The Best Car Phone Holders, According to Tech Experts (2024)

When it comes to stability, this Belkin car phone holder seriously outperformed the competition. The suction cup for windshield application features a locking mechanism that allowed this phone holder to handle more force before coming off the window than any of the other suction cup mounts we tried. For states where mounting your phone on the windshield is illegal, this phone holder also comes with a base for mounting it directly to your dashboard. Although we love the stability of the base, it's bulkier design may be hard to place on cluttered or tight dashboards.

The arm rotates 360 degrees and the grip can tilt 90 degrees, allowing for easy repositioning of your phone. The pinching mechanism that holds the phone in place was also stable, passing our shake tests with both an iPhone 11 and 14.

iOttie's Easy One Touch 5 offers more functionality than some of its competitors at a slightly lower price. The phone holder can be applied to the windshield or dashboard and features a telescopic arm with a pivoting ball-and-socket joint, allowing for a wide array of customization in terms of viewing angle.

While we weren't able to test this model ourselves, we were impressed with the one-touch system that allows you to insert and remove your phone with a single hand. More than 75,000 five-star Amazon reviewers rave about this phone mount with many reviewers pointing out that the powerful suction keeps the phone holder in place even on bumpy rides. Some, however, point out that the dashboard mounting disc that comes with only works on perfectly flat surfaces, so if your dashboard has any kind of curve it's best to look elsewhere.

This model by Belkin stands out for its ability to charge your phone via Apple's MagSafe technology while it rests on the holder. The Good Housekeeping Institute's Chief Technologist Rachel Rothman tested this model in her car and said that this vent-clip holder held the phone securely in both landscape and portrait orientation. She was also impressed with its speedy charging capabilities. We also love the sleek, minimalistic design of this holder which virtually disappears when a phone is fixed to it, and the novelty and convenience of fixing the phone to it via magnetic force.

Though we appreciate the innovative nature of this phone holder, it comes at the cost of universality. It's only compatible with iPhones 12, 13, and 14, so owners of other phone makes and models will need to look elsewhere for their car charging and phone holding needs.

If aren't sure about where you'd like to mount your phone, Andobil's Car Phone Mount is your safest bet. The holder can be fixed to the windshield via a suction cup, the dashboard via the included dash mount or the vents via the included vent clip. It also has a ball and socket joint and telescopic arm, to provide the most versatile selection of viewing angles and placements.

We liked the overall compatibility of this phone holder too. It fits phones from 7.6 to 11.6 cm in width, and we found the locking mechanism was well-padded and held our test phones securely. The telescopic arm also extended further than any of the others we tested. The arm was stable when weighted and was easy to adjust for viewing. Although some reviewers on Amazon have reported difficulty with getting the suction cup to stick, it passed our tests with flying colors — just make sure to stick it to a flat surface and thoroughly clean that surface prior to application.

For those wanting a quick, fuss-free car phone holder experience that blends seamlessly with the rest of the car, the Airframe Pro offers pure simplicity. It clips directly into car vents and the clip can rotate 90 degrees so you can use your phone in both portrait and landscape mode.

We found the grip of this product kept our test phones in place even when shaken vigorously, and we liked its cross-compatibility with different phone models, accommodating screen widths of 6.8 to 10.5 cm. Although this phone holder features a ball and socket joint for angling the phone, it has limited mobility, so there may be fewer locations in your car where you can place it and still see the screen clearly.

If windshield mounting is illegal in your state and your car has limited space on the dashboard and vents, a cup holder-mounted phone holder might be the perfect solution. This one features a bendable neck so you can find your perfect viewing angle. It also features the same locking mechanism in the phone grip as the other Andobil holder in this roundup that we loved.

While we didn't test this model in the Lab, we were impressed with the design's ability to fit many different cup holders thanks to its expandable base. It also has over 4,000 five-star Amazon reviews with many attesting to this product's sturdiness in spite of its highly adjustable neck. Some noted that the neck isn't the most durable and can become loose, but some reviews pointed out that customer service was able to quickly help them fix their holders/send replacement parts quickly.