Ceramic Coating & PPF Guide: Compare
1-Year vs 3-Year vs 5-Year Ceramic Coating: Which to Choose
Most coating menus come in tiers named for years. At The Auto Show those are a 1-year IGL EZ, a 3-year IGL Quartz+ and a 5-year IGL Kenzo. The longer coatings cost more, but they also change how often you will be back for a new coating and how much margin you have against heat, pollen and imperfect washing.
The right tier is less about the car and more about you: how long you will own it, where it sleeps at night, how it gets washed and what you want to spend now versus later.
The short answer
Pick the coating length that matches how long you will keep the car. A 1-year coating suits leases ending soon, cars you will sell, or owners trying a coating for the first time. A 3-year coating is the middle ground for daily drivers kept a few years. A 5-year coating costs the least per year if you keep the car five years or more and maintain it properly.
Key points
- The years are the product's rated durability with proper maintenance, not a promise or a warranty.
- The prep (at least a Level 2 detail plus enhancement or correction) is the same whichever tier you choose.
- Divide the price by the years you will actually own the car, not by the rating.
- Outdoor parking, brush washes and neglect shorten every tier; a garage and gentle hand washes help every tier.
The years
What "1-year", "3-year" and "5-year" really mean
The number on each tier is the rated durability of the product under proper maintenance: hand washing with a pH-neutral shampoo, no automatic brush washes, drying with clean microfiber. It describes how long the coating is designed to keep performing, not a guarantee from the shop. Where a manufacturer warranty applies, its terms come from IGL.
Real life can go either way. A garaged weekend car washed gently can look good well past its rating. A truck parked under pine trees, run through a brush wash every Saturday and scrubbed with dish soap will fall short. Treat the rating as the design target and your habits as the multiplier.
The tiers
How the three coatings differ
- 1-year: IGL EZ8H, entry level
- A single-layer silica coating IGL rates for up to 12 months of chemical, UV and contaminant protection. Least expensive way to get a true coating and see if you like living with one. Compare the products
- 3-year: IGL Quartz+9H, two-layer hybrid
- A base and top layer system with a slick, "self-cleaning" surface that sheds dirt more easily. The common choice for a daily driver kept a few years.
- 5-year: IGL Kenzo10H, flagship
- IGL's highest-solids coating, with 100% active material, available only through installers trained by IGL. The longest rated life and the lowest cost per year if you keep the car.
The math
Cost per year of ownership
Start with the price, then divide by the number of years you will really own the car, capped at the rating. On a coupe, the 1-year EZ starts at $699.98, the 3-year Quartz+ at $899.98 and the 5-year Kenzo at $1,299.98.
Keep a coupe five years and the Kenzo works out to roughly $260 a year, the Quartz+ to about $300 a year for the three years it is rated for, and the EZ to about $700 a year if you recoat annually. Sell the car in 18 months and the picture flips: the EZ or Quartz+ makes more sense, because nobody pays you back for coating years you did not use.
Remember that prep is a separate line. Every tier needs at least a Level 2 detail and a paint enhancement or correction first, unless the car is brand new. Recoating every year also means prep every year, which is the hidden cost of the shortest tier.
Match it
Which tier fits your situation
- Lease ending within about a year, or selling soon: 1-year EZ, or even a Level 2 detail with sealant.
- First coating and unsure you will maintain it: 1-year EZ to learn the wash routine before committing.
- Daily driver kept three or four years, parked outside: 3-year Quartz+ for the extra margin over EZ.
- New or newly corrected car you plan to keep five years or more: 5-year Kenzo for the lowest cost per year.
- Garage-kept enthusiast car: Kenzo, and consider paint protection film on the front end as well.
- Work truck that sees gravel and brush washes you cannot avoid: be realistic. A shorter tier plus regular hand washes may serve better than a long rating you will not maintain.
Conditions
How Upstate weather and parking change the choice
Coatings wear from the top down through UV, heat, chemical cleaners and friction. Driveway cars in Anderson and Greenville take a full summer of sun, a spring coating of pine pollen that turns gritty after rain, and summer bug splatter on the nose. Those cars benefit most from a longer-rated product, simply because there is more to wear through.
Commuters on I-85 or US-76 pick up road film and occasional winter brine. A coating makes that easier to wash off, but it does not stop rock chips. If your commute is mostly highway, pair the coating with front-end film rather than paying for a longer coating expecting chip protection.
