I’m always surprised when I take a ride in an Uber as a passenger and see my driver staring at his lap for directions. Come on guys, get a phone mount!
Car phone holders are a staple for drivers everywhere. Having your directions available hands-free is not only important for your safety, but safety of the people around you.
Especially if you’re a rideshare driver, passengers like to feel safe, and if they see you staring at your lap all the time, they may not give out those all-important five stars.
Best Car Phone Mounts in 2024
Below we will compare a selection of today’s best phone mounts. Before we get started, a couple quick tips:
- Take a good look at your car before buying a phone holder mount: Where do you want your phone? What types of mounts are compatible with your cabin layout?
- Do you use a case for your phone? Make sure you include it when measuring to make sure your phone will fit the mount you want.
Related article:
Non-Magnetic Car Phone Holders
1. Best-Selling Phone Mounts on Amazon
First, let’s start with the best-selling phone mounts on Amazon.
This is the #1 best-seller phone mount. This car phone holder is popular because it’s easy to install, easy to use, and high quality:
2. The Ram X-Grip
This is a pricey phone mount, but it is built to last.
Lots of metal parts and extremely solid construction quality have made these mounts very popular for motorcyclists, boaters, and others who demand a lot from their mounting hardware. For the owner of a large car with special mounting needs, these car phone holders and mounts are ideal as you can purchase additional hardware to extend the phone out to wherever you need it. For the casual driver, they may not be worth the cost.
Included with this best phone mount, you’ll find adhesive for securing the rubber tips to the X-grip arms, as well as a tether for making sure your phone won’t fly away in the event of high winds or other extreme-use scenarios.
Installation is as easy as screwing the two halves together and twisting the suction cup lock into place. Once installed, you’ll likely need both hands to insert your device. It offers plenty of room for aux cables and charging cables. A single X-grip holder can even be moved to additional mounts for boats, motorcycles, and more.
RAM’s numerous hardware and customization options are unmatched and the durability of this mount means it will stand up to years of daily use. For some drivers, though, its high price tag may outweigh those benefits.
3. The Kenu Airframe+
The Airframe mounts to your car’s vents, making it super light and easy to install. Soft rubber around the mount’s interior offers a firm grip and helps absorb shocks. Taking your phone out one-handed will be a challenge, as this mount does get a pretty good hold on your device, so you won’t be tempted to text and drive!
This best phone mount is super simple, making it the most user-friendly mount we tested. Its compact size and lightweight design also make it easy to move to different vehicles, and it can be used with a wide variety of devices.
When considering a vent mount, be sure to take a look at how your car’s vents are placed. In this car, mine are kind of angled, so the mount ends up being a little angled, also. Vent mounts may not be ideal if your vents are recessed too far back in the dash.
Here in the south (I’m in Atlanta!), having a vent-mounted device in the summer months is great, as the concentrated AC will keep your phone from overheating. I haven’t noticed problems with heat during the winter, or with the phone blocking airflow, as it doesn’t block my whole vent – but your mileage may vary.
Airframe car phone holders have plenty of room for cables and so forth. You’ll still have to be careful of those side buttons, but nonetheless, this mount is simple, secure, and foolproof – a great option for those looking for a compact and easy-to-use mounting solution.
There’s also a Kenu Car Kit Deluxe
4. The Cup Holder Phone Mount
This phone mount should be closer to #1. This car phone holder style is up and coming and recommended by a lot of drivers including myself. It’s just so easy to access the phone when it’s right next to you. Assuming you have a cup holder in the middle console next to you, this is one of the best phone mounts to try.
5. The CD-Slot Phone Mount
This is another new car phone holder style that’s getting more popular as we switch from using CDs to Bluetooth. Instead of wasting the CD slot space, why not use it? This handy phone mount plugs right in and boom, it’s ready to go!
Click Here To Shop All Non-Magnetic Phone Holders
Magnetic Car Phone Holders
Two considerations before we go into the best magnetic phone mounts. First, note that the vast majority of phones will NOT be damaged by magnets. I’ve heard some concerns that a car phone holder magnet can damage a phone.
