According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving claimed 3522 lives in U.S. roads in 2021. In the era of smartphones, maintaining focus on the road has become even more of a challenge, particularly for new or less experienced drivers. Thus, a reliable phone mount is the co-pilot you never knew you needed.
With a bit of insight from the Gear Team experts, we have taken the wheel to bring you a carefully curated list of the best car phone mounts that seamlessly blend functionality, style, and quality. Whether you're tackling winding mountain roads, hitting the trails, or just traversing city streets, these mounts promise to keep your smartphone securely in place, ensuring hands-free convenience without compromising safety.
Our Top Picks
Things to Consider When Buying a Phone Mount for Your Car
There are a number of factors you may want to give some thought to before you buy your next phone mount. Here are some of the most crucial.
Mount Location
Car phone mounts attach to your vehicle in a variety of ways:
- Dashboard Mounts: Attach to the dashboard using adhesive or suction cups
- Vent Mounts: Clip onto air vents
- Windshield Mounts: Attach to the windshield using suction cups
- Cupholder Mounts: Sit in your vehicle factory cupholder
Wherever you put your car phone mount, ensure it doesn't require you to look away from the road for more than a second or two. Windshield and dashboard mounts are best for keeping phones at or near eye level, making quick glances easy. Vent mounts are a decent option, depending on the location of your vents. Cupholder mounts should have an extender arm or other device that raises your phone up close to eye level.
Clip vs. Magnetic
Most phone mounts use clips to hold phones in place; others use magnets. Magnets are usually pricier but more convenient to use and often feature wireless charging. That said, magnets sometimes don't securely hold phones in place through a protective case.
Usually, clip mounts are more affordable and more secure, but they likely won't charge your mobile device wirelessly. Additionally, they might require two hands to operate.
Compatibility
Ensure the mount is compatible with your phone's size and model, both with and without its case. If more than one driver plans on using the phone mount, get a mount that's compatible with all the mobile devices that will use it. Some mounts have adjustable arms to accommodate different case sizes. Also, check to see whether the mount accommodates both horizontal (Landscape) and vertical (Portrait) orientations.
Charging
If you use your phone for navigation or streaming audio, consider a mount that's compatible with wireless charging or lets your phone connect to a charging cable while mounted. Wireless charging is a nice feature that many new (especially magnetic) phone mounts offer. But wireless charging isn't without its issues; for example, many wireless mounts won't charge through phone cases.
Brand Recognition
When buying tech and gadgets (and their respective accessories), we generally avoid recommending brands we're not familiar with. When it comes to phone cases, companies like Scosche, Belkin, iOttie, and RAM Mounts are widely recognized as among the best. However, there are a gazillion phone-mount brands on the market—and everybody's gotta start somewhere, right? Before you buy from a brand you're not familiar with, do some research and check user reviews to select a company you trust.
Additional Features
Some mounts come with additional features such as adjustable or extendable arms, one-touch release, a selection of mount styles, or extra USB ports for charging other devices.
We drive a lot of cars and we've used a ton of phone mounts. Here are our picks for the best of the best.
The Best Car Phone Mounts
Pros
Excellent design - Great materials for a phone mount
Cons
- Limited compatibility
The X-Grip is likely one of the best-made mounts on the market, thanks to its use of stainless steel and high-strength composites. It mounts to your windshield using a strong Twist-Lock suction cup, and it offers a wide range of adjustability thanks to the use of ball and socket joints. Most important, your device is secured with spring-loaded X-design arms that fit phones ranging from 1.87 to 3.25 inches in width.
RAM offers a plethora of styles and accessories, too, making its entire line of mounts super-customizable and compatible with almost any vehicle on (or off) the road, even motorcycles.
Pros
- Silicone prongs won't damage vents
- Wireless charging works great
Cons
- For Apple MagSafe products only
The Velox was named Best MagSafe Mount in the Gear Team's test of the Best Car Phone Mounts because it's designed to work only with Apple MagSafe products. (Sorry, Android users.) It uses magnets to secure your iPhone while also providing wireless charging. We use this mount in our personal cars, and while it generally works great, we have had our phone fall off the mount once or twice. So we usually remove the case before throwing the phone up there, just to ensure a solid connection and seamless charging.
This particular model uses silicon prongs to secure the mount to your vehicle's vents; however, a dashboard and windshield suction-cup model is also available.
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Gear Team Tested
Scosche MagicMount Pro Extendo
Pros
- Highly adjustable
- Mounts to windshield or dashboard
Cons
- A stronger magnet would help
When this one was tested by our Gear Team it was named the Best Adjustable Window/Dashboard Mount, and it's easy to see why. Its arm can be extended up to 8.61 inches and can be adjusted up to 220 degrees. It can be secured to the windshield or dashboard using its StickGrip suction cup base, and your device is secured with neodymium magnets.
Gear Team Tested
Belkin Universal 6-inch Phone Mount
Gear Team Tested
Belkin Universal 6-inch Phone Mount
Pros
- Grips phone well
- Strong suction cup
Cons
- Only holds devices up to six inches
Our Gear Team testers named this mount the Best Windshield/Dashboard Mount. They found that it mounted securely using a twist-to-lock suction-cup system that is both strong and easy to use. The arms are adjustable, though they require two hands to secure your device. As a bonus, it has a built-in cable storage system for your charging wires.
