Mobile phone holder for the car from 10 euros: ventilation grille, suction cup, magnet & Co.

Smartphones are increasingly replacing the navigation system in cars. They play music from streaming services (guides) or current podcasts. In order to be able to use a mobile phone safely and legally in the car, you need a suitable holder. It is forbidden for the driver to pick up and operate the mobile device while driving. Fasteners with suction cups for the dashboard or windshield as well as clamps for the ventilation grille have become established. We have already presented five of them in the comparison test: car cell phone holders for ventilation grilles.

If you still want to keep an eye on the mobile phone navigation or see incoming messages, you need a mobile phone holder. The selection of different mounting solutions for smartphones is very diverse. Some stick to the dashboard or attach to the windshield with a suction cup. Others are stuck on the ventilation grille. They hold the phone with a clip or magnetically. There are also variants that charge the phone at the same time. But there are a few points to consider when buying. We show the most popular solutions.

There is no precise legal requirement. However, the mobile phone holder must offer a secure hold so that the mobile device does not become a dangerous flying object in the cockpit. When using a suction cup mount on the windshield, the phone should not obstruct the driver’s field of vision.

Mobile phone holders that can be attached with a suction cup are the classic among mobile phone attachments. They usually stop at the windshield. If the surface of the dashboard is sufficiently smooth and straight, there too. The suction cup doesn’t stick to leather. Experience has shown that attachment to the windscreen is preferable for most vehicles because of the better grip.

Basically, you should make sure that your arm is as short and stable as possible. Because the longer and more shaky the arm, the more the smartphone moves while driving, which makes it difficult to read the screen and use the touch control. In terms of its compactness, the Herbert Richter Quicky Smart S car mount stands out positively. Nothing should wobble with her.

The clamping device for the mobile phone is also important. The forces acting on it are not as great as with a bicycle mobile phone holder (best list). Nevertheless, one urgently wants to prevent the mobile phone from detaching from the attachment during tight bends or braking manoeuvres. For this, the clamp should be tight enough and if possible be rubberized on the inside.

A lot of terminals have the problem that they unintentionally press the volume rocker or the power button. Therefore, when buying, you should make sure that they are not too wide and that they match the key layout of your smartphone. Phones that place their buttons high up or, at best, only on one side cause fewer problems.

Clamps that hold the smartphone with two hooks on the side and also secure it with two feet on the underside are very common in car mounts. The iOttie Easy One Touch 4 and the Celly Mount Flex Plus are such models.

The vast majority of models can now be extended to a width of 85 mm, which is also sufficient for large smartphones with a protective cover on. However, you have to be careful with glued holding aids such as pop sockets. These can increase the distance between the cell phone and the car holder to such an extent that the smartphone no longer sits securely.

Those who prefer to rely on a suction cup will find numerous solutions from Hama, Samsung, Tomtom or Celly Mount starting at 10 euros. These usually have a freely movable ball joint. This makes it easier to align in the direction of the driver or to use the mobile phone in landscape format. A telescopic arm is used in the Andobil car mobile phone holder for 24 euros on Amazon. When retracted, it does not take up so much space, when extended it allows flexible alignment.

Smartphone mounts for the air vent have the advantage over mounts on the windshield and dashboard that they do not restrict the driver’s field of vision. The solutions are also very inexpensive.

There are basically two differences in the type of attachment to the ventilation grille. The most common variant describes a rubber clip with a single or cross cut at the end, which is simply pushed into the ventilation grille. Experience has shown that this variant holds up well. However, if the slats of the grid are too thin, too thick or too close together, this could negatively affect the hold. The rubber finger is used, for example, with the Hama pinball machine (test report) and Ugreen LP130 (test report).

In the second variant, a little more mechanics come into play. Here, for example, as with the Luxa 2 Vent Clip (test report), spring-tightened hooks grip the ventilation slot or two rubberized fingers grip a lamella, which the user then tightens with an adjusting screw. These solutions are more flexible and fit more different types of cars. They have the disadvantage that their mechanics are more prone to errors than the pure rubber finger.

