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- Quick list
- Best overall
- Best for older cars
- Best for vents
- Best suction cup
- Best MagSafe
- Best magnetic mount
- Best for Pop Sockets
Best Car Phone Mounts: Quick Menu
1. Best mount overall
2. Best mount for older cars
3. Best mount for vents
4. Best suction cup mount
5. Best mount for MagSafe
6. Best magnetic mount
7. Best for Pop Sockets
The best car phone mounts are fantastic accessories that should be in every car. Your phone can be a big help when you're driving, but it can also be dangerous if you don't treat it right. And the easiest way to avoid that is to make sure its mounted somewhere within reach — and not in your hands.
A good mount can keep your phone visible, and within reach, but in a spot that doesn't block your view of the road ahead. It's never a bad time to pick one up, and there's an incredible amount of choice with designs that will suit every car. But that choice means you hay struggle to pick the right one for you./
We've been testing them to help you figure out which mount is best for you.Here are the best car phone mounts you can buy right now.
The quick list
Here are the best car phone mounts you can buy right now, based on our own testing. You can scroll down the page to find more in-depth information about each model and what exactly makes them so great.
1. TopGo Cup Holder Phone Mount
Best car phone mount overall
Every car has a cup holder, and if yours isn't full of cups you can put it to good use holding up your phone. The neck is long enough to keep it in view, and sturdy enough to keep it all stable — without blocking any part of the view from the windshield.
Read more below
2. iOttie Easy One Touch 4 CD Slot Mount
Best car phone mount for older cars
Does your car have a CD player going unused because, well, you play everything from your phone instead? Lucky for you this car phone mount can give it a new lease on life, holding your phone in place while you drive. Just push the mount in, pop in a phone and you're good to go.
Read more below
3. Belkin Car Vent Mount
Best car phone mount for vents
Sometimes the simple option is the best, and Belkin's Car Vent mount is a great example of that. You've got a no frills, minimalist design that holds your phone in place without taking up any dashboard space. There's little more you could ask for.
Read more below
4. iOttie Easy One Touch 5 Smartphone Car Mount
Best suction cup car phone mount
If you want an absurdly strong suction cup, attached to an extendable arm with a quick-release mount, this is the mount for you. That means you can place it just about anywhere in your car, and take your phone out with a single hand.
Read more below
5. Sandmarc Active Car Mount
Best car phone mount for MagSafe
Keep your iPhone locked in place and ditch the wires with this MagSafe compliant mount from SandMarc. It may only charge at 7.5W, but it's easy to install, has a discreet cable tidy, and has the aesthetic appeal to match your shiny Apple phone.
Read more below
6. YOSH Car Phone Mount Holder Magnetic Air Vent
Best magnetic car phone mount
If you need something small and discreet, then you can't go wrong with YOSH's magnetic air vent mount. You do need to stick a magnet on the back of your phone, but if you want something out of the way and virtually invisible then this is the perfect mount for you.
Read more below
What are the best car phone mounts?
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Best Car Phone Mount Overall
1. TOPGO Cup Holder Phone Mount
For people who don’t want to stick something to their car.
Specifications
Price: $33
Wireless Charging: No
Color: Black
Orientation: 360-degree
Compatabiulity: Phones up to 3.5 inches wide
Type: Cup holder
Reasons to buy
+ The mount can be rotated into portrait and landscape Keeping the mount away from air vents is always a good idea, especially on particularly cold or hot days It’s easy to insert your phone into the mount and just as easy to take it back out, too
Reasons to avoid
- You’ll lose a cup holder Some car layouts might simply make this mount impractical This mount isn’t great to look at when you aren’t using it
Using a cup holder isn’t the most obvious place to keep your phone mount, but it works surprisingly well. Thanks to its long neck and sturdy construction, we found this holder will hold your phone high enough that it's easily visible while also keeping it out of your field of view. In our testing we found that the holder can jiggle around a little when on bumpy roads, but that’s difficult to avoid given the way this thing works.
The benefits of putting your phone holder into a cup holder are obvious: You don’t lose an air vent or have to deal with suction cups, and damn near every car has cup holders as standard. You’ll lose a place for your skinny latte of course, but that’s the price you pay for not being too hot or cold or worrying that your phone will fall at any moment.
