How to Find the Best Brake Pads for Your Vehicle

March 20, 2025

6 min read

March 20, 2025

6 min read

Automakers engineer brake pads, rotors, and calipers for the ideal balance of stopping performance, durability, and quiet.

A heavy-duty pickup truck puts different demands on brake pads than a passenger car. Sports car brake pads deliver improved performance at the expense of noise and wear. But no matter what you drive, disc brake pads wear out a little more every time you hit the brakes.

Choosing the best replacement brake pads depends on what you drive, where you drive it, and your driving style. The best brake pads, in most cases, are the same type that your vehicle comes with from the factory. That doesn't mean you have to buy genuine or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement parts or that you can't choose an upgrade option that suits you better.

Check out our how-to guide and video for replacing them - opens in new window or tab. when they screech out for service.

Brake Pads Come in Different Materials

A set of green brake pads displayed on a gray work surface. — Choosing the right brake pad material depends on the application.

You can split brake pads up into categories based on friction material. Each material or combination has advantages and drawbacks for specific applications. OEM and aftermarket parts manufacturers match formulations to driver and vehicle demands. Evolving regulations and proprietary blends can blur the distinction between these categories, but don't let marketing influence your choice. There is no single best brake pad type or material.

Organic: Predictable, quiet performance for everyday driving, relatively low dust, and minimal rotor wear make organic brake pads the most common type. Non-asbestos organic NAO or organic brake pads use a blend of materials, including fibers, rubber, glass, carbon, ceramics, metals, kevlar, and resin binders.

Organic pad compounds wear out sooner than other types but are generally the least expensive option. The forgiving material can overheat due to over-enthusiastic driving or excessive loads. Hybrid low-metallic NAO organic brake pads add a low percentage of metals into the mix for improved performance.

Semi-Metallic: Semi-metallic brake pads stand up to the heat at which organics fade. A wide range of formulations for daily and performance driving makes semi-metallics a popular choice.

The higher percentage of metals such as iron, copper, and steel results in improved stopping power, fade resistance, and heat dissipation compared to organic or low-metallic NAO formulas. Semi-metallic compounds perform well in cold and hot temperature extremes with superior durability over organics. There are drawbacks, though. The aggressive grip and higher heat range wear out rotors faster than organics. Some formulations create more dust and noise than others.

Ceramic: The promise of consistent performance, durability, and quiet operation makes ceramic brake pads an increasingly popular choice as original equipment and replacement parts. Ceramics blend kiln-fired porcelain clay, carbon and metallic fibers, graphite compounds, fillers, and binders. Advantages include low rotor wear, noise levels outside the human hearing range, and minimal dust less visible than organics and semi-metallics.

Ceramics are the most expensive type of brake pad but last longer than organics or semi-metallics. Some formulations can be less effective in extreme cold or high-performance conditions.

What to Consider When Buying Brake Pads

A set of Bosch brake pads with synthetic lubricant and a blue shop towel displayed on a white background. — Bosch Blue brake pads come with synthetic lubricant and a blue shop towel.

Genuine, OEM, or aftermarket stock replacement brake pads are the best choice for most drivers. If your daily driver comes with organics, then choose organics. If your SUV or truck rolled out of the factory with semi-metallics, go with metal.

Major aftermarket brake pad manufacturers offer different ranges of replacement parts. Choose budget value, stock replacement, premium, or heavy-duty brake pads based on your driving requirements. Consider a ceramic friction profile if your stock brake pads cover your wheels with brown dust. Towing and hauling both call for heavy-duty replacements.

Brake pad prices

Organic brake pads are the least expensive, semi-metallics take up the middle, and ceramics are the priciest. The cheapest brake pads, however, might not add up to savings in the end. Organic brake pads wear out faster than ceramics but go easier on the rotors. Ceramic brake pads last longer but are tough on rotors.

How to Find Brake Pads for Your Vehicle

A set of semi-metallic brake pads for 1983-1999 Toyota vehicles, displayed on a white background. — This set of semi-metallic brake pads fits a range of 1983-1999 Toyota vehicles.

Read our guides on how to change disc brake pads - opens in new window or tab. and brake rotor replacement - opens in new window or tab. as the first steps to getting the right brake pads, tools, and know-how to finish the job.

Then, entering the year, make, model, and trim of your ride into the eBay Parts Finder - opens in new window or tab. . Take a systems approach to brake repair. New brake pads won't restore stopping performance if your rotors are scored, glazed, or corroded. A matched pads and rotors set can save time and money. Inspect and replace crusty or frozen calipers, pins, and torn boots.

Be mindful of your upgrades. High-performance options might be tempting but, off the track, competition friction profiles are ineffective at low temperatures and perform worse than stock replacement pads.

You Need Brake Hardware, Tools, and Supplies

A previously owned Snap-On brake bleeder, displayed on a white background. — Whether you choose to buy new or used, a brake bleeder is handy to have in the tool chest.

Always use new brake hardware with new pads. Most quality or premium brake pad sets include new hardware, shims, and grease. Some Bosch Blue sets even come wrapped in a blue shop rag for a clean and tidy install. Be thorough. Cheap brake pads may cost more than anticipated if you have to stop and get hardware halfway through a brake job.

If road salt is eating away at your car as you read this sentence, consider hardware with an anti-corrosion coating to prevent brake pads from seizing up over the winter.

Stock up on brake parts cleaner before any DIY brake job. Never use compressed air to clean brake pad dust.

The tiny tubes of grease that come with the sets may not be enough, so grab a tub of high-temperature brake grease.

Specialized brake tools or a brake service kit are good investments. Some rear brake calipers require a wind-back tool to screw the piston back to start.

If your brake calipers are looking rough, pick up some penetrating oil. It can help prevent broken brake bleeders. In the worst case, consider a screw extractor set to get out anything that shears off.

About the author

Mike Bumbeck

Mike has written about vintage automobiles and the people behind them for more than two decades. His experience includes writing for Hot Rod, Hemmings, and Mecum Auctions—and working on the pit crew of a nostalgia top fuel dragster. He lives in New England with a multi-vehicle fleet that ranges from a contemporary front-wheel-drive turbo hatchback to vintage Japanese 4x4s. His hobbies include building, flying, and crashing remote control scale model airplanes.

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This article is meant to provide general guidance only. Automotive maintenance, repair, upgrade, and installation may depend on vehicle-specifics such as make and model. Always consult your owner's manual, repair guide for specific information for your particular vehicle and consider a licensed auto-care professional's help as well, particularly for advance repairs.