With the mobile phone holder from Avolare from 13 euros at Amazon, smartphones with a diagonal of 4.7 to 6.5 inches can be used both vertically and horizontally via the ball joint. This allows you to align the mobile device to the desired viewing direction. The clamp for the slats of the ventilation is pushed apart with a bolt. So it fits with grids of different thicknesses. This requires a little more finesse during assembly.

The ventilation bracket from Ugreen works very simply for 14 euros on Amazon. A rubber clip is used here, which is attached to a lamella. The holder fixes the mobile phone with its own weight, which pulls the side arms inwards together. The disadvantage: You can only place the cell phone upright and not align it.

Some Hama and Lisen holders use a magnet to attach the mobile phone. The advantage of these magnetic mounts: the mobile device can be attached easily, quickly and with one hand. The disadvantage: a metal plate often has to be attached to the back of the cell phone or the protective cover, which can disrupt communication via NFC, for example.

Clamp mounts offer another solution. These hold the smartphone in place with a rubberized clip – this ensures a firm hold and allows end devices of different sizes to be used. The bracket is pushed onto the dashboard above the speedometer. With this solution, you have your smartphone in front of you like a head-up display (adviser) and still always look in the direction of travel. Corresponding models are available from Amazon from 16 euros from Hama and for 14 euros from Matein.

The smartphone sticks firmly to the dashboard. However, you need two hands to insert the smartphone. The clip can be pushed upwards up to 16 cm with effort. However, you have to adjust the seat correctly: The backrest must not be tilted back too flat and the seat height should not be too low, otherwise the smartphone will be in the field of vision too much – instead of staring at the road, you just stare at the mobile phone display. For smaller people, this solution is therefore only recommended to a limited extent.

The bracket from Beeasy for 17 euros goes a different way. This is an anti-slip mat with a cut-out for the mobile device, which is placed on the dashboard – roughly in the middle so as not to obstruct the field of vision. There is both a classic and a variant with inductive charging.

Silicone mats for the dashboard with recesses for the smartphone in landscape format are particularly cheap. We have one with a soft silicone side that wraps just under 2 cm around the phone. That is far too little. The smartphone folds over as soon as you start driving. The Remax mobile phone holder, which encompasses the smartphone more generously, is a little better.

However, if you really want a silicone mount to protect the dashboard, for example, you can use the almost identical mounts from Beeasy, Cinaty or Lanhiem. Beeasy also offers a variant with an inductive charging field.

Mobile phone holders for the CD slot of the car radio are a bit more exotic. If you prefer to listen to music in the car with streaming services like Spotify, you probably hardly ever use the old radio’s CD player anymore. The holder is simply pushed into the CD compartment. These holders are available as a variant with magnetic holders or clamps at prices from 15 euros. Qi solutions for the CD slot start at 45 euros.

On a longer car journey, the passengers in the rear should not be neglected. With a holder for the tablet or smartphone on the headrest, you can offer the passengers in the back seat some entertainment. This is particularly useful on longer trips with children.

The market offers tablet mounts with and without a swivel arm, which are attached to the headrest mounts. However, these mounts can get in the way if no tablet or smartphone is inserted. An alternative is a strap that you stretch over the headrest or a protective cover for the backrest with an integrated pocket. We show more about the tablet mounts in the guide iPad & Co.: Tablet mounts for the back seat in the car.

Basically, when buying a mobile phone holder for the car, it is important to ensure that it has a secure hold. Suction cup mounts for the windshield and ventilation grille clips have proven their worth here. The smartphone itself should also be firmly held in it. In this context, it is not advisable to use pure silicone mats that hardly enclose the smartphone. Avoid attachments with a long arm. The smartphone could wobble disturbingly here while driving.