The 6 Best Automotive Metal primers (2023 reviews)

Rustoleum has been making good-quality primer for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and high-end materials. It provides rust resistant base coat for cars, trucks, and other vehicles. It can be used on wood, metal and fiberglass. It provides rust resistance while the 2 in 1 formula fills surface imperfections and primes the surface. It is a great way to remove the 3D printer lines on larger models.

One coat of this plus a good sanding is enough to get rid of the lines completely, and it's a lot easier than an epoxy-based one like XTC3D. It will look very thick after the first coat but that will evaporate and thin out so you will need a few coats.

Why We Like This:

Perfect to help fill in little imperfections
Really helps smooth out minor level changes when doing auto body work
You will get cracking, bubbling, and all
Great for primer coating funky metal surfaces

Best For Aluminum patio furniture: SEM etch Primer

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The sem etch primer is specially designed for your daily usage and has all useful features. It sticks like glue to any clean surface and is great as a primer before paint or just by itself. It works well for refinishing alloy wheels. It has bonded to the aluminum, unlike the dupli-color. It will tell you the temperature range.

This is made for clean raw steel, wire brushed or sandblasted. The primer works, but the spray pattern + consistency makes it much easier to use. It goes on smoothly, dries quickly, and produces a nice even finish.

Why We Like This:

Good brand reputation
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For vehicle: Eastwood Automotive Metal Primer

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This easy-to-use aerosol etches and primes bare, rust-free metal in one step. It is easy to use for aerosol cans or economical quarts and gallons. The etching primer uses an aggressive solvent system to assure excellent adhesion to clean, rust. It is also a single-stage formula that requires no catalyst, making it even easier to use.

The adhesion is much better than regular primer alone under the finish coat. It is easy to use for spot repairs and bonds better than other aerosol primers while a gallon can has more value for big projects. It is good primer for a truck restoration project. It is easy to use for chassis and undercarriages, you might even simply put a clear coat or seam sealer over it and let the black color shine through.

Why We Like This:

Enhances adhesion and durability of most non-epoxy top coats
Perfect for painting knobs, hindges, etc
Withstands up to 170 degrees f, made in usa
Adheres to steel, stainless, aluminum and chrome

Best For Automotive vehicles: Custom shop Automotive Metal Primer

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If you often find yourself scrambling for convenient and suitable primer, custom shop automotive metal primer should be your first option for buying. The High Build 2.1 VOC Acrylic Lacquer Primer Surfacer is a premium, lead-free primer surfacer that provides outstanding build for fast filling without shrinkage when used as directed. It provides excellent adhesion over properly prepared substrates. It can be easily sanded, wet or dry, to a fine feather-edge and offers excellent adhesion and color holdout. It will work to make sure it dries thoroughly. It is ideal primer for automotive vehicles, fleet, industrial products, and oem manufacturers.

Why We Like This:

Good investment for long term
Good brand reputation

Best For Bare Metal: SEM Automotive Metal Primer

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention sem automotive metal primer for daily purpose. This is a self etching primer that goes on bare metal and not a filler primer. If you attempt to apply with a brush outside in the sun, it almost dries as you stroke it on. It is easy to apply using a hvlp gun. This is ready to go out of the can and works perfectly for metal where you need a self etching primer. It is nicer to look at brown rust. This paint dries REALLY FAST. This is the primer to use if you are painting cast aluminum.

Why We Like This:

Whips through corrosion and rust, preps bare steel for painting
Good investment for long term

Best For holding down troublesome repairs: Evercoat Automotive Metal Primer

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The evercoat automotive metal primer is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily usage. This polyester primer is compatible with waterborne paint and VOC. It is ideal for holding down troublesome repairs on a variety of substrates.

Why We Like This: