Using a car phone holder can reduce distracted driving, and improve your safety on the road. This list highlights some of the best car phone holders and the brand that produce them.
There are many reasons you may need a car phone holder. Some people find it difficult to clear space in their car to set their phone down. You may need to take or receive calls, but holding a phone and engaging in distracted driving is dangerous. Some people, meanwhile, want to use their smartphone to play music instead of the radio, or for other ambient reasons.
What makes a car phone holder one of the best is versatility. You want a car phone holder that can be placed where you need it in your car. Some car phone holders are meant to be placed between seats, while others attach to the dash. This list compiles some of the best car phone holders, taking into account their different designs and purposes.
How We Chose Our Ratings
The rating for each product is based on the overall quality of the product. The brand’s stated intention will be taken into consideration as well. This means that if a car phone holder is meant to be attached to the dash, but functions better between the seats, its failure to fill its intended role will be taken into consideration.
When reviewing the product, the comments of other reviewers, as well as the feedback of testers and users will be taken into consideration. These factors, as well as our experience with the product, will all be weighed into the final results.
All of the car phone holders will be rated using a five-star system. All of the products on this list can be called the best car phone holder, so a low rating does not mean a product is bad. A low rating means it does not have as many unique features as other car phone holders on this list, or that it may appeal to a smaller group of people than other products on this list.
This list will endeavor to include only one car phone holder from each brand. If a brand produces two sufficiently unique products, they may both make a list.
This list is an endeavor to identify high-quality products from many different brands, so if two products appear from a single brand, this is an exception. An explanation will be included in the review, as well as an observation about what features make each car phone holder unique.
Top 6 Best Car Phone Holders
These are the best car phone holders available. The car phone holders listed below are in no particular order, and their rating should be considered the final say on which we believe to be the best.
iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Mount
The iOttie Easy One Touch 4 mount is a car phone holder that comes with multiple mounting options. The iOttie Easy One Touch 4 has a crane arm that can turn and extend, so it remains within reach of both front seats as you wish.
The first mounting option is a dashboard and windshield mount, which sticks to the front of your car with a suction cup. One variant is the CD mounting option, which you can insert in any CD player or disc slot, which should hold your phone in place. The last mounting option hooks into air vents and can hold the phone holder in place using your car’s air circulation system.
The iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Mount receives a four-star rating. A good car phone mount should offer versatility, but each variant only offers a single mounting option. The suction cup phone holder also has an arm that provides more freedom of movement than the others, so not every version of this car phone holder model was created equal.
Baseus Gravity Qi Wireless Car Charger Mount
The first thing to mention about the Baseus Gravity Qi Wireless Car Charge Mount is that it is designed to pair with Samsung phones. With that noted, Baseus cleverly combines the functions of a phone charger with those of a car phone holder to make a single, more useful device.
The clamps on this car phone holder use gravity to hold your phone in place, and reduce the rattling and shaking your phone endures while you drive. The mount connects to your air vents, which is an intentional design choice by the brand who want car ACs to help cool the device.
Since it serves as an equal part phone charger, it’s worth mentioning that the mount can detect your phone’s charge and begin trickle charging. This lessens the speed of charging when your phone is nearly full, which will cause less damage to your phone over time.
The Baseus Gravity Qi Wireless Car Charger Mount receives a two and a half star rating. It is designed to work with Samsung devices, or Qi-enabled electronics, which limits its usability somewhat. Its mount is well designed and holds the phone firmly in place. It has more functionality than most car phone holders, but only certain phones can make use of it properly.
Kenu Airframe+ Smartphone Car Mount
The Kenu Airframe Smartphone Car Mount has several mounting options. Kenu has produced magnetic mounts and CD player mounts in the past, but the mount on this list is their Airframe Smartphone air vent mount.
CD players are becoming a less common car feature, and magnetic, and suction cup mounts often attach to your windshield, lowering your road visibility. Air vents are a design requirement for vehicles, and they rest lower than your line of sight. The Kenu Airframe Smartphone Car Mount wisely capitalizes on this by using a clip small enough to fit on nearly any air vent.
It doesn’t wrap around your phone like most holders and instead grips it on each side. The grip comes with thin and thick clip options so that it can attach to multiple air vent designs. You can rotate the grip once the car phone mount is attached to make sure your phone faces you. It also comes in large and small grip sizes, to fit whatever phone model you have.
Kenu claims that the air vent design helps to keep your phone from overheating by utilizing the AC. While this may technically be true, this car phone mount doesn’t have any additional features, such as the wireless charger mentioned elsewhere on this list, that generates excess heat. The chance your phone will overheat on its own is limited, so this is mostly lip service.
The Kenu Airframe Smartphone Car Mount receives a four and a half star rating. It has different grip sizes, as well as different clip sizes so that it can fit a variety of vehicles and phones. You can also choose a variant with other mounting options, such as a suction cup or magnetic grip. The only thing this versatile car phone holder lacks is padding to protect your phone from damage.
