The 6 Best Car Phone Mounts of 2024

The Scosche MagicMount Pro Universal is an adhesive mount that sticks to your dash. It requires a magnetic plate on your phone or case, which we know will deter some folks, but this was our top choice for a car phone mount. It's simple to use and the most secure of the magnetic mounts we tested. The integrated cable management is straightforward and a nice feature if you want it. If you don't, it can disappear. You have some flexibility in deciding where to mount this model. The adhesive section's footprint is fairly small, at just 2.1 inches long and 1.2 inches wide, and provides many mounting options. This is the least bulky car phone mount we tested, and those who prefer something sleek and unassuming (and don't mind a semi-permanent mount) will love this option.

As with any semi-permanent mount, moving or swapping it between cars is not easy. And, when you want to remove it, you will need to track down some new adhesive. Overall, though, the Scosche MagicMount is a great semi-permanent mount. For those who need a mount with the ability to swap cars easily, the WixGear Car Mount is a great value mount that is simple and quick to move.

Installation type: Vent | Phone mount type: Magnetic

The WixGear Car Mount gives you two vent mounts at an incredible price. It held its own in all metrics among the products we tested with similar designs. Setup is quick and straightforward — just slip the mount onto the vent, and you're good to go. The beautiful part of having multiple mounts included is that it's easy to transition from car to car if you are part of a multi-car family. If you're not, you can slip the other mount into your carry-on and be ready when you get to a rental car.

The primary drawback with this mount (and all mounts of similar design) is that phones can spin upside down on the magnet or even fall off. This is largely dependent on how big your phone is and where you place the magnet. The phone may spin on bumpy terrain if the magnet isn't centered on the case. The mount also tends to slide out from the vent when removing the phone. However, you can mitigate this issue by sliding the phone off the mount rather than pulling it straight out. We should note that we encountered both of these issues with every vent car phone mount with a similar design. Overall, the WixGear is a good option given the price.

Attachment type: Vent | Phone mount type: Pinch
Although the setup is more complicated than other vent mount options, the threaded pinch mechanism of the iOttie Easy One Touch Air Vent Mount offers the most secure interface. That threaded pinch mechanism is also employed to lock in the swivel mount. Although this makes it much harder to adjust, once you find a viewing angle you like, it is much more secure and stable to touch. Putting the phone in may also be a little more complicated than with other mounts, but it becomes second nature with time. The wings stay open when it's not in use, then release to pinch the phone into place when you push the phone against the mount.

This mount's bulk makes it an eyesore when the phone is not mounted. But the same bulk protects your phone from overheating on those cold days when the heater is blasting. If bulkiness is a deal breaker for you, the Scosche MagicMount Pro VNT is a great alternative as a compact, small-form car mount.

Attachment type: Suction | Phone mount type: Pinch

The iOttie Auto Sense is our favorite wireless charger from our best car charger review. It has an auto-locking feature that securely locks in small, medium, and large-sized phones. The attachment securely attached to your car and withstood our bumpy road test.

The main downside is how bulky this device is when used and when no phone is attached. It adds a lot of black plastic to both your sightlines and to your ability to easily reach for some of your car's controls, depending on where you position the phone. It is also expensive. If you want to save money, and are willing to give up some performance, check out the CHGeek Wireless, which is about half the cost.

Installation type: Suction cup | Phone mount type: Pinch

More than any other mount, the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Dash & Windshield Mount allows you to put the phone exactly where you like it. The suction cup provides a lot of versatility for mounting positions on your windshield or dashboard. However, be aware that suction cup mounts on your windshield are illegal in some states. This mount is one of the most stable models that we tested, keeping your phone steady throughout your drive.

Due to its adjustable nature, setup is a little more involved. The pinching mechanism on both iOttie models is complex. They operate with a button on the inside of the mount — when the phone is pushed into the mount, that button is depressed, and the wings pinch the phone. At first, removing the phone feels a little insecure, but it becomes second nature with continued use. We couldn't get the suction mount to stick to some dashboards, especially cars with pebbled or sloped surfaces. This mount also has many moving parts and feels to be made of cheap plastic material. Our reviewers did not love all the excess screws and hinges and buttons and clamps of this mount, but once it is set up and out of the way, feels more manageable to deal with.