End of life
What happens when a coating reaches its rating
Coatings do not fall off on an anniversary. They thin gradually, and the first signs are softer beading, water that lingers on flat panels, and dirt that takes more effort to wash off. The hood, roof and trunk lid usually go first because they take the most sun; lower doors and rockers wear from road grime and washing friction.
At that point you have three choices: keep washing and accept less slickness, refresh the surface with a compatible topper for a few more months, or have the paint inspected, polished and recoated. With a 1-year coating you reach that decision every year. With a 5-year coating you reach it once in the same span, which is the main practical reason owners who keep their cars choose the longer tier.
Maintenance
What every tier needs from you
Wait out the cure
IGL's data sheets give 3 to 5 days for full cure. Avoid harsh shampoos and cleaners in that window; plain water is fine if the car must be rinsed.
Hand wash gently
Use a pH-neutral shampoo and clean mitts. IGL's sheets call for cleaners between pH 3 and 9 and say strong acids or alkalis are unnecessary.
Skip the brushes
Automatic brush washes add swirls and wear the coating faster. Touchless is a compromise when you have no choice.
Dry with clean microfiber
Or blow the car dry. Polished and coated cars at the shop are blown dry for that reason.
Ask about upkeep
Care instructions are given at pickup, and the shop offers a monthly maintenance program for coated vehicles. Ask about it.
| Vehicle | 1-year EZ | 3-year Quartz+ | 5-year Kenzo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe | $699.98 | $899.98 | $1,299.98 |
| Sedan | $849.98 | $1,049.98 | $1,349.99 |
| SUV | $899.99 | $1,099.99 | $1,549.99 |
| SUV (7 seats) | $999.98 | $1,199.98 | $1,599.98 |
| SUV XL | $1,048.99 | $1,349.99 | $1,599.99 |
| Truck | $1,047.99 | $1,149.99 | $1,449.99 |
| Dually | $1,049.99 | $1,249.99 | $1,599.99 |
Starting prices at The Auto Show. Wagon pricing exists for EZ and Quartz+, and a 5-seat SUV class for Kenzo. Prep (at least a Level 2 detail plus enhancement or correction) is quoted separately; final price is confirmed after inspection.
Get a price for your exact vehicle
We will inspect the paint, confirm the size class and prep it needs, and help you pick the tier that matches how long you will keep it.
Common questions
Can I upgrade from a 1-year coating to a 5-year coating later?
Yes. When the 1-year coating is worn or you are ready, the paint is decontaminated and polished to remove what is left of the old coating, and the new coating goes on bare clear coat. Coatings are not stacked on a worn layer. Because the prep repeats, starting with the longer tier costs less overall if you already know you will keep the car.
Is a 5-year coating harder to apply or remove?
It is less forgiving to apply. IGL makes Kenzo available only to installers it has trained, and like any coating it must be leveled within minutes or high spots harden. Removal is by machine polishing, the same as other coatings, though a harder, thicker film can take a little more work.
Does a longer coating mean more gloss?
Slightly more depth, perhaps, but most of the gloss comes from the paint correction or enhancement underneath. A well-polished car with a 1-year coating will look better than a swirled car with a 5-year coating. Spend on prep first, then choose the tier that matches your ownership plans.
Which coating is best for a new car?
New cars still need a wash, decontamination and usually some polishing, because transport and dealer washes leave marks. If you plan to keep it five years or more, the 5-year Kenzo usually gives the lowest cost per year. Add front-end film if you drive a lot of highway miles.
Sources
- Ecocoat EZ, IGL Coatings (https://iglcoatings.com/products/ecocoat-ez/), accessed October 2026
- Ecocoat Quartz+ Graphene Reinforced, IGL Coatings (https://iglcoatings.com/products/ecocoat-quartz-plus/), accessed October 2026
- Ecocoat Kenzo (Graphene Reinforced), IGL Coatings (https://iglcoatings.com/products/ecocoat-kenzo-graphene-reinforced/), accessed October 2026
- Technical Data Sheet: Ecocoat Kenzo K1, IGL Coatings (https://iglcoatings.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tds_ecocoat_kenzo_K1_154343.pdf), accessed October 2026
- Technical Data Sheet: Ecocoat EZ, IGL Coatings (https://iglcoatings.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tds_ecocoat_ez_154325.pdf), accessed October 2026
Prices on this page are The Auto Show’s published starting prices and are confirmed after we inspect the vehicle. Product ratings and warranty terms come from the manufacturers.