Why you should put your faith in us

Thom Dunn wrote the most recent version. Thom joined Wirecutter in 2017 and has been working on many guides, including Bluetooth kits for car stereos, intelligent speakers and hose-end sprinklers. He spent over 20 hours driving Lyft, testing phone mounts, picking up passengers, and navigating unfamiliar roads. His writings have appeared in Upworthy and Motherboard/Vice.

Nick Guy is an ex-Wirecutter staffer and has tested hundreds of car mounts. He has also written guides on desktop Qi chargers, multiport USB wall charging car chargers, and multiport USB wall charges. Nick was the accessories editor for iLounge for three years before joining Wirecutter. He reviewed over 1,000 products and included early wireless-charging devices.

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While driving while using a phone is a distraction, it’s still possible to use your phone. However, the amount can make inevitable phone use safer.

A safe place to store a smartphone in a car is essential. Some advocates, such as the National Transportation Safety Board or Governors Highway Safety Association, say you shouldn’t use your phone while driving. It is, however, the primary source of navigation, information, music, and phone calls for many drivers. It can be distracting and dangerous if the phone is in your hands while driving or in a cup holder. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, multiple studies have shown that texting or manipulating a smartphone increases crash risk.

Mounts are a great way to reduce the risk of accidents. They hold your smartphone steady so you can see the screen clearly and access the buttons. A good smartphone mount can make it easier to use your phone while driving. It will hold your phone steady, so you can see the screen and access the buttons without distraction.

How did we pick?

A good car phone mount must do several things well.

• Attach your car securely, so it doesn’t slip, even on rough roads
• This lets you easily position your phone to be seen clearly without blocking your view of traffic.
• You can hold the phone securely, but you can still adjust the positioning of the handset.
• It allows you to attach and take out your phone easily, which is ideal for those with only one hand
• Supporting and fitting any size phone, even in a bag

We researched the specifications and features of over 100 models. We also searched Amazon for top-selling models and talked to former drivers who used Lyft and other services. A 2017 survey of over 1,000 Wirecutter readers was also reviewed, giving us insights into their use of the car’s phones.

It would be best to decide where and how to attach your phone to the mount before buying it. There are many types of reinforcements. The one that works best for you will depend on your car’s dash design and personal preferences. We have broken down each class in the following gallery to make it easier for you to choose.

The dash/windshield mounting keeps your phone within your normal line of sight and uses a suction cup or adhesive to attach to the windshield. There are laws in some states that limit where devices can be placed on windshields. Photo by Rik Paul

What we tested

We tested the mounts with a 4in iPhone SE (about four ounces), a 4.7in iPhone 7 (about 4.9 ounces), and a 6.5in iPhone XS Max (7.3 ounces). This was to see how they work with different size phones. Thom Dunn drove his 2006 Volkswagen Jetta for about 20 hours in five days. He used paved, suburban, and unpaved roads to test each mount. Each phone was then rotated through the mountains, and observed how it worked. Our finalists have also tested in a 2006 Honda Civic and a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck. We then put our picks through the paces with a 6-inch Pixel 2 XL Android smartphone in a Google case.

The mount was easy to mount on the windshield or dash, attach or remove a smartphone, and then adjust it to position the screen in the best possible place. We evaluated how stable the phone was while driving, whether the magnet attachment or tension arms held it steady over uneven terrain, and how well it held onto the car under different driving conditions and phones. We also tested windshield and dash mounts on two different textured vinyl dashboards and on the smooth surface of a Marshall guitar amplifier.