How to choose a car phone mount: 5 things to check
Where it sits, how it attaches, whether it fits your phone in its case, charging, and local rules. Five checks to make before you buy.
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Two common reasons a phone mount goes back: it ends up in a spot that blocks something, or it does not hold the phone you own in the case you use. Work through these five checks before you buy and you avoid both.
1. Where it will sit
The right spot keeps the screen near your normal line of sight without covering the road, the mirrors or the gauges.
- Try it before you buy. Sit in your driving position and hold your phone where the mount would put it. If you have to look down and away from the road to read it, choose a different spot.
- Stay clear of airbags. Airbag panels are usually marked "SRS" or "Airbag" on the dashboard, the steering wheel and the pillars beside the windshield. Nothing should be mounted on or in front of them.
- Check what it covers. Make sure the mount and the phone will not block a vent you rely on, the gear selector, or buttons you use while driving.
2. How it attaches
There are four common ways a mount holds on to the car. Each has a clear strength and a clear weakness.
- Vent clip: quick to fit and easy to move between cars, but it blocks some airflow and can sag with a heavy phone.
- Suction cup: adjustable and fits most vehicles, but it can lose grip in heat or cold.
- Cup holder: stable with no adhesive, but it sits low and takes up a cup holder.
- Vehicle-specific dash mount: made for one make and model, so the fit is solid, but it costs more and does not move to a different vehicle.
The mount types comparison covers each one in more detail.
3. Phone and case fit
A mount is only as good as its grip on your phone as you carry it every day.
- Measure with the case on. Clamp-style holders list a minimum and maximum width. Compare that with your phone in its case, not the bare phone.
- Check the weight. Large phones in rugged cases are heavy. Vent clips and long suction arms are the first to droop.
- Magnetic mounts need a magnetic phone or case. If your phone or case does not have a built-in magnet ring, a magnetic mount will not hold it securely. Thick cases and anything stuck to the back of the phone, such as a card wallet or a grip, weaken the hold.
4. Charging
Decide this before you choose a holder, because adding charging later usually means buying again.
- Holder only: the simplest choice. You plug in a cable when you need it.
- Wireless charging built in: the phone charges whenever it is on the mount. The labels on these products can be confusing, so see MagSafe, Qi and Qi2 explained.
- Plan the cable. A charging mount still needs power from the car. Look at where the nearest USB port or power socket is and how the cable will run.
5. Local rules
Some states restrict what can be attached to the windshield, and many limit how you may handle a phone while driving. The rules differ from state to state, so check with your state's motor vehicle agency before you choose a windshield mount. A dash, vent or cup holder mount avoids the windshield question altogether.
The short version
- The phone sits near my line of sight and blocks nothing I need to see or reach.
- The mount is nowhere near an airbag panel.
- The attachment type suits my car: vent, suction, cup holder or vehicle-specific.
- The holder fits my phone with its case on, and can carry the weight.
- I have decided between a plain holder and one with wireless charging.
- I know where the charging cable will run.
- I have checked my state's rules on windshield mounting.