Keep Your Car Looking Clean: Best Car Trash Cans for 2024, Tested

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In the quest for a spotless and organized ride, selecting the right car trash can is a game changer. From daily commutes to cross-country road trips, the accumulation of wrappers, receipts, and other detritus can turn your vehicle into a rolling refuse heap.

While there are a wealth of options available to choose from, we've narrowed it down to a selection of the most popular brands and styles to bring you a curated list of the best car trash cans on the market. Some are designed to integrate seamlessly with your vehicle's interior, while others focus more on the practicality of keeping your trash off the floor. Check out our top picks to ensure your car remains pristine mile after mile.

Things to Consider

You'd think picking a trash can for your car would be an easy task, right? Well, as our initial evaluations made us realize, that's not always the case. There are a handful of factors you'll want to consider before picking up a trash can. Here are a few:

Size and Capacity

Think about your vehicle's size and your typical trash volume over a week or so. A larger can might be suitable for family road trips, while a compact model is perfect for daily commutes.

Leakproof Design

Look for trash cans with a leakproof lining or hard-shell design to prevent spills and stains on your car's interior. This is especially important if you often dispose of coffee cups or food packaging where liquids might be more likely to spill out of their containers.

Ease of Cleaning

Removable liners or washable materials are a plus for easy cleaning. Some trash cans are even dishwasher safe, which adds a whole other level of convenience for when things go awry.

Mounting Options

Consider how the trash can attaches to your vehicle. Some of the options from our collection include hanging from the headrest, attaching to a door panel, or sitting on the floor secured by a floor mat. Choose a trash container that matches your car's layout and preference.

Lid or Cover

A lid helps contain odors and keeps trash out of sight. However, it should be easy to open, preferably with one hand, while driving for safety and convenience.

Material

Durability is key to keeping your trash where it's supposed to be. High-quality, sturdy materials ensure the container holds its shape and lasts for years to come.

How We Tested Car Trash Cans

Car trash cans aren't exactly rocket science. But even for a simple receptacle, you want to know it'll be able to fit where you want it to, hold what you need it to, and last for years to come. To that end, here's a summary of what we tested for each of the following trash cans.

• Build Quality

• Volume

• Ability to Retain Water

• Installation

Car Trash Bag with Lid

This Hotor Car Trash Bag is clever in its design, with a waterproof main compartment and self-sealing rubber top to ensure your trash (and many of its smells) stays inside. The unit is available in one-, two-, and three-gallon capacities (we tested the two-gallon option) and also features external webbed pockets for keeping extra bags or accessories on hand and nearby when you need them.

Unlike other trash cans, which may rely on rubber straps to keep the trash liners in place, this Hotor unit uses four magnets attached to straps inside of the collapsible frame. This makes it easy to snap a new liner in place, and in our testing, we found the magnets were more than strong enough to keep the liner in place even with a good amount of garbage inside.

This particular unit can sit directly on a seat if need be but is designed to be strapped to the front or back of the seat. The clip is strong, and the strap can hold nearly anything you toss in the bag. We can confirm the bag will keep liquids inside, even after extended periods, so even if the internal liner gets ripped or otherwise opens up, your car won't become the landing zone for those not-so-empty Red Bull cans you threw in there.

Car Trash Can with Lid

Who says good things can't come in small packages? Oudew certainly doesn't, as is evident from its compact, cupholder-friendly trash can that's cute, compact, and good enough to keep small debris out of sight.

Sometimes you only need enough space to throw away a few gum wrappers or receipts, and that's exactly what this adorable little faceted trash can is for. It holds roughly 16 ounces of fluid and has a snap-in-place lid with a spring-loaded flap for keeping your smaller trash inside the bin.

Sure, you're going to have to sacrifice a cupholder if you plan to use this on the regular, but it's a small price to pay to ensure the rest of your car stays debris-free from those empty ketchup wrappers or unwanted receipts. The best part is, this little trash can is easy to remove and clean out with a quick rinse in the sink.