Best phone car mounts and holders

Totallee are building a strong reputation for their solid phone cases, and it seems they’re equally adept at car mounts.

This is a car holder and fast wireless charger all rolled into one, supporting speeds of up to 10W. Any device capable of the Qi standard will work here. 

The holder securely attaches to your car’s air vents, and its design means the viewing angle of your device can be adjusted by 360º. 

Once you plug the cable into the back of the case, simply drop your phone onto the pad and it will automatically closed to secure it in place, starting the charging process. To release, just tap the side of the mount and it will instantly open up again.

Moshi is another brand that specializes in all sorts of mobile accessories. The SnapTo Univesal Car Mount is similar to Totallee’s, in that it combines a 10W fast wireless charger, but it uses a magnetic backplate, called the “SnapTo tab”, to keep your phone in place.

The mount comes with the SnapTo tab, though you don’t need it if you already have a SnapTo case.

What we liked about Moshi’s Universal mount is that it’s versatile. You can either use the adhesive suction cup attachment to stick it onto your dashboard or windscreen, or you can clip the mount directly onto your air vent. 

The mount also pivots 360-degrees on a metal ball, so you can rotate your phone whichever way you wish. The only issue we had was that the ball takes a bit of effort to actually rotate.

This isn’t necessarily a drawback, as you wouldn’t want the pivot to be so loose that your phone starts drooping mid-journey. The mount can support up to 1kg, after all. Just be sure to position the phone to the angle you want beforehand.

The mount is backed with Moshi’s 10-year warranty. Pick up the Moshi SnapTo Universal mount directly from Moshi for £79.95, or from Amazon where it’s cheaper (£49.95/US$49.95)

The Yosh Magnetic Car might cost less than £10/US$10, but it sure is powerful – thanks to the heavy duty neodymium magnet. This magnet has a strength rating of N50, making it one of the strongest around.

The Yosh mount works in two parts. One part is a stainless steel frame that slots into the horizontal or vertical air vent, with the circular magnet facing outwards. Keep in mind this mount does not work with circular vents.

The other is an adhesive metal plate that goes onto the back of your phone, or within your phone case. Once the plate is attached to your phone, your phone should secure onto the mount right away. The magnetic design allows easy 360- degree rotation of your phone without any structural clutter.

The only possible drawback is that the adhesive on magnet might be hard to remove from your phone afterwards. We haven’t tested this for ourselves though.

Yosh also offers a lifetime warranty.

If you just want a simple mount that works extremely well then Belkin’s Vent Mount is a great choice at a reasonable price.

Suction cup mounts allow you to place your phone almost anywhere but they can sometimes be unreliable, falling off over time. A vent mount won’t do this and we really like Belkin’s simple but effective design.

You only need to choose a vent to put it on and the mount has two sizes for the grip depending on how thick the plastic is. At the back is a clever clips so you can keep a cable handy. The vent mount also rotates so you can quickly switch between portrait and landscape depending on the app you’re using.

We’ve found the mount grips nicely and you can also use your phone with the case on. If you feel like it, the device also comes in a premium version that has leather padding (£24.99/US29.95).

If you’re using your phone for navigation the last thing you need is for the battery to run out half way around the M25. While you can plug in the phone itself to avoid this, Choetech has come up with an alternative that lets you direct power through the car mount instead. And that means less hassle when you jump out at a service station or your final destination as you scramble to disconnect wires.

Naturally the Fast Wireless Car Charger Mount will work only with phones that support the Qi wireless charging standard, but even if your phone does not support this it’s a handy gadget to leave in the car. It uses a ball joint to achieve positioning at any angle, and clips on to an air vent so there’s no need to obstruct your view of the road.

The clamp is adjustable, allowing you to cradle a phone that is between 65- and 90mm in width. Height is unrestricted. You will find a Micro-USB cable in the box, though you’ll need to supply your own car charger into which you can attach this.

The Choetech offers wireless charging up to 10W, but to achieve this the car charger will also have to support 10W. It can also output 5W or 7.5W, making it suitable for whichever smartphone you have to hand.

For a while, we wondered why car mounts didn’t offer wireless charging but that’s a thing of the past. No longer do you have to faff around with plugging (and unplugging) a cable into your phone when you get in and out of your car.

With the Pitaka MagMount Qi, you can simply get in, attach your phone to the mount via magnets and away you go – safe in the knowledge that it’s also charging.

It works best with the Pitaka MagCase (except the MagCases for S9 and S9 Plus) which you would need to buy separately. The MagCases come with a metal plate integrated into its back.

The magnet does a great job of holding onto your phone and the ball joint gives a decent amount of adjustment. You just need to plug the mount into your car’s 12v socket with it’s MicroUSB port and you can just leave it ready to go.

The MagMount is available  three styles: the suction cup, vent mount and CD slot mount. Those same styles are available  without wireless charging too (£14.29), so you can choose which one suits your car the best.

US visitors can click here to see the vent mount, suction cup and CD slot options (all US$15.99).

If you’re wary of having a magnet anywhere near your phone, you could opt for the windscreen mount from Mpow instead.

The mount locks onto your windscreen using a suction cup and features a 10-inch, flexible arm that gains additional support from a foam dashboard rest.

You can also rotate your phone 360-degrees with this mount by pressing a release button. We like that the cradle also adds additional protection for your phone, almost like a rugged case, as its made of a shock-absorbing sponge.

The Arteck Universal mount is another option that can lock onto your windscreen. Unlike Mpow’s mount, Arteck does not have the arm extension, which makes it more compact.

The only detractor is that your phone may  be slight farther away from you if you mount it on the windshield – however, the sticky 3M gel pad lets your mount the holder onto your dashboard for a closer view.

The mount allows 360-degree rotation as well and is compatible with phone screen sizes ranging from 2.3 inches to 3.5 inches.

This car phone mount combines the best of magnetic and dash mount designs in a compact and elegant design.

Like the Yosh mount, the Wuteku mount also features the strength of a neodymium magnet and a metal plate that attaches behind your phone. Instead of slotting into your car vent, howver, the Wuteku mount secures onto your dash with a heat-resistant 3M adhesive.

What’s unique about this mount is that it pivots on a stainless steel ball allowing full 720-degree rotation. The Wuteku mount can also be used on motorcycles.

Last but not least is the CD slot mount from Mpow. It may be self-explanatory, but this mount stays secure by sliding into the CD drive. This is a good option if you want to keep your air vent free and clear. Also…who really needs a CD player these days?

The mount itself is a spring-loaded padded grip that holds your phone tight in place. You can also adjust the thickness of the bit that goes into the CD drive using the three extra pads that Mpow provides. Each pad has a different thickness, so you can attach the one that works best for you.

The mount is compatible with phones and devices up to 5.5 inches in screen size and also fully rotatable.

In the US, a slightly different version is available for  US$32.99.