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To find the best car phone mount, we selected 10 popular options for rigorous side-by-side testing. Our experts then evaluated each mount for stability, ease of use, installation, and security. We compared several styles and used each product in various vehicles with several different phone sizes to help you find the best option for your daily drive.
One of our personal favorites is the Anker 613 MagGo. It is a magnetized mount that offers wireless charging and a secure hold. The Scosche MagicMount Pro Universal is another reliable magnetized mount. It does not offer as many features, but you may prefer this model if you are on a tight budget.
We've tested a variety of electronics and accessories. If you end up going with a mount that doesn't include a charger, you'll probably want a car charger to keep your phone juiced up while you're on the road. In the interest of longevity, a protective iPhone case for your smartphone is a must, whether at home, in the car, or on the street.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on November 24, 2024, to confirm our award choices and add more information on our favorite models.
Uses one of the cars cupholders, big and long mount neck
Limited phone angle options
Does not feel secure in air vent
Can sag down
Incompatible with all air vents, limited viewing angles
Bulky, adhesive does not work well
Bottom Line
A strong magnetic wireless charging mount that adheres to your dash
Our favorite semi-permanent phone mount also has one of the strongest magnetic attachments
A great dash adhesive mount that automatically grips onto your phone and releases with one push of a button and provides wireless charging
The iOttie Easy One Touch 6 has the option to be a dash mount or a suction windshield mount and offers a straight forward, strong gripping car phone mount option for a good price
The ESR Qi2 is a good charging, magnetic, air vent option option for a cheaper price point
The TOPGO Cup Holder Mount gets placed in one of your cars cup holders and provides easy access to your phone
A magnetic vent mount that is compact in size and easy to install
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro offers a quick magnetic charging option, but we found the placement of the phone is not great and the grip of the mounts hold was not strong in the air vent
The Lisen Phone Holder is a compact, magnet phone holder that attaches to your cars air vent, its small size and ease of use make it a good pick
The Andobil phone mount is a decent dash option but be weary of the adhesive, as it did not work well in our testing
Attachment type: Dash Adhesive | Phone mount type: Magnetic
REASONS TO BUY
Strong magnet
Quick charging
Well constructed
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
May sit far away from driver on certain dashes
The Anker 613 MagGo is a magnetic mount that adheres to your dash and is a perfect choice for those who want to be able to charge their phone on the go and have easy access to their device. It works with the magnets in your phone to create a stronghold that keeps your device securely in place, even while traversing rough road conditions. The mount's magnet is very strong, pulling your phone into place upon bringing your device close to the mount. The wireless charging feature is utilized by plugging the mount into a USC cord that connects to your car's power, and all parts are included in the car mounts package. Anker is a well-known company praised for its charging accessories, and the charging feature on this device is impressive. It is constructed out of strong materials and does not feel cheap or tacky. An additional feature that makes it unique is a light-up face plate, which provides easy location in the dark if you are driving at night.
A factor to consider when deciding if this product is right for you is the price point, as it retails for substantially more than many options, making it one of the more expensive car phone mounts on the market. Additionally, the mount needs a flat surface to sit on, so this mount may sit further away from you on your dash in order to be in the proper spot. If the price point feels daunting, another dash mount option that does not have wireless charging but offers a more affordable price point is the iOttie Easy One Touch 6.
Attachment type: Adhesive | Phone mount type: Magnetic
REASONS TO BUY
Small & sleek profile
Magnetic
Affordable
REASONS TO AVOID
Small surface area may be challenging for larger phones
Semi-permanent placement
The Scosche MagicMount Pro Universal is an adhesive mount that sticks to your dash. It requires a magnetic plate to be placed on your phone or case. This is a factor to consider with this product if you swap cases often or prefer not to have a magnet on the back of your phone, which can interfere with wireless MagSafe charging. This mount is simple to use and has a minimal footprint, at just 2.1 inches long and 1.2 inches wide, which allows you to place this mount just about anywhere on your dash or in nooks and crannies near your control center. This is the least bulky car phone mount we tested, and those who prefer something sleek and unassuming will love this option. Not to mention, it has an attractive price point.
