The Best Car Phone Mounts for Navigating and Convenience

Alex Baum July 1, 2022

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How to Buy a Great Car Phone Mount: A Buyer’s Guide

Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives. They allow us to communicate with others, browse social media, gain knowledge on just about any topic imaginable and get around places we aren’t familiar with. They’re an extension of ourselves in a way, and this means you can feel somewhat limited without direct access to your phone while in a car — at least, without a car phone mount. The premier phone car mounts of 2023 are designed to make using your phone very easy and convenient while in a vehicle. You can see your phone’s screen without even holding it, which can be useful when navigating roads using map apps or when calling someone while parked somewhere. No matter what reason you may have, car mounts can significantly improve your driving experience.

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What Is a Car Phone Mount?

A car phone mount is a device or fixture that you install on the dashboard or front area of your car. It holds your smartphone in place, allowing you to look at the screen of the phone without needing to hold the phone in your hand.

Are Car Phone Mounts Legal?

This question has been around ever since car phone mounts became commonplace. Can you use car phone mounts anywhere or are you limited depending on where you live? Well, it’s all up to your local laws. Some countries allow the use of phone mounts, others do at a limited capacity, and some flat-out ban phone mounts entirely. You need to research your local laws to ensure you’re able to use phone mounts safely and legally. In many jurisdictions, what makes car phone mounts illegal is the act of obstructing your windshield. Even if the phone mount is thin, small, or low-profile, if it obstructs the windshield it’s considered illegal to have installed. That’s why there are alternatives to dashboard and windshield mounts, such as the air vent mount.

Where Can Car Phone Mounts Be Installed?

Dashboard

The dashboard is one of the most common places to install a phone car mount. It doesn’t obstruct your vision as much as a windshield mount while also being more in-your-face than an air vent mount. The problem with dashboard mounts is that they can be difficult to set up since some dashboards may have a curved surface, which is less than ideal for mounts that use suction cups.

Windshield

The windshield mount is the most beneficial for easy viewing of your phone’s screen and also has the advantage of not taking up space on your dashboard. Aside from this, it’s more likely that your mount will stay in place on the windshield than on the dashboard, as some dashboards have surfaces too uneven for suction cups to work on. The only issue with windshield mounts is that they obstruct a lot of your field of view when driving, making them potentially dangerous in the long term.

Air vent

Air vents are an unlikely place to install phone mounts when you first think about it, but they don’t obstruct your windshield view, making them the safest for the road. But, this also means you’ll have to turn your head downward and to the side, if you want to glance at your phone, so they’re only really useful when checking maps and texts during traffic.

Types of Phone Mounts

Phone holders

Phone holder mounts use a series of clamps to hold the phone in place with a bit of force. These mounts are more or less universal, with maybe a few fringe cases where your phone may not fit. They’re great for general use and as gifts, though they can be difficult to work with at first since it requires you to put the phone in, clamp it in place, and then do the whole process in reverse when you want your phone removed.

Magnets

Magnets are more convenient than phone holders since instead of having to use clamps, you can just place the phone on the mount and let magnetism do the rest. Magnet mounts use metal plates that you can stick to any phone, so they’re both universal and safe. Unfortunately, this also means you have to paste a metal plate onto your phone, which may not be what you want if you’d rather keep your phone looking a certain way.

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With a sleek design and universal phone support, this car mount can serve as a great gift to yourself or others. Many car phone mounts appear bulky or cumbersome, which can ruin the look of your car’s interior if you have a mind for aesthetics. But, with the help of this car mount, you can keep your phone propped up in style. The device can hold just about any modern smartphone, so whether you own an Android or Apple device, it should fit snugly. The sleek features combined with its durable material make it our best overall choice among the products on this list.

Pros

Easy-to-use one-touch design
Works with most modern smartphones
Provides a tight and firm grip around

Cons

May not adhere well

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With the Humixx Car Phone Mount, you can use your phone hands-free while driving, regardless of what kind of phone you have. It comes with a suction cup and a vent clip, giving you various options for mounting it. Even better, it has triangle arms, which offer stability on rough roads. To top it all off, silicon pads have been affixed to both ends of the clamp arm to safeguard your smartphone further. Also, the ball joint allows for a full 360-degree rotation of the phone. This smartphone mount for cars features a novel shock-proof texture made of PU material so that you can say goodbye to the easily scratched plastic panel phone holders. Additionally, it has a robust silicone layer and a full protection design that prevents scratches on mobile phones.

Pros

Compatible with all smartphones
Features a suction cup and a vent clip
Designed to protect phone from scratches

Cons

Doesn’t have strong adhesion

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The ESR Car Phone Mount is one of our favorites due to its strong magnetic force along with the magnetic lock that will keep your phone in place during long road trips. You can mount your phone quickly using a single tap, and it is compatible with all air vent types, including circular, horizontal, vertical, and cross-hatch. Its structure locks firmly in place, and its mounting arms ensure that your phone remains stable and the screen remains steady, even on extremely bumpy roads. You can easily switch between portrait and landscape view, and customize the angle that is ideal for you when driving.

Pros

Compatible with all air vents
Easy and quick mounting
Keeps your phone stable on different terrains

Cons

Only compatible with iPhone 12 or later

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Looking for a car phone mount that’s built to last? The VANMASS Universal Car Phone Mount is made with high-quality metals and plastics to ensure that your phone stays in place, no matter how rough the journey may get. It uses a suction cup on the bottom to connect your dashboard and the mounting tray supports just about any modern smartphone, especially flagship models. You can also configure the angle at which the phone mount holds your smartphone, giving you the ideal angle to look at your phone regardless of how you’re positioned.

Pros

Made with durable materials
Power suction cup for reliable mounting
Conveniently adjustable angles

Cons

Very bulky and shiny

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One of the problems with dashboard mounts is that they severely limit your vision when driving. This can be a big issue for inexperienced drivers and it may even be flat-out illegal depending on where you live. Fortunately, there’s an alternative — air vent mounts. AINOPE’s Car Phone Mount is made to sit on most air vents and gives you a solid place to keep your phone mounted. Best of all, the mount itself is very low-profile, so it doesn’t affect your car’s ventilation by a whole lot while also giving you space to mount your phone.

Pros

Sits well in air vents
Low-profile design
Lightweight and easy to install

Cons

Doesn’t provide the most secure grip

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We’ve so far seen car phone mounts for dashboards and car phone mounts for air vents, but what about one that can do both? Introducing the VICSEED Car Phone Mount. Able to mount on dashboards, air vents, and even your windshield, this phone mount can be installed just about anywhere you’d like. The windshield option is particularly useful if your dashboard isn’t flat enough and you don’t want to place the phone by the air vent. You get everything you need to set up the mount in three different ways with one purchase, allowing you to try all three options before making your final decision.

Pros

Can be mounted in three different ways
Designed for one-handed use
Rotates 360 degrees

Cons

Not amazing in a single mounting style

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Finally, let’s take a look at something a little fancier than the other mounts we’ve reviewed thus far. Here, we have the Scosche MAGDMB MagicMount Car Mount, which uses magnets instead of a phone holder to keep your device in place. Of course, the magnets don’t magnetize to your phone directly — rather, you stick a metal plate on the back of your phone and then use that plate to magnetize your phone to the mount. This makes it very easy to place and remove your phone at a whim, though the metal plate can be a bit of an annoyance when you’re not using the mount.