Most phones today use what’s known as flash memory, which (unlike the hard drives in computers) won’t be erased or corrupted by a magnetic force.
Second, magnetic mounts all require adhering a metal plate to your phone to make it stick to the mount. These plates come with adhesive on the back, and will stick to a variety of phone surfaces.
You can also stick them to your phone’s case, rather than your actual phone. They’re thin enough that they will also fit under the case, but they may not hold through thick cases.
1. Scosche Suction Magnetic Mount
This is one of the best phone mounts I’ve used as a car phone holder. It’s designed to mount on your windshield, but I have it stuck “upside-down” on my dashboard.
I really love these magnetic mounts, since they make detaching and reattaching my phone absolutely painless. The suction cup is pretty reliable, and the adhesive backing plate has held on for many months now with no sign of quitting.
2. Scosche Window MagicMOUNT
This version doesn’t have an arm like the other one above, which gives you a lot less flexibility in terms of phone positioning. You can, however, get fine-tuned control over the angle of the magnet plate via a knob/tightening ring in the back.
An improvement in these models is that they feature a clip on the back, sized perfectly for holding your phone’s charging cable when it’s not plugged in. This is a great feature and one that I wish every best phone mount had.
It’s one of those things that you never realize you needed until you have it. Of course, you could just drape the cord around the back of the mount – but the clip gives it stability even if it gets jostled by you or a passenger.
In our car phone holder video review (near the bottom of this page), we actually featured the Scosche Window MagicMOUNT Pro instead. The Pro version includes an extra piece of plastic trim, and Scosche claims that the magnets inside are 30% stronger – although I couldn’t tell the difference.
3. Scosche Dashboard MagicMOUNT
The dashboard mount is very similar to the one above, but this one uses adhesive to stick to your car instead of suction.
Because the magnetic plate is so close to the adhesion point on this mount, you’ll have to take a close look at your dashboard to make sure this best phone mount can put your phone where you need it.
The plastic base of this car phone holder feels a little flimsy, but that is by design – the plastic on the base is a tad flexible to allow it to conform to any curves you might have in your dashboard.
4. WizGear Magnetic Vent Mount
This is one of the best-selling magnetic phone mounts on Amazon and it comes at a great price.
This phone mount clips to your air vents and it’s magnetic, making it the most compact of all the mounts we looked at. The magnets inside are just as strong as its brand-name competitors.
Like the Scosche car phone holder mounts, each WizGear mount includes two sizes of the backing plate. You won’t get a cable clip on this one, but it will keep your phone cool in the summer just like the Kenu.
Overall, this is a very functional best phone mount at a great price, making it an ideal option if you’re on a tight budget.
There’s also a two-pack available:
![Magnetic Phone Car Mount, WizGear [2 PACK] Universal Air Vent Magnetic Phone Car Mount Phone Holder, for Cell Phones and Mini Tablets with Fast Swift-Snap Technology, With 4 Metal Plates](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41KpVUxylVL._SL160_.jpg)
5. Bestrix Magnetic Dashboard Cell Phone Car Mount Holder
This is a new style that works very well too! And it’s very stylish, perfect for those who want that certain elegant look.
Click Here To Shop All Magnetic Phone Mounts
Phone Mounts Can Be Tax-Deductible
If you’re self-employed and use your phone and phone mount for business purposes then guess what, they qualify as a business expense and you can deduct it on your tax return! This is in addition to all of your other expenses like mileage, car washes, and even some meals.
But you need to keep track of everything including your receipts. So when you buy your car phone holder, store the receipt somewhere safe!
One of the best ways to track your expenses is with Quickbooks Self-Employed. This handy web-connected app syncs with your bank account, and even allows you to create rules that automatically categorize your transactions.
Click here to find out more about rideshare taxes!
What car phone holders and phone mounts have you tried? What are their pros and cons? Share your knowledge in the comments!
