If you can't sacrifice the space on your windscreen or dashboard, this expandable model fits into a cup holder. Best of all, it's portable and unobtrusive to your view of the road.

You can also get suction grips and cradles that attach directly to your dashboard, although this won’t work if it has a textured surface. Another possibility is to connect the holder to your car stereo. If it is, a mount that charges at the same time as you drive is a really useful feature – after all, if your battery is low, who really wants to be untangling wires when you're about to hit the road? If you have a standard air conditioner vent (with horizontal slats), plenty of excellent options exist. Vent mounts are often not compatible with circular or small AC vents.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. You'd struggle to find anyone who would claim that the magnets in a phone mount could damage your phone.

Mounts with built-in Qi wireless chargers are increasingly common. Your vehicle's DC port powers these mounts, which save you the trouble of plugging in your phone each time you hop in the car. Most are compatible with both Android devices and iPhones. If you often forget to plug in your phone and it supports wireless charging, this is a no-fuss way to keep it juiced up. This Belkin beauty fits into the space your coffee cup normally lives and secures your phone using a clip for maximum stability. Where do you put a phone holder in your car? A final option to explore is a bespoke mount. Swedish firm Brodit make custom mounting units for each model of car to create a permanent mount for your phone. Attaching your phone to the mount It’s also worth bearing in mind the position of your USB charging port or adaptor, so you can charge your phone while you drive. Do I need wireless charging in my car phone holder?While there’s no additional support beyond the glossy Magsafe plate, it keeps a tenacious grip on compatible iPhones, and we couldn’t fault it during testing – provided the phone wasn’t in a silicon case. Our test phone’s case weakened the grip somewhat; but ESR sells its own Magsafe cases, which won’t suffer the same problem. This is a smart compact holder and charger that will do your iPhone proud.

First, you need to choose between the two basic types of car phone mounts: mounts that attach to your air conditioner vent and mounts that attach to your dashboard or windshield. It will likely come with instructions, that should be easy to follow, with many able to be clipped to an air vent or the dash, or suctioned on to a the windscreen. Are car phone holders legal?

Scosche Wireless Charging Magnetic Mount

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.