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Best Value
Andobil Universal Phone Mount
Pros
- Ready to mount to multiple locations
- Works with bulky cases
Cons
- None that we could find
This unit stands out for its flexibility and affordability. It can be mounted to the windshield, dashboard, or air vents. It has an arm that extends up to 7.3 inches and a ball head that allows it to rotate 360 degrees.
Andobil also claims that the whole thing is "bumpy roads friendly," and we believe it; the arms are robust and feature rubber pads for extra grip. The carbon fiber look is also cool and will blend nicely with sporty cabins; it's available in black or silver.
Gear Team Tested
Scosche MagicGrip Double Pivot
Pros
- Auto gripping arms
- Mounts to both dashboard and windshield
Cons
- Only holds your device from the sides
The double-pivot mount earned the Best Premium mount honors in our team's test. It features a suction-cup mount that can go on either the windshield or the dashboard. Its arms will automatically grip your device and will automatically release it when you pull it away from the mount. The wireless charging pad is Qi certified and vented to help keep your device and the charger cool.
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Gear Team Tested
iOttie Auto Sense Qi Wireless Car Charger
Gear Team Tested
iOttie Auto Sense Qi Wireless Car Charger
Pros
- Fits most cupholders very well
- Built-in charging
Cons
- Cupholder phone mounts aren't always convenient—or safe to use
The Auto Sense Qi is the only cupholder mount to make our list, and it was also named the Best Cupholder Mount by our Gear Team testers. It features spacers that expand to fit securely into just about any cupholder, a Qi-certified charging pad that works for iPhones and Androids, and automatically gripping arms. A neat feature is the built-in battery, which allows it to grip and release your device for up to an hour after you shut off your vehicle.
We don't normally recommend cupholder mounts, but we love iOttie. We suggest opting for the windshield/dashboard mount or the air vent/CD slot mount versions of the AutoSense Qi.
Gear Team Tested
iOttie Easy One Touch 5
Gear Team Tested
iOttie Easy One Touch 5
Pros
- Auto gripping arms
- Strong price
Cons
- Vent grip could be better
The Easy One Touch 5 from iOttie is an affordable and simple option from a renowned brand that comes with a cool party trick: iOttie's patented Easy One Touch mechanism. This allows the arms to open and close automatically, which saves you from having to secure your phone with two hands while on the move.
Our Gear Team named it the Best Budget Vent Mount and was satisfied with its easy operation and competitive price. The testers were less satisfied with the mount's grip on the test vehicle's vents; to resolve this, opt for the dashboard and windshield or CD slot versions of the Easy One Touch 5.
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Pros
- 18-month warranty
- Very robust design
Cons
- Can only hold thinner phones
The Vicseed is meant to simply grab onto your vehicle's air vents and your phone, and hang on for dear life. It does this thanks to an overengineered vent clip that uses metal bits to ensure it won't fail. The arms are adjustable and designed to allow your phone to slip in and out through the top mount. The downside of this design is that it can't hold phones with thick, bulky cases.
FAQs
Are car phone mounts legal to use while driving?
In many places, using a car phone mount is legal as long as it does not obstruct your view and is mounted in a safe location. Many local laws prohibit mounting anything to your windshield, though, and leave the question of whether it "blocks the driver's field of vision" up to the officer. For example, in the image above, we can imagine certain law enforcement taking issue with the placement of this particular phone mount. If using a windshield mount, we recommend low, inconspicuous placement. It's essential to check your local laws and regulations when choosing the type of phone mount you want to buy.
Can I use a car phone mount with any smartphone model?
Most car phone mounts are designed to be adjustable and accommodate various phone sizes. However, it's crucial to check the mount's specifications and reviews to ensure compatibility with your specific phone model.
Can I use a car phone mount with a phone case?
Many car phone mounts are designed to accommodate phones with cases. Look for mounts with adjustable arms or specifications that indicate compatibility with phone cases. Magnetic phone mounts may not secure your device, or wirelessly charge it, through its case.
What should I do if the mount loses its suction or grip?
Clean the suction cup or adhesive surface, and ensure it is free from dust and debris. If the mount uses a gel pad, rinsing it with water can restore its adhesiveness. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for maintenance.
Do magnetic car phone mounts damage cell phones?
No. Modern chip technology is made with nonmagnetic materials, so your phone is totally safe.
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Why Trust Us ?
Road & Track and its sibling publications at Hearst Autos represent three of the most influential automotive publications in the world. We rely on decades of experience in the automotive and gear spaces to help readers make informed purchasing choices. Read more about our testing process here.
With the legacies of Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track behind us, the Hearst Autos Gear Team is more concerned with the trust our readers have in us than our bottom line. We won't tell you to buy something if we wouldn't buy it ourselves or recommend it to our friends, and we'll never claim to have used or tested something if we haven't.
We've evaluated dozens of product categories, from snow blowers to tire chains. Our picks and recommendations of products and gear are based on testing and knowledge, not hype.
Justin Helton
Assistant Commerce Editor
The Assistant Commerce Editor for Hearst Autos, Justin Helton is an enthusiast with a passion for heavily depreciated autos and a penchant for philosophical debate. As a lifelong Manhattanite, he has mastered the ins and outs of classic car ownership in one of the least car-friendly cities in the world.