Installation type: Removable Adhesive | Phone mount type: Cradle

Our reviewers loved the Loncaster Car Phone Holder for its simplicity. With no moving parts, no messing with adjustments, and hoping your phone will stay in place, this phone holder will make you breathe easy. With a sticky adhesive bottom, this silicone cradle mounts easily on your dashboard, is unobtrusive, and keeps your phone at a perfect viewing angle with its charging port accessible. Since it doesn't rely on a cradle suspended by a small vent or dash attachment, this car phone mount can easily accommodate bigger and heavier phones without having to worry it will fall over. Because there are no moving parts, it's incredibly easy to use with one hand — simply place or remove your phone from its secure rubber groove.

The only drawback we found is that this model can only accommodate phones in a horizontal orientation, and there is no way to adjust the viewing angle, although the slightly tilted angle of the cradle is more than adequate for daily use. The manufacturer states that the sticky rubber bottom can be cleaned and reused, but we are skeptical of how long the adhesive will truly last. But so far, it has managed to survive hot days sitting in the sun without losing its adhesion, and overall we are quite pleased by the simplicity and performance of this product. If an adhesive mount with more versatile adjustments is a high priority, take a look at the Scosche MagicMount Pro Universal as another viable option.

Attachment type: Vent | Phone mount type: Pinch

The Beam Electronics Universal Smartphone Car Air Vent Mount mount setup is fairly easy. The mount offers two different locking positions for different thicknesses. It is very stable to the touch, and we didn't observe it slipping off the vent during use. The cradle pinch design makes it easy to mount the phone with one hand. Taking the phone out can be a bit slow compared to some of the other offerings, but it feels more secure and less likely to drop the phone. The cradle design also reduces the likelihood of your phone overheating if the heater is on.

The bottom supports to the cradle are not adjustable, which can be an issue for phones with headphone jacks or off-center charging ports. While it can tighten onto a vent, one small gripe we had during installation is that the adjustments are on either side of the center. This means that if you flip the switch in the wrong direction, you have to go all the way back across to achieve the desired tightness. If you're looking for a stable phone mount without the bulky size, the Kenu Airframe Pro is another great option that offers comparable stability in a simple package.

Installation type: Vent | Phone mount type: Pinch

The Kenu Airframe Pro uses a spring-loaded clamp to attach to a car vent. This enhances its stability and makes it harder to accidentally remove. At the same time, it remains quick and easy to put on the vent. Once installed, the spring-loaded phone interface is easy to operate with one hand and offers the ability to adjust the viewing angle with a swivel. In touch stability, it placed in the middle of the pack.

The simple design does have some weaknesses. The biggest one we found is that on rougher roads, the clamp tends to lose its grip on the phone — and suddenly, you're in a potentially dangerous situation. If you find yourself traveling on bumpy roads and need that extra stability, the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Dash & Windshield Mount is one of the most secure mounts on the market thanks to its thread pinch mechanism design.

Installation type: Vent | Phone mount type: Magnet

With its small size, the Scosche MagicMount Pro VNT is easy to install. It's ideal for slipping into a pocket of your carry-on, then putting it on the vent of your rental car. It has a removable facade that you can change between black and silver to better match your car's interior.

Removing the phone with a twisting motion made for a clean release 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time, the mount slipped out of the vent. Results will vary depending on your vent's thickness, which is similar to the situation with all other non-clamping vent mounted phone holders we tested.

Installation type: Cup holder | Phone mount type: Pinch

The TOPGO Cup Holder Phone Mount is cleverly designed as it will fit right into your vehicle's cupholder instead of mounting to a vent or dashboard. This is a great option for those with smaller cars and dash space or those who don't like their vents to be blocked by a phone holder. Its base comes with attachments to help the phone mount fit snugly into different sized cup holders, and its gooseneck allows for endless viewing angles and adjustability.