Read the full TopGo Cup Holder Phone mount review
Best car phone mount for older cars
2. iOttie Easy One Touch 4 CD Slot Mount
Putting your neglected CD player to good use
Specifications
Price: $20
Wireless Charging: No
Color: Black
Orientation: 360-degree
Type: CD Slot
Reasons to buy
+ The mount can be rotated into portrait and landscape Using a CD player slot means you don’t lose an air vent or have to make sure it’s mounted firmly on your dashboard The mount is strong and doesn’t move when you tap or rotate your phone
Reasons to avoid
- Not all cars have CD players People who need to use the included Bracket might have a battle on their hands No charging capabilities
We’ve tested a lot of phone holders and the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 CD Slot Mount is one of our favorites for a simple reason — it takes that CD player that you likely never use and gives it a new lease on life. During our testing we found that installation of the Easy One Touch 4 mount is simple, and the holder almost completely disappears when not in use.
Once set up, your phone isn’t going anywhere and the chances are good that your CD slot will be high enough that your screen is never more than a quick glance away. If you don’t use your CD player — who does? — you can leave the mount installed and you won’t even notice it’s there. Magic.
Read the full iOttie Easy One Touch 4 CD Slot Mount review
Best car phone mount for vents
3. Belkin Car Vent Mount
The simple option.
Specifications
Price: $25
Wireless Charging: No
Color: Silver
Orientation: 360-degree
Type: Vent
Reasons to buy
+ The mount can be rotated into portrait and landscape mode Construction is solid and will stand up to daily use Cable management is a feature other mounts don’t have Nice soft grips mean your phone won’t be damaged
Reasons to avoid
- There are cheaper options The mount doesn’t charge your device Some larger phones might not fit if they’re wearing a case
Belkin's imaginatively-named Car Vent Mount isn’t the cheapest option around, but it does have something most of its competitors don’t: cable management.Belkin included an area for you to keep your charging cable so it doesn’t fly around your car when you aren’t using it, and we found it to be surprisingly effective. There were no more stray cables blocking all those important buttons in our car
Beyond the cable management component, there isn’t an awful lot to the Belkin Car Vent Mount and that isn’t a bad thing at all. What it does, it does well and that’s to hold a phone steady while you drive.
Read the full Belkin Car Vent Mount review
Best suction cup car phone mount
4. iOttie Easy One Touch 5 Smartphone Car Mount
Proving suction cups don't have to be terrible
Specifications
Price: $30
Wireless Charging: No
Color: Black
Orentiation: Portrait and Landscape
Design: Suction Cup
Reasons to buy
+ You don’t lose any air vents Once attached it will definitely stay that way Putting your phone into the holder is a cinch The telescopic arm gives you more flexibility than other mounts
Reasons to avoid
- Getting the mount off the dash can be a real battle Pretty big and can get in the way when not in use As good as that suction cup is, you still need a surface to attach it to
The iOttie Easy One Touch 5 instils confidence in a way few other mounts do. That’s all thanks to its large suction cup that we found to be absurdly strong. Once mounted, an extendable arm means you should be able to put your phone where you want it, bringing it within reach. You can’t change the angle of that arm, so you’ll need to have the whole thing pointing in the right direction.
Like some of the best mounts, this one holds your phone rock steady when you’re driving around, and putting the device into the holder is a simple one-handed affair. People with huge phones should be good to go thanks to the three-point mounting system that can be moved at will.
Read the full iOttie Easy One Touch 5 review
Best car phone mount for MagSafe
5. Sandmarc Active Car Mount
For the people who want magnetic charging
Specifications
Price: $60
Wireless Charging: Up to 7.5W
Color: Silver
Orientation: Vertical
Type: Vent
Reasons to buy
+ Strong magnets to hold your phone steady Charges your phone while you drive Looks the part, unlike some cheaper options Come with a charging cable in the box
Reasons to avoid
- Arguably on the pricey side Works best with iPhone 12 and MagSafe, needs a magnet to use it Clip mechanism means you need something to attach it to
If charging your iPhone while on the move is your game, the Sandmarc Active Car Mount is the place to look first. This holder is only compatible with Apple’s more recent iPhones, thanks to its use of MagSafe-compatible mount means it’s one of the better-looking holders we tested.
