The ball joint on the vent mount gives you a wider range of tilt and swivel, so you can keep the phone in view, and – with a little practice – you can insert and remove it single-handed, with the arms releasing as you pull the phone vertically out of its cradle. It can only hold the phone in portrait mode, but it’s one affordable, sturdy mount. This type is probably the easiest to install and requires the least amount of extra preparation. These attachments simply use the air vents of your car as a place to clip on, and can vary in their compatibility with horizontal, vertical or angled vents, or sometimes all three. The other great thing about this model is that it’s able to cope with all manner of larger phones, which is no bad thing given so many models are pretty beefy. It can, for example, handle the largest iPhone model with ease, but the Kenu Airframe Pro is able to hold a raft of other models and seems compatible with pretty much every relevant handset around today. Kenu does have other variations on the theme though, so if you’ve got a smaller phone there are buying options on that front too.

The reason this stands above other air vent mounts is because the attachment is much stronger and more secure than others. Like the others here, this phone holder can fully rotate. Certain phone mounts have clips or arms that hold the phone securely: you simply slide the device into place when you get into the car and remove it when you leave. How you attach the plate is up to you: you can use the supplied adhesive pad or slip it inside your shell or case. It comes with a second plate too, so you and a partner can each easily attach both of your phones. It’s a simple and extremely light design but the magnet holds the phone firmly even on bumpy roads. Registered office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing, Company number: LP003328;The obvious benefit with taking this route is your phone is nice and stable, situated as it is in one of your cup holder bins. So, for example, it can be placed in your centre console, while the accessory allows you to move your phone into position through 360 degrees in either landscape or portrait orientation. Cleverly, the base has adjustable feet, making it suitable for various sizes of drink cubby holes between 2.5 and 3.5-inches in diameter.

While phone holders work well when mounted in, on or around the dashboard area, another route you can take is to go for the windshield-friendly accessory instead. In the case of the Exshow Car Mount holder you get a great solution that works with most smartphone models. It can make sense to have your mobile phone mounted on the windscreen, for example, if you're using it as a sat nav. For such occasions, or if you cannot use a vent-mounted option, we recommend this suction mount from Mous. Phones can provide us with all the information we need at the touch of a screen. This includes maps and directions, which can be incredibly helpful if you're travelling somewhere new and need some guidance. However, looking at your phone if it's in an inconvenient position whilst driving can be extremely dangerous. This is where a car phone holder comes in handy! While phone holders might appear to be a little humdrum, some of these accessories are even handier. The iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless 2, for example, not only allows you to keep your smartphone safe and secure, it’ll also recharge it wirelessly. Again, top marks go to iOttie for designing a unit that’s very nicely made and there are variations so you can choose between dashboard or windshield mounting, cup holder and vent editions too. However, while the Scosche MagicMount can get into areas other phone holders can’t this phone holder is still wonderfully flexible. In fact, it’ll move through a full 90 degrees once you’ve fixed the mount in place, which should mean that you’ll be able to see your smartphone screen from wherever it’s been attached.

The best car phone holders in detail:

ESR’s lightweight mount and charger is a top option for recent iPhones, giving you a Magsafe mount that fits with ease into a vent, then provides secure 18W wireless QI charging via a USB-C cable connected to your car’s USB outlet. The ball joint on the vent mount means it works with both horizontal and vertical vents, while a support arm holds the central square pad steady no matter how rough the road. ESR also sells a dashboard version, if you’d rather have it fitted there. The Vicseed Car Phone Mount continues to sell well and for good reason. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of its design is that you can buy the one accessory and then mount it in three different ways: dashboard, windshield or vent. That makes it a good choice if you regularly change from one car to another, or perhaps have two very different vehicles in the family. It keeps your options open. The next feature up for praise is the convenience factor provided by the Vicseed Car Phone Mount. This accessory boasts a long arm design that’s suitably robust enough for even larger smartphones but it’s also telescopic, which can extend from 4.84-inches right up to 9.05-inches. That’s decent, although vibration and bumps can tend to make the longer reach option a little less desirable if you’re of a nervous disposition. The best in-car phone holders you can buy in 2023 1. Halfords Magnetic Windscreen Mount: Best windscreen mount

One slight trade-off with the wide range of positioning options that come with the Exshow Car Mount is that the accessory can tend to throw a little bit of wobble into proceedings. However, if you spend a little time getting the positioning right this doesn't really detract from the overall appeal. Larger handsets up to six inches tend to fare better than slightly lighter models with less overall weight. The next group is holders that can be attached to your dashboard. They often use similar mechanisms to those that attach to a windscreen. In fact, sometimes you have the option of doing either so you can play around and decide what fits best with your car.

Bauer Media Group consists of : Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited, Company number: 1394141; Wide Compatibility] YOSH car phone holder can be used on the dashboard & windscreen and is compatible with mobile phones up to 6.8 inches such as the iPhone 14 13 12 11 Pro Max 11 XS Max XR X 8 7 6s Plus Samsung S20 Ultra S20 S10+ S10 S9 S8 Huawei P40 P30 P20 Pro Mate 30 Mate 20 Oppo Oneplus Wiko HTC Nexus LG Motorola Nokia etc.