As with any semi-permanent mount, moving the placement or swapping it between cars is not easy and may require applying new adhesive to the base if you decide to relocate this mount. Additionally, it will most likely leave a sticky residue that you would need to remove with some cleaning solution. Another factor to consider with this mount is the small surface area, which has the potential to be a challenge to adjust angles with a larger phone, as the phone's weight may result in the phone sagging down into a set place. Overall, though, the Scosche MagicMount Pro Universal is a great semi-permanent mount and provides a user-friendly and simple mount. If you enjoy the magnetic feature but would prefer the placement to be in an air vent, the LISEN Phone Holder is another option to consider for your preferences.
Attachment type: Adhesive | Phone mount type: Auto-Releasing Clip
REASONS TO BUY
Auto-releasing clip
Wireless charging
REASONS TO AVOID
Bulky
Pricy
We would like to give a special mention to the iOttie Auto Sense 2 as a notable choice for wireless charging. This mount has an auto-clamping feature that grips onto your phone when placed in the mount and releases with the simple press of a discrete button. The clamp adjusts automatically to the size of your phone and has capabilities for all phones and sizes.
A downside to this mount is that it is fairly bulky. It sits in the middle of your dash, and once you add a big phone to the mix, it can be rather obtrusive to your driving view. If you are shopping on a budget, the cost of this model can also feel like a daunting investment, so if you are looking for a more affordable charging option, we recommend the ESR for Qi2.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
Compare Products
Vent mount options typically keep the phone conveniently close to the driver, but can potentially block airflow.
Credit: Jason Peters
How We Test Car Phone Mounts
Our testing is rigorous, comparative, and objective. We conducted thorough research into the car phone mount market and distilled it down to the best mounts before purchasing the ones seen in this review. We installed each car mount into our vehicle and put it to the ultimate test. We considered the packaging the mount came in, how easy it was to install on our vehicles, how it held up on varying road conditions, and what sort of features it brought to the table.
Our car phone mounts testing is divided across four different metrics:
Stability (25% of overall score weighting)
Ease of Installation (25% weighting)
Ease of Use (25% weighting)
Features (25% weighting)
Credit: Rachel Lightner
Why Trust GearLab
Lead tester Rachel Lightner is a road trip warrior who currently lives out of her Toyota Tacoma, so having a reliable car phone mount is essential for long road trips. She has clocked endless hours on the road, putting our mounts to the test on variable road conditions, weather climates, and differing vehicles to ensure you are being presented the most concise, methodical, and true assessment of our car phone mounts. Each of the models in this test was used side-by-side with its competitors and evaluated across four different performance tests. We then used each model independently on long drives and road trips to assess durability and identify any quirks that could only be revealed through extended use.
The Kenu Airframe Pro keeps a fairly low profile while mounting in a vent.
The Penom is a solid choice for an air vent mount.
The iOtie Easy One Touch 4 Dash & Windshield Mount is our favorite suction cup mount.
Analysis and Test Results
We performed four performance tests and evaluated each phone across four different metrics, including stability, ease of installation, ease of use, and features.
What's the Best Value?
With a product that can range from costing a few dollars at your local convenience store to upwards of one hundred dollars, the amount you spend on a car phone mount can make a big difference in features, functionality, and overall user experience. High-dollar models such as the Anker 613 MagGo tend to perform the best, with relatively affordable models like the Scosche MagicMount Pro still offering cool features like a magnetic attachment surface for a fraction of the cost. If you're shopping on a shoestring budget, the Wixgear still gets the job done.
Stability
In this metric, we tested how secure and stable the mount feels in regards to its strength of hold on the phone and its attachment to the vehicle itself. We test for stability to ensure that the phone mount you are purchasing keeps your device in place without the worry of it falling out of the mount, which can be a danger during driving. We test for stability by driving on varying road conditions, observing how the mount attaches to the vehicle and how strong the hold feels, and testing the mechanism that holds onto the phone itself.
