and finish results outweigh that.

This electric car paint sprayer comes with five copper nozzles and allows for three different types of spray patterns by adjusting the flow control knob. It can be used on a host of different projects, including automotives like cars and bikes, but also outdoor items like wooden furniture.

This relatively lightweight electric car paint sprayer is great for a variety of projects, from refinishing interior items like kitchen and cabinets to larger projects like automotive upgrades. Users can find the optimal paint output by adjusting the rotating flow control knob. You can upgrade to the Super Finish Max if you're looking at doing larger projects (2 to 3 gallons vs. 1 to 2 gallons for this product) or need additional spray tips.

One of Amazon's Choice products due to its low cost and solid ratings (over 4,000 4-star or higher reviews), this Neiko automotive paint spray gun comes with a 125cc paint container and a 1.0mm nozzle on the mini set. You can adjust the paint flow with a simple knob, making it suitable for a range of small projects or quick touch-ups.

This beginner spray gun comes with a 600cc plastic cup and 1.3mm needle and an additional 1.5mm and 1.7mm cap + needles. Paired with a small air compressor, it will still remain relatively lightweight for projects ranging from simple automotive painting jobs to furniture finish painting.

The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute regularly vet and review a variety of auto products from car covers and dash cams to car vacuums — and even cars themselves. To compile our list of the best car paint sprayers and provide information about how to choose a paint gun for your car, our experts leaned on expertise from our brother publication Car and Driver's Guide to Car Spray Painting, researched top brands, read through dozens of five-star reviews and considered factors like price, which tools are included in each kit, ease of use and application and more.

Also referred to as an automotive spray gun or an automotive paint gun, a car paint sprayer is a tool that helps you apply paint to your car in a professional, uniform manner. It makes it easy and fast to spray paint over a large area without looking spotty and allows you to get into all the angles and curves that are built into your car. Whether you're looking to give your entire car a completely fresh coat or want to paint small details on your vehicle (think a phrase or image), a spray paint gun can help make your paint job look less like an amateur DIY project and more like an expert job. In general, it will also cost less than hiring a professional to do a paint job for your vehicle.

Once you've decided to move forward with painting your own car, there are a few things to consider when picking out the best car paint sprayer for you. These include the type of paint sprayer (HVLP or LVLP) and what feed is best for you (siphon vs. gravity feed). Then look at nozzle size and if you'll need additional accessories.

✔️ Types:

✔️ Feed style:

✔️ Nozzle size: Smaller nozzles are better for lighter coats of paint while larger nozzles will be able to accommodate heavier coats. Primers tend to be thicker and need a larger nozzle while base coats and clear coats need a slightly smaller nozzle.

✔️Additional accessories: Some car paint sprayer kits come with multiple sizes of nozzles, which makes it easy to apply everything from the primer to the clear coat without having to purchase any extra pieces. Similarly, some kits come with cleaning brushes to help you get every bit of paint out of the machine after each use and paint cup lids for storing paint for the next application.

Using a car paint sprayer involves a bit of a learning curve so don't be discouraged if your first paint job doesn't turn out perfectly (in other words, practice on something else before your car!). First, you'll want to find the appropriate paint sprayer for your vehicle as the right equipment can make all the difference. Another thing to keep in mind is that while you'll likely still do a fairly good job with a cheaper sprayer, it may require a bit more finesse than an absolute beginner might be equipped for.

Before you start, take a look at the user manual to familiarize yourself with the exact spray gun that you've purchased and how to operate all the controls — it may seem obvious, but this a step that shouldn't be skipped since you may risk damaging your car's finish if not used properly. For the same reason, it's also a good idea to practice on something that isn't as valuable as your car, say, a piece of scrap metal or cardboard. In terms of the technique: You'll want to keep the sprayer at a uniform distance away from the car (usually between 4 to 10 inches but consult the user manual for specifics) and use consistent movements to ensure that everything is painted in the same manner.

Jamie Spain has reviewed a wide range of consumer product goods, primarily focusing on the parenting and pet space, but expanding into a wide array of lifestyle goods ranging from diaper changing pads and UPF clothing to laptops and lunch bags. In the automotive space, she has helped assess booster car seats, convertible car seats and the best car cleaning kits, and utilized research from fellow Hearst publication Car and Driver to write this article.

Jamie (she/her) is a parenting and pets reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she spends her time testing, researching and writing about pet and family products. Prior to starting at GH in 2021, she worked at BuzzFeed and People, covering a combination of product reviews and lifestyle content. She's a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology and a master’s degree in journalism.

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