7 best car phone holders for hands-free access while driving

Best: For iPhone

• Max phone width: Holds all sizes up to the iPhone 12 Pro Max 
• Mount type: Air vent
• Material: Hard Plastic
• Size: 9.67 x 6.42 x 6.85 in cm

While most magnetic car phone holders need you to attach a separate metal plate to the back of your phone, this Belkin car phone mount uses the iPhone 12’s existing MagSafe connection – a ring of magnetised metal built into the back of the phone – to securely snap your device into place without having to fiddle around with adjustable side grips.

The base of the mount clips into your car’s air vent, and can be oriented around an easily adjustable but very strong 360-degree ball joint to face in any direction in either portrait or landscape modes. Around the back of the mount there’s space to neatly wrap a power cable too, so you can avoid having unsightly wires flapping around by the gearstick. Smartly designed and with a neat aesthetic to match Apple’s, the Belkin is our pick of the best iPhone car mount.

Best: For Mous case users

• Max phone width: No maximum width, but will hold any phone or tablet in a Mous case
• Mount types available: Dashboard, windshield
• Material: Hard plastic
• Size: 8 cm x 8 cm x 8 cm

High-end accessory designer Mous produces a range of premium phone cases and stands, engineered to protect your device without compromising on aesthetics. As well as making toughened and magnetised phone cases, the company has a line of related accessories, including its own wireless charging phone mounts for driving.

The wireless charger car suction mount works exclusively with the company’s own limitless phone case, employing a series of hidden magnets to align your phone with the driving mount’s charging coil. This means the mount is not compatible with phones using other cases, but if you’re already a Mous convert and you’re willing to pay a premium for a phone mount that doesn’t look like a medieval torture device, this wireless charging pad is a smart and stylish upgrade for your dashboard.

Best: For dashboards

• Max phone width: 11.2cm
• Mount type: Windscreen
• Material: Plastic
• Size:13.5 x 9.5 x 8.8 cm

Eono is one of Amazon’s in-house brands, focusing on low-cost, no-frills consumer products. As such, the Eono car phone holder doesn’t hold too many surprises. This universal mount is compatible with phones up to 7in and can be attached to the windscreen with a suction cup. The articulated arm allows for a wide range of viewing positions.

Once everything is tightened up, the mount behaves itself. We found some wobbling on rough roads if the arm was fully extended, but if you prefer to position the phone nearer to the dashboard this isn’t a problem. The finish and materials feel cheap, but this budget car phone holder performs well where it matters.

Best: For quick release

• Max phone width: 10cm
• Mount type: Dashboard or windscreen
• Material: Plastic
• Size:13.5 x 9.5 x 8.8 cm

Designed to slide into your car’s CD slot, this holder uses a pair of silicon-padded arms to firmly cradle your phone without scratching it, and can be easily adjusted around a 360-degree ball joint to keep it pointed towards your face in either landscape or portrait orientations.

The CD attachment slides neatly into the slot without damaging anything, while the grip feature a one-button unlock to quickly retrieve your phone when you’re hopping out of the car.

Best: Magnetic phone holder

• Max phone width: No maximum width, but will hold most phones and small tablets
• Mount type: Air vent

A discreet car phone holder, the Yosh looks like a cufflink and attaches to your car’s air vents. The simple and unobtrusive design means it’s limited to vents with horizontal slats – its grippy nubbin can’t grasp on to circular vents and gets a little wobbly on vertical ones, but once snapped into place it feels rock solid. The low profile and high-end materials make the Yosh an ideal choice for drivers who don’t want to spoil the view of their dashboard or windscreen with bulkier plastic accessories.

You need to stick a small metal plate to the back of your phone for the it to work, but the mount’s quadra-nickel magnet is powerful enough to work through thin phone cases. You can use the same metal plate to easily attach a dedicated GPS device to this mount.

Best: For wireless charging

• Max phone width: 11cm
• Mount type: Dashboard or windscreen

This wireless holder uses a pair of stainless steel spring-loaded grips to gently but firmly secure your device in place. Soft elastomer padding prevents scratching, while the included adhesive pad allows you to position the mount either on your dashboard or at eye-level on the windscreen. A car vent version of Kenu’s wireless car phone holder is also available at the same price.

The Qi-compatible wireless charger keeps your phone’s juice topped up no matter how long the journey, and uses a series of vents to stop your phone overheating – a problem we found with some other wireless car chargers. We appreciate how the mount’s own charger, which plugs into the cigarette lighter, has a second USB port so your passenger can keep scrolling through Instagram while you drive.