Choosing a phone car mount

A car mount holds your phone where you can follow directions without picking it up. The right one depends on your car's dash and vents, on your phone and its case, and on your state's rules about where a phone can sit and how you can touch it while driving. This Phone Balls guide covers the mount types, charging mounts, and the rules as of October 2026.

Vent mounts

Vent mounts clip onto an air vent slat. They're quick to fit and easy to move between cars, and in many cars they hold the phone close to eye level. Round vents and thin slats can be a poor fit, and a heavy phone can sag or pull a slat loose over time. In winter the heater blows warm air straight onto the back of the phone, which adds to the heat from navigation and charging.

Dash and windshield mounts

Dash mounts attach to the dashboard with an adhesive pad or a suction cup, and windshield mounts use a suction cup on the glass. Both hold steadier than a vent clip and can sit closer to your line of sight. Suction cups can lose grip in hot weather, and adhesive pads can mark some dashboard materials, so try the spot before you commit. Some states limit what you can attach to a windshield, which the section on the law below covers.

Cup holder and other mounts

Cup holder mounts expand to fit the holder and put the phone on a stalk. They're steady and leave the vents and glass clear, but they sit lower, so the screen is farther from your view of the road. Mounts that clip into a CD slot or onto the side of the console are options in cars where neither vents nor dash work well.

Magnetic mounts

Magnetic mounts hold the phone with a magnet ring or with a metal plate stuck to the phone or case. Ring mounts work with phones that have MagSafe or Qi2 magnets built in, or with a magnetic case, and the MagSafe and Qi2 guide lists which phones have them. Plate mounts work with any phone, but Apple advises against magnets or magnetic metal near an iPhone's rear cameras because they can interfere with image stabilization and autofocus. If you use a plate, keep it well away from the camera bump, or choose a magnetic case on an iPhone.

Charging mounts

Many mounts include a wireless charger, and a Qi2 car charger lines the phone up with its coil the same way a desk charger does. Expect a phone running navigation in a sunny car to charge slowly or pause. Apple lists GPS navigation in hot conditions and long periods in direct sunlight among the situations that can slow or stop charging, dim the display, or limit features while an iPhone cools down. A vent mount with the air conditioning on, or a cable in place of wireless charging, helps on hot days. Power the mount from a USB-C port or a USB PD car adapter that meets the charger's input rating, which the listing should state.

Where the law lets you put it

Rules on phone placement and use vary by state, so check your state's motor vehicle or highway safety office before you fit a mount. California shows how specific the rules can get. Under Vehicle Code section 23123.5, a driver may operate a phone by hand only if it's mounted and the action takes a single tap or swipe. The phone has to sit on the dashboard or center console without blocking the view of the road, or on the windshield in the spots section 26708 allows for a GPS unit. Those are a 7-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver or a 5-inch square in the lower corner nearest the driver, outside the airbag deployment zone. Other states set different limits on windshield attachments, and many ban holding a phone while driving.

Motorcycles and scooters

Phone mounts on motorcycles need more care. Apple says the vibration from high-power motorcycle engines can degrade the optical image stabilization and autofocus in iPhone cameras, and it recommends against attaching an iPhone to those motorcycles. For mopeds and scooters, it recommends a vibration-dampening mount and avoiding long periods of regular use.