Caryn Ganz of The New York Times wrote that the song "sounds less like the spacier explorations of the Deals' 2008 album 'Mountain Battles' and more like the crispy rock of the band's 1990 debut, 'Pod.'"[9] Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone deemed the song "a classic Breeders bruiser" that is "packed with punchy drums, sugar-rush power chords and lead riffs".[10] Winston Cook-Wilson of Spin believes that the song is "a typically energetic, wry, angular rocker".[11] Stephen Thompson of NPR called the song "a blurt of jolting joy that opens with a welcome exclamation — "Good morning!" — before rumbling through two minutes of sunny menace".[12] Lisa Nguyen of Paste felt "The Breeders keep the '90s alive with the spunky new track" and that the song "invigorates its listeners with punchy guitar riffs and quirky lyrics". She praised Kim Deal for ranging her vocals "from soothing oohs to aggressive exclamations".[13] Under the Radar opined that the song "continues in the band's peerless tradition of urgent hooks and angelic vocals from sisters Kim and Kelley Deal", calling it a "miniature pop punk anthem".[14] Robin Murray of Clash thinks the song is "hair-raising, fantastic alt rock as only The Breeders can provide".[15] Gabriela Claymore of Stereogum described the song as "short, razor-sharp and funny", writing that it is "the kind of spunky and energizing song we've come to expect from this great band".[16] Rachel Kraus of Mashable wrote: "On 'Wait in the Car,' The Breeders' signature sound is back. It's brash, sexy, and rebellious like the best of band (as in the hit single 'Cannonball.')"[17] Artistdirect wrote that the song "features hard rocking with defiant lyrics", regarding it as "a continuation of the band's 90's edge".[8] Julian Marszalek of Gigwise felt the song "contains all the right ingredients for The Breeders at their best", including "some stop-start riffing, gnarly guitars, a superbly ramshackle approach that suggests that the whole thing could fall apart at any second, cooing vocals and more hooks than a fisherman's bag".[18] Dan Oberbruner of Tiny Mix Tapes wrote: "'Wait in the Car' is as unstoppably buoyant as the best tracks from their nearly three-decade long career".[19]
