Best Car Phone Holders, Tested

Cellphones are integral to our daily lives; we use them for work, for fun, and, of course, for communication. They've even infiltrated our vehicles, where they provide music, maps, and hands-free messaging. Since holding a phone in your hand is far too distracting when driving, when you must use yours for navigation or selecting the right music, a car phone mount is the tool you need.

Another solution is phone mirroring, and almost every new car today has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, which can broadcast information from your phone onto a screen in the car, either via a USB cable or, in some cases, wirelessly. But if your car doesn't have it, or you want to display an app that isn't part of the limited number that work with these features, a car phone mount is still a great option.

The idea of a car phone mount is simple: display necessary information while minimizing distraction. To combat the distraction factor, phone holders have been engineered to hold your phone close to your line of sight to the road. Three main types of car phone mounts have emerged: cupholder, vent, and window/dash. All perform the same basic function, but in different locations that cater to your vehicle.

In general, car phone mounts range in price from $20 to $70. The pricing seems to correlate more with the number of features than the quality of the mount. Surprisingly, one of our favorites was among the cheapest.

Cupholder Mounts

Right off the bat, cupholder mounts are practically useless unless you have raised cupholders up by your radio and HVAC controls. They're great for truckers, cargo vans, and some pickups, where they can provide a nearly ideal position for your phone—with a drawback being one less spot for that gas-station slushy.

Pros:
—great for vehicles with raised cupholders
—ideal phone positioning and adjustability

Cons:
—only usable in certain vehicles
—takes up a cupholder place

Vent Mounts

Vent mounts blend some attractive perks to create a cheap and useful place to secure your phone. They come in all kinds of variations, including magnets and clamp types, and they might include wireless charging. The line of sight is excellent, but you will lose out on some air-conditioned airflow.

Pros:
—great line of sight
—works with just about every kind of vehicle

Cons:
—clamping, which varies greatly among designs, is sometimes inadequate
—blocks airflow from the vent it's mounted to

Window/Dash Mounts

If you're looking for the best line of sight to your phone, a window/dash mount is hard to beat. In either location, you can adjust your eyes between the phone and the road in the shortest distance. This comes in handy during tricky city driving, where taking your eyes off the road can cause you to miss a turn. However, the excellent line of sight to your phone comes with diminished road visibility, and any blockage increases risk.

Pros:
—fantastic line of sight
—flexibility to mount on windshield or dashboard

Cons:
—impedes road visibility
—can leave a residue ring on windshield
—dash mounting requires a sticky mounting plate

Testing Parameters

When testing these mounts, we used five parameters: mounting strength, phone grip strength, grip adjustability, magnet strength (if applicable), and charging operation (if applicable). These parameters were tested under aggressive driving on curves and simple hand tests to simulate jarring driving.

We used the base iPhone 13 and, when testing with a case, an OtterBox Commuter. During testing of magnet strength and charging operation, we tested each applicable mount with both case-on and case-off tests and noted the results.