Spigen Kuel A200 Car Phone Mount Magnetic Air Vent Holder
The Spigen Kuel A200 Car Phone Mount is the first car phone holder on this list intentionally designed to work well on round air vents. The A200 car phone mount utilizes two metal plates to hold your phone in place using magnetism. The first should be inserted into your air vent, while the other should be attached to the back of your phone or your phone case.
The A200 is an extremely simple car phone holder. Once you’ve inserted the first metal plate into your air vent, the force between the two plates should be strong enough to hold up even large smart devices. Its features end there, as it can not rotate, extend, or perform any other functions to improve your experience with your phone or device.
The Spiegen Kuel A200 Car Phone Mount receives a two-star rating. It is a no-frills car phone holder designed for round air vents. It is capable of fitting most air vents that use thin vent strips. If your only need is a holder to keep your phone in place, this device fulfills that role, and it generally maintains a low cost compared to other holders due to its limited functionality.
Mpow Magnetic Phone Holder
The Mpow Magnetic Phone Holder is a bendable car phone holder that may offer the most reach of any car phone holder on this list. It can magnetically attach to your dashboard or windshield, and be maneuvered out of your way when necessary without damaging the flexible holder in the slightest.
This Mpow car phone holder uses two systems to hold your phone in place. The first is a suction cup on the end of the flexible arm, which attaches to your phone. The other is the magnetic pair of metal plates that give the phone its name. You attach one to your phone or place it in your phone case, while the other attaches to the holder itself.
One thing to consider is whether large, windshield car phone mounts are legal in your area. While you can almost completely remove the Mpow Magnetic Phone Holder from your line of sight due to its flexibility, the place where it attaches to your windshield is an exception. It’s best to understand local laws before using any windshield mount, not just this Mpow phone holder.
The Mpow Magnetic Phone Holder receives a three-star rating. Magnetic holders are an issue for some phones, though this has become less common in recent years. It can be attached to your dashboard instead of your windshield, which helps to avoid trouble in areas where windshield mounts are banned. Its range of motion is unmatched by most other car phone holders.
Koomus Pro CD Slot Car Mount
The Koomus Pro CD Slot Car Mount is designed to help drivers who own older cars but still want a phone mount that takes up very little space. The grip for your phone isn’t large, and the mount slides into any CD player or disc player you might have in your car.
While it is designed to be small so it won’t block any buttons or areas on your console, you should still think about what is around your CD player before deciding if it is right for you. The grip does allow you to place your phone facing you, but it doesn’t have as much range as other phone mounts on this list.
The Koomus Pro CD Slot Car Mount receives a two-star rating. It relies on a CD player slot, so it can’t be of use in all modern cars. Its range of movement doesn’t match that of some of the other best car phone holders, either. It is a compact phone holder designed to fit an ideal location in your car, though. Its size and design are worthy of merit and do fill a niche role in some cars.
Buyer’s Guide
Buying the correct car phone holder for your situation can be a deceptively difficult task. The place your car phone holder is mounted will affect your interaction with the final product, and may even make it illegal in some places. Certain mounting types, such as magnets, can also rarely cause malfunctions or damage to your phone that the maker may not have intended.
Air Vent Holders
The most widely accepted form of car phone holder is the air vent mounted holder. All vehicles require proper ventilation so that an air vent holder will work in most cars. Some vehicles have vent slats that are different sizes or different shapes.
Air vent holders also place your phone down and away from your field of vision, which means you’re less inclined to be distracted by it while driving. It does mean that you must divert your vision from the road to use it though, which can cause accidents. Overall, air vent holders encourage users to only utilize their phones when stopped, which improves driving habits.
Dashboard and Windshield-Mounted Holders
Dashboard and windshield mounted holders are also common car phone holder options. They place your phone higher in your car, making them more visible. They also have increased range and flexible arms to help put your phone within reach. These make using your phone easier, but they can lead drivers to be more easily distracted. This is why they are illegal in some areas.
CD Holders
CD holders are the last of the common car phone mount variants. They are becoming less common as smart devices are adopted and CD players are disappearing, but still find their value in older model cars. A CD player often holds its mount more tightly than other car phone holders and places your phone in the center of your console where it is most accessible.
A CD player mount often lacks a range of motion though, so, like air vent holders, it encourages you to only use your phone when your vehicle isn’t in motion. Bulky CD player mounts can also block buttons on your console, making it more difficult to use your AC or other car functions.
Suction Cup Holders
Suction cups are often the safest form of car phone holder, and leave the fewest marks when removed. You can adjust their locations more easily than other car phone holder types. Air vent clips and gravity mounts also leave few marks on your car or phone, and you can easily remove your phone from the mount when in use.
Magnetic Mounts
Magnetic mounts vary the most as car phone holders. A magnet can be among the strongest forms of phone mounting, or a weak magnet may not be able to hold up a large smartphone. Once the magnetic plates are firmly attached, they hold your phone in place with incredible strength. This can make removing your phone from its socket somewhat difficult, however.
You should look for a car phone holder that has more than one mounting option. The Kenu Airframe received the highest rating because it includes options, in case you can’t mount it as you originally intended. The second most important feature is often thick lining or padding because this can protect your phone from scratching, or damage if you are in an accident.