Article updated on September 17, 2024 at 8:00 AM PDT
Arrive to your next destination on 100% and keep your car clean with these great wireless chargers. front rear parking sensors
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
It's important to know how much you want to spend before you start researching, as most of our recommendations will be $50 or more.
Do you need your phone to charge quickly on short drives, or are you okay with a slower charge because you have a longer drive? You'd be surprised what a difference charging speed can make.
Not every charger comes with a power adapter, and not all power adapters are created equally.
Do you want your phone clipped to an air vent, mounted on your dashboard, or some other place in the car?
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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
It's important to know how much you want to spend before you start researching, as most of our recommendations will be $50 or more.
Do you need your phone to charge quickly on short drives, or are you okay with a slower charge because you have a longer drive? You'd be surprised what a difference charging speed can make.
Not every charger comes with a power adapter, and not all power adapters are created equally.
Do you want your phone clipped to an air vent, mounted on your dashboard, or some other place in the car?
Wireless phone charging is an essential feature for cars, especially now that so many phones support it. The reality is that the vast majority of newer cars don't have wireless charging capabilities. When they do, it's available only as an overpriced add-on. That means it's up to you to get wireless chargers for yourself.
It's hard to say exactly what the best wireless phone charger for your car is, especially because some wireless car chargers equipped with MagSafe are geared more toward iPhone users than Android users. We like wireless car chargers that have an auto clamping feature (the arms on the mount open when you move the phone close to the mount and shut when you put the phone on the mount), which is why a model like the iOttie Auto Sense Wireless Car Charger is at the top of this list.
Note that each wireless charger on this best list is compatible with any wireless charging-enabled mobile phone, whether it's an iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy, a Google Pixel or any other Qi-enabled phone (some magnetic mounts include stick-on metal plates for Android devices to make them adhere to the mount). I've personally tested all the devices in this round-up and have tested over 20 wireless phone chargers in my car over the last four years. And we'll continue to evaluate new wireless car chargers for your phone as they hit the market to determine the top models, including the best values.
Read more: Best Car Phone Mount for 2024
iOttie's "autosense" automatic clamping wireless car charger with a phone mount is one of the best out there. While it's fairly pricey, we've seen some nice discounts on it recently. The Auto Sense Automatic Clamping Qi Charging Car Phone Mount is available in a dashboard mount version or a CD and vent clip version. (I tried the dashboard wireless charging mount.) This wireless car charger mount has a nicely designed telescoping arm with a strong suction cup, and the wireless charging mount feature is compatible with most phone cases. You get 7.5-watt charging for an iPhone and 10-watt for Android phones, which is considered fast wireless charging.
This Qi wireless charger comes with a dual-charging USB cigarette lighter adapter. My only gripe -- and it's a small one -- is that the included cable is Micro-USB and not USB Type-C. Once this Qi charger is plugged into the wireless car charging mount you can basically forget about it, but if the cable accidentally becomes unplugged (which does happen), it's easier to plug in a USB-C cable for phone charging, especially when you're driving.
If you don't mind going with a no-name brand like ZeeHoo, its wireless car charger has most of the features you want for phone charging, including auto clamping and a secure suction cup that can be installed on your car's air vent, windshield or dashboard. It has USB-C and up to 15-watt fast charging for Android phones that support it. (iPhones are capped at 7.5-watt charging.) This upgraded version has a sleeker design than the original (see below), and it costs about $20 less than the iOttie above. This wireless charger doesn't come with a cigarette lighter adapter -- only a USB-C cable.
This wireless car mount charger is one of the more popular generic wireless car chargers with an autosensing telescopic arm, and the original version I tried worked well overall, attaching securely to my car vent mount and giving my smartphone or QI-enabled device a quick charge. I liked that the wireless car charger came with both a phone mount for my car's air-vent mount (if you want just the air-vent mount, there is an air-vent-only version that costs $30).
Note that to get fast charging, you will need a power adapter that supports it (not included).
Belkin makes a MagSafe car-vent mount that costs around $40 as well as the BoostCharge Pro ($100, see below), which is Apple-certified and wirelessly charges iPhones at up to 15 watts. While this model -- the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger -- only charges iPhones at up to 10 watts, it's more affordable at around $60. Its USB-C cable is removable (it's integrated into BoostCharge Pro) and you get a 20-watt cigarette-lighter power adapter. I personally like a car power adapter with two USB-C ports so a passenger can plug in a cable and also charge his or her phone, but you can always opt to add that later.
While ESR is known to make some value accessories for the iPhone, its MagSafe wireless car charger is fairly pricey at around $100 (that seems to be par for the course for MagSafe-certified wireless car chargers with fast 15-watt charging for iPhones). Its design is pretty elegant, the magnet is relatively strong and the air-vent mount has a strong clamp and some extra support that allows it to hook on very securely. Additionally, the mount has some built-in cooling (ESR calls it CryoBoost) so the charger doesn't overheat.
It's also worth pointing out that a power adapter is included and it does have two USB-C ports, so you can charge a second device using a USB-C to USB-C cable or USB-C to Lightning cable. ESR makes an inexpensive magnetic wireless car charger that sells for less than $35, but it charges iPhones at 7.5 watts and doesn't come with a power adapter. That model isn't an official MagSafe charger.
iOttie offers this MagSafe-compatible wireless car charger with a car vent mount. It has a strong magnet, so your iPhone stays on the mount, and it also has an integrated USB-C cable and cigarette-lighter power adapter so you're ready to start charging out of the box. Note that iPhone "fast" charging caps out at 7.5 watts.
Scosche's MagicMount Pro Charge is designed for both MagSafe-enabled iPhones but can also be used with Android devices if you stick the included MagicPlate on the back of your phone or case (it's a metal plate that sticks to the mount's magnet).
You have the option to buy the mount in a variety of styles, including air-vent and dashboard versions as well as one with a telescoping arm. A 20-watt car power adapter is included and the Qi wireless charger offers up to 15 watts charging speeds with certain Android devices (it drops down to 7.5 watts for iPhones).
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe is one of the few official Apple-certified MagSafe wireless car chargers, which means it can charge iPhones at the top wireless charging speed of 15 watts (most wireless car chargers only charge iPhone at up to 7.5 watts). The mount swivels, so you can view your phone in landscape or portrait mode, and a 20-watt car power adapter is included.
driver attention warning system This is a vent mount and it stays in place pretty well and has a strong magnet. That said, it's got a bit of heft to it and I have have had it come off the car vent when I hit a bump in the road (not a small bump but a bigger one). It's also pricey. But if you really want that fast 15-watt charging for your MagSafe-enabled iPhone, this is the wireless charger to get.