It’s pretty much illegal anywhere you go to hold onto your phone while you drive, so not only is a car mount a handy investment, it’s the law! Plain old cradle-and-clamp car mounts can be a big, fat pain, whereas a great magnetic mount makes life so much easier when you’re getting in and out of the car, as you can quite literally grab and go. These are the best magnetic car mounts for your phone!
Best for rental cars
Trianium Magnetic Air Vent Car Phone Mount
Staff Pick
These have six magnets inside this mount instead of the usual four, beautiful aluminum accents, and its refined look is perfect for business travelers on a budget.
$8 at Amazon
Get a good grip
WizGear Universal Twist-Lock Air Vent Magnetic Car Mount
These mounts are popular for good reason. You get rock-bottom prices on low-profile mounts and the ability to adjust the angle of your phone.
$12 at Amazon
Go the disc-tance
Koomus Pro CD-M Magnetic Mount
This compact mount fits into the CD disc slot on older model vehicles, allowing you to turn an obsolete feature into an ideal mounting location.
$20 at Amazon
Wiggly windshield magic
Mpow Magnetic Phone Holder for Windshield and Dashboard
This bendy mount can mount to your windshield — make sure that’s allowed where you live first — and weave around for the best positioning.
$11 at Amazon
Multitasking metal plate
Spigen Style Ring POP
The Spigen Style Ring Pop works with all flat-plate magnetic mounts, doubles as a phone grip, and triples as a kickstand. It comes in five cool colors, too.
$15 at Amazon
New twist on an old fav
Nite Ize Steelie Orbiter Dash Kit
Nite Ize’s original Steelie requires a concave button you can’t hide under a case, but the Orbiter uses a flat metal plate to connect to a socket that stays with the mount.
$22 at Amazon
Why do I want a magnetic car mount?
Qi charging car mounts and more traditional cradle mounts certainly have their place, but the easiest — and arguably the best — mounts on the market right now are magnetic car mounts, which use a metal plate to hold your phone securely in place and out of the way. Compared to standard clamp or cradle mounts, magnetic mounts are:
- Smaller in size, taking up less room on dash/windshield.
- Longer lasting than spring-loaded clamps.
- Easier to hide as most plates can work through a case.
- Cheaper, as you can mix and match any almost any flat-plate magnetic mounts and plates between brands and stock up when they’re on sale.
The wide compatibility between flat plate mounts is a huge asset, allowing you to mix magnetic mount brands within a multi-car household — or buy cuter magnetic plates. There are tens of thousands of styles on the market, but these are our favorite magnetic mounts and plates.
But what about my wireless charging?
Having anything metal on the back of your phone means that you’re not going to be able to wireless charge while it’s on your phone. Some people get around this by keeping the metal plate in the case and removing the case to wireless charge the phone, but most magnetic mount users charge via wire instead.
There are some magnetic Qi charging car mounts out there that use a big, open magnetic ring to hold the phone in place over the Qi charging coils, but these mounts don’t have the best track record and I’d advise not tempting fate with one at this time. I’m fine sticking to the Trianium magnetic mount and the Spigen Style Ring POP and then just charging up with a cord when on longer trips.