The iOttie Autosense 2 was one of our top scorers in this metric. This mount has an auto sensing clamp that tightens down on your phone when you set your device into the mechanism. The mount grips to the tightest setting for your specific phone, providing a secure grip on your device that feels extremely stable while driving, even in variable conditions. A mount that scored decent for its stability was the ESR iQ2. This mount features a two part clamp that secures itself to the top and bottom of your car's air vent. The only issue here is that it limits the movement and angles the user can perform with the mount, but it does feel stable in place.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
A lower scoring mount in the metric of stability was the Andobil. The reason this mount scored low is our tester ran into an issue with the adhesive that sticks to your vehicle from the bottom of the mount. Although the tester followed the directions to ensure the vehicle surface was clean and let the mount set for 24 hours before placing a phone in the mount, the mount immediately fell off the dash, and the adhesive was dry to the touch. This may have just been a faulty mount, but it led us to score this product low in case other buyers ran into the same issue.
Ease of Installation
This metric tests how long it took to unpackage the mount and install it onto the vehicle.
Across the board, the magnetic mounts took the longest to install the first time. For some of the magnet models, you have to put a magnet on your phone or phone case. It took an average of two minutes to clean the phone for a reliable connection, line up the placement just right, and then finally stick it on. Consequently, reinstalling mounts that employ magnets is much faster than installing them the first time. All the magnetic mounts were fast to install if you exclude the magnetic back's initial installation — none taking more than a minute.
The Wix Gear Universal was the top scorer when it comes to ease of installation. It came in a very small box and simply required placing a magnet on your phone, sticking the mount in your car vent, and placing your phone on the mount.
The TOPGO Cup Holder Phone Mount scored well for its ease of installation. This mount requires you to place the base of the mount in your cup holder and twist it to tighten it to your specific cup holder size. You then attach a threaded screw from the neck of the mount to the phone holder; then, you are all set to place your phone in the mount.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro scored decent in ease of installation, as it was straightforward with its air vent mount system. Similar to the WixGear Universal, this mount has a pronged back that slides into your air vent. An issue our tester ran into and also saw as a common complaint in reviews is this mount is not compatible with vertical or larger slotted air vents. It did work great on a Subaru with thinner, horizontal vents, so take a look at what you're working with before choosing this mount option.
Ease of Use
This metric assesses the day-to-day operation of each mount, the ease of putting on and taking off your phone, and how the phone moves if you tap or swipe it while it's mounted. It also took into consideration where the mount placement is and how accessible it is to the driver.
The Anker 613 MagGo was our easy top pick for ease of use. The placement of this mount on the dash was really accessible, and the light-up face plate and strong magnetic hold make taking your phone on and off the mount a breeze. The Scosche MagicMount Pro has a really great placement on the dash with its small footprint, making its placement one of the best in our opinion, and provides easy access while
Credit: Rachel Lightner
The iOttie Easy One Touch 6 provides users with two different mounting options, a suction cup that goes on your windshield or an adhesive dash mount. Both options provide easy access to your phone. The system to take your phone is simple, you place your phone in the holder and it snaps tight into place and to release, you push in two clamps. We will note it can be tricky to do with one hand if you are a smaller handed human.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
The Lisen Phone Holder is a fairly easy car mount to use, as you place a magnet on the back of your phone, place the mount in your air vent, and you're good to go.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
Features
Our features metric takes a look at any special features the car phone mount might offer, including magnetic holds, wireless charging, adjustable angles, or friendly and simple use.
The ESR for Qi2 scored the highest in this metric, rightfully so. This car phone mount offers wireless charging, magnet connection to your phone's magnet, and a well placed air vent clamp.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
The Anker 613 MagGo has quite a few features that we enjoyed, similar to the ESR. The Anker mount has a wireless charging feature, a light up face plate to easily find it in the dark, and a magnetic holder.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
Another well scoring car phone mount in the metric of features was the Belkin BoostCharge Pro. This mount has a super quick charging feature, magnetic to your phones built in magnets, and installs into the air vents.
Credit: Rachel Lightner
Conclusion
Shopping for a car phone mount can feel overwhelming and nuanced when you get lost in the endless options and features. Once you decide whether you want a vent, dash, or windshield mount, it's then primarily a question of how easy you want it to be to install and remove the mount and how securely you want it to hold your phone. We hope this review helped you narrow it down to the best model for your needs.