However, this phone mount is large and bulky, taking up not only valuable cup holder space but also being a bit cumbersome with its long gooseneck, which comes very close to our gear shifter in our Toyota Tacoma. While other car phone mounts are meant to be placed at head height, making it easy and safe to take a quick glance at your phone for directions or to change a song, you must take your eyes off the road and look down to see your phone screen with this phone holder. Our last gripe is that the cradle does not attach securely to the gooseneck, making it easy to come unattached while trying to adjust the viewing angle — a definite downside. If cup holder space and phone placement are a concern, a secure and simple mount such as the Loncaster Car Phone Holder may be better suited for those who want to keep their vents clear while providing better visual placement.

Why You Should Trust Us

Lead tester Chris McNamara has tested over 1,000 consumer products in the last decade from bike phone mounts to the best snow shovels. In a big year, Chris also drives over 40,000 miles. Chris, along with Jason Peters and Miya Tsudome, have been using car phone mounts for over a decade and have tested more than 30 different models throughout the years. Each of the 11 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.

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 security.

Stability

In this metric, we rate how well each product stays connected to your vehicle. The most stable mount in our test was the Scosche MagicMount Pro Dash. Its adhesive back held fast to whatever we stuck it to, and it included the side benefit of being very versatile in its placement location.

Just behind the Scosche was the iOttie Easy One Touch Vent Mount, the most stable of the vent mounts. The iOttie attaches to the vent, then clamps down with a threaded tightening mechanism. That threaded tightening mechanism is also employed to lock the swivel mount. Making on-the-fly adjustments is very difficult, but once you find the angle you like and lock it down, it's not going anywhere.

The TOPGO Cup Holder Phone Mount also scores high in the stability category, as it sits in your vehicle's cup holder and is adjustable in size for an assured snug fit.

On smooth roads, the Scosche MagicMount Pro VNT and WixGear were stable enough, but when the terrain got rough, they seemed to be the first to fall off. That's because they slip into the vent without any supplemental clamping mechanism. Because vent attachment models are secured to only a thin sheet of plastic, they are more prone to being impacted by a vehicle's vibration. They may not be the best choice if you are often traveling over bumpy terrain.

Ease of Installation

Across the board, the magnetic mounts took the longest to install the first time. First, you have to put the magnetic back 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 quickest mount to install initially was the Loncaster Car Phone Holder. All you have to do is take the plastic off the bottom of the silicone pad and stick it on to your dashboard, which takes no more than 10 seconds. At 20 seconds was the BEAM Car vent phone holder, which uses a very similar design to clamp the mount to the vent. Among the designs that employ magnetic plates, the WixGear and the Scosche MagicMount Pro VNT were the quickest at 2 minutes 7 seconds and 2 minutes 9 seconds, respectively. But once that magnetic backing is attached to your phone, it's under 10 seconds to install them both.

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. Here, the Scosche MagicMount Pro Dash B once again claimed the top spot. The adhesive is strong enough that you don't have to fuss with your tactics when taking the phone off — just pull it off in any direction. With the other magnetic mounts, you must use a twist and pull motion to ensure the mount stays attached to the vent. With the Scosche, the phone is also stable to the touch.

The Loncaster also comes in at a close second for ease of use. Installing your phone is as simple as placing it in the silicone cradle, with no moving parts to adjust to put it in or take it out.

We found the Kenu Airframe Pro intuitive to use with one hand. You push your phone against the spring-loaded side of the clamp to open it and slip your phone in for a good fit. The vent-pinching mechanism also adds security to the mount, making it easy to install and uninstall your phone.

Security

Here, we look at how likely your phone will fall off during operation and how likely you are to drop your phone accidentally while putting it on or taking it off the mount. All the cradle-style mounts like the BEAM Car Vent Phone Holder and the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Air Vent Mount were the most secure.

The Loncaster holds a phone with a case on nice and snugly, but since there is no adjustability option is not the most stable for a thin phone without a case. But because of its simple cradle design, it can easily accommodate larger phones that may struggle to stay upright on other models.

Conclusion

It might seem overwhelming with over a thousand car phone mounts on the market. Hopefully, we helped you narrow it down to the best model for your needs. 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.