The Best Car Accessories for Commuting and Road Trips in 2021

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Since most people spend a decent chunk of their day behind the wheel — why not make that time more enjoyable with the best car accessories?

There are now dozens of car gadgets and hacks that make driving easier, safer and more fun. They range from wireless charging phone mounts to interior LED lights to jumper cables, and chances are you could use at least one of them, if not multiple.

However, not only are there tons of car accessories out there but there are also many variations of the same accessory and some are really not worth buying. So to help sort through all the car hacks, gadgets and gizmos, we rounded up our favorite car accessories that we think everyone will appreciate.

Check out the best car accessories below and take your driving experience from zero to 60 with one click.

  

1. iOttie Wireless Car Charger Dashboard Phone Mount

BEST PHONE MOUNT + CHARGER

Perhaps the single most useful car accessory you can buy is a car phone mount, but we’ll do you one better with the iOttie Wireless Car Charger Dashboard Phone Mount. It conveniently suctions to the dashboard, plugs into the DC port for power, holds phones big and small and can