In terms of charging, the Sandmarc holder is limited to 7.5W, so it isn’t true MagSafe as such. The magnets are super strong, however, and I didn’t have any issues in terms of movement during testing.
Read the full Sandmarc Active Phone Mount review
Best magnetic car phone mount
6. YOSH Car Phone Mount Holder Magnetic Air Vent
The cheap and cheerful option
Specifications
Price: $11
Wireless Charging: No
Color: Black
Orientation: 360-degree
Type: Vent
Reasons to buy
+ The magnets are strong and your phone won’t budge from the holder Almost invisible when you aren’t using it Comes with multiple magnets in the box so you can use two phones with it
Reasons to avoid
- You’ll lose an air vent The mount won’t charge your phone and magnets don’t support MagSafe
If the absolute smallest holder you can find is all you need, the YOSHI magnetic mount is for you. As small as a coin, this little thing is surprisingly powerful thanks to the magic of magnets. It’s one of the cheapest options we came across too. Sometimes cheap and cheerful is all you need and this YOSH holder is the epitome of that.
The only potential issue with this holder is the fact you need to affix a disc to the back of your phone — something for the magnets to attach to, It can make the back of your phone look a little untidy, but the mount itself is more than good enough at its job to make that a minor issue. Despite being so small, an iPhone 12 Pro was kept firmly in place by the grip of the magnets — which is seriously impressive.
Read the full Yosh Magnetic Car Phone Mount review
Best car phone mount for pop sockets
7. PopSockets PopMount 2 Car Dash
The quirky option.
Specifications
Price: $30
Wireless Charging: No
Color: Black
Type: Suction cup
Reasons to buy
+ The only phone holder designed specifically for your PopGrip You don’t need to remove the PopGrip to use your phone in your car Works with just about any PopGrip on the market today.
Reasons to avoid
- Useless if you don’t use a PopGrip, so you’re stuck in that ecosystem. Some might prefer a different mounting method.
If you’re someone who uses a PopSocket to make their huge phone less unwieldy, putting it into a car phone holder can be an issue. As you might expect, the PopSockets people have an answer to that in the form of the PopMount 2 Car Dash holder.
The PopSockets PopMount 2 Car Dash holder has a strong suction cup that should do the trick on most dashboards. The angle of the phone can also be adjusted, and it’s a relatively good-looking bit of kit even when there’s no phone in it — plus its design means it can be folded away when not in use. If you use a PopSocket, this is the one for you.
Read the full Popsockets Popmount 2 review
What to look for in a car phone holder
What you need in a phone holder might be unique to you. But in its most basic form a phone holder needs to hold your phone in the right position and in a way that ensures it won’t move too much when you’re on the road. If it does that, it’s off to a good start.
From there you need to find one that fits where you need it to fit, whether that’s into an air vent, onto your windscreen or dashboard, or somewhere else. You’ll also need to take your phone’s unique qualities into account, like if it has MagSafe or you need something that can accommodate a PopSocket or similar stand. This roundup covers all bases and there should be an option for everyone right here.
How we test car phone holders
Each car phone mount we've reviewed has gone through the same testing regimen, in the same car and (where possible) using the same iPhone 12 Pro. The process begins by making sure the holder can find a solid grip on whichever part of the car it's supposed to attach to — be it the windscreen, air vent, or something else.
It's crucial that this positioning not blocking the drivers' view of the road ahead, but also that the driver can see the phone screen at a glance. Otherwise the mount is failing at its primary goal.
From there it's a case of seeing just how easily a phone can be inserted and removed from the mount. This also involved checking how well any moving parts work, and whether any additional features can do their jobs correctly. This is especially important for mounts that support charging — wireless or otherwise.
Then it all comes down to the design and how conspicuous those mounts are when not in use. A car phone mount may not be essential on a quick local trip, and it's important to know if it'll be particularly cumbersome or whether it can practically disappear.
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Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor
Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.
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