Hands-On Review: The Best Car Phone Mounts for All Your Devices

Car phone mounts are a duality with a singular purpose. One part mounts to the car; the other part holds the phone. Both must work together for success. We chose a baker’s dozen or so car phone holders and cradles with various mount/holder approaches to see which combination works best. We mounted all of them into our Mitsubishi Montero test vehicle, and hit the road. 

Size and weight place increasingly heavy demands on car phone holders, so we broke out the scale and weighed our operational test phone options. The Samsung Galaxy T-Mobile Vibrant was the oldest and lightest of the bunch at 115 grams. Its 2019 Samsung Galaxy Note 9 successor scaled over twice as heavy — 278 grams with a screen protector and case. Our daily-driven Google Pixel 3A XL weighed 197 grams with a factory cloth case. 

We also picked up a few dummy display versions of the near-latest flagship smartphones. These fakes were surprisingly accurate, with metal frames, glass backs, and ports and controls in the right places, just like their fully operational counterparts. The test dummies looked the part but fell short on weight. We used adhesive wheel balancing weights to hit the desired number, and even threw on a bit extra to account for cases and screen protectors. 

Considering that one or two of these small, seven-gram wheel-balancing weights is usually enough to bring an entire motorcycle wheel and tire into balance, it's easy to see how larger and heavier modern phones influence car phone mounts' form and function. Official factory weights for our dummy display phones are 177g for the iPhone XS, 198g for the Samsung Galaxy S10+, and 226g for the iPhone 11 Pro. The average weight between six cases worked out to about 140g. Add a tempered glass screen protector and you’ve got a solid pound of phone.

The iOttie Easy One Touch is hard to beat in this segment. It's built well, it's washable, and it does exactly what you need it to. However, the Andobil Easy Clamp was awarded Best Close Contender for a reason. We want your take is, though. Make sure to let us know what you think the best phone mount for cars is!

Not sure what to make of our selection? Neither were we off the hop. While they seem simple, there are a lot of factors to read into while you shop. This buying guide is here to give you some insight into our decision-making process so that you can filter through the many options in front of you!

Car phone mounts and cradles are available in a wide range of car mount and phone holder combinations, so we split each part into separate categories with different types and features.

Suction cup mounts work like an action camera or shower hook versions and are often made with an extra tacky soft gel material to help the cup adhere to irregular surfaces like textured dashboards. Suction cups are easy to reposition without damaging the mounting surface. 

Adhesive mounts use two-sided foam pads coated with 3M VHB or similar high strength glue to keep the car mount locked firmly in place. A smaller footprint means adhesives work where suction cups won’t, but the VHB adhesives can be impossible to remove without damaging surfaces. 

Vent mounts use a spring-loaded or threaded tension clamp that mounts onto the vanes. Vent mounts are easy to reposition but can be unstable since vents move by design. Blocked airflow can be a problem, and extended periods of excessive heat can damage smartphones.   

Clamp-type mounts use a clothespin-style spring tension or threaded clamp to secure the car phone mount in place without adhesives or sticky suction cups. Clamps are the easiest of all to reposition but can leave indentations on soft-touch or padded surfaces.

Clamp-style phone holders use a gear ratcheting or spring-loaded clamp that grabs hold of the phone’s edges. Some feature adjustable legs that cradle the bottom of the phone for added stability. Clamp holders are simple and effective, but the arms can block ports or controls. 

These compact phone holders use potent magnets that grab onto a steel plate adhered to the phone body or case. Mounting the steel plate closest to the magnets results in the best grip, but adhesives can be tough to remove, and the steel plates can interfere with wireless charging. 

These phone holders use the weight of the phone and hinged arms that secure the phone in place. Simply drop the phone into the holder and go. Gravity holders and cradles work best with a secure and stable car mount as bouncing upward motion loosens gravity’s grip. 

There are some winners for under $10, but don’t expect anything heavy-duty or high payload. Keep an eye on quality to avoid duds. Stepping up with a few extra bucks to the $10-$25 range means better quality and higher payloads along with a wide range of car mount and phone holder combinations. Spending more than $25 can mean super duty, professional-grade, or a status branded car phone mount with some gold-plated gem-encrusted bling. 

You've got questions. The Drive has answers. 

A: By phone make and model or measurements. Some car phone mount companies list compatible phone models, but actual measurements are a better guide. Use the factory specifications for your phone or measure diagonally from the top and bottom of your screen.

A: Sometimes. Cases add bulk and weight to the phone, so consider the phone mount type and case-friendly features. Some gravity phone holders work better without a case, and thick cases can reduce magnet holders’ effectiveness. 

A: No. The car phone holder magnets themselves do not cause damage to the phone or battery. Phones use solid-state storage and memory unaffected by magnets. Phone damage can occur when removing the powerful adhesives on the steel plate, but the magnets are safe — unless they’re too weak to hold your phone.

A: It can. If you want a magnetic phone holder and use wireless charging, be aware that the steel magnetic mounting plate can interfere with the power transfer. Mounting the steel plate to the case and removing the phone for wireless charging is an option for magnetic car phone holders. 

A: Absolutely. Especially over time, excessive heat can reduce the performance and longevity of any phone. Some phones have a built-in thermal overload shutdown feature, but that won’t help if the phone gets blasted with heat from an external source. Consider a different type of car phone mount if running the heater is a necessity.