Quality Car Tint vs Cheap Tint – What’s The Real Difference?

Is there any real difference between quality car tint and the cheap stuff? The prices of a vehicle tint job vary widely, but is there really that much difference in the tint being used? This article aims to look into the different types of automotive tint and why some are more expensive that others.



Before we begin looking into the differing window tint types available, let’s define some of the main benefits of a car window tint. We can then discuss how the benefits cary with different levels of tint. For the sake of this article, we will only look at professionally installed window tint and not DIY products.

• Improved or changed appearance of the vehicle.
• Reduced solar heat entering interior of vehicle.
• Reduced glare through windows.
• Reduced UV rays passing through the glass.

• Basic Dyed Automotive Window Tint – This is the least expensive form of car tint. As it related to the benefits above, these films are primarily to change the looks of the vehicle as desired, glare reduction and often come with very good UV rejection. However, this level of tint does very little to reject solar heat. On the downside, these films are often not warranted against color change and may not have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser. This level of tint will usually be the entry level offered at most professional shops.
• Premium Dyed / Carbon Automotive Window Tint – This is the first step up from basic dyed tint. The costs is usually a step up from entry level. In addition to often having better quality levels of base polyester and scratch resistance, these films also typically offer better solar heat rejection than a basic dyed film. Also, these films are typically more color stable which means they will not fade or change color over time like many basic dyed films might. These films normally carry a lifetime warranty against color change or any other defect for the original purchaser.
• Metal or Metal Hybrid Automotive Window Tint – As the name suggests, these films often utilize a metal layer in the construction. This is done to give the film a much higher solar heat rejection than possible with a dyed only film. These films are often very color stable and come with lifetime warranties. The potential negatives of these films are that they can have a slightly reflective look which some dislike. In addition, the metal layer can interfere with reception with certain electronic systems. These films are often priced slightly higher than premium carbon based films.
• Nano-Ceramic or Ceramic Automotive Window Tint – Think of this as the best of all worlds. These films are at the top of the price structure and for good reason. They have great, non-reflective factory tinted appearance and very high heat rejection with no metal. The heat rejection comes from the technology of the ceramic construction and often is not dependent on the darkness of the tint to have higher heat rejection. This allows the user to choose everything from very light ti darker films and still get great solar heat rejection. Using a lighter window tint can be based on owner tastes or local window tint laws. In addition, because no metal is used, these films do not cause any interference with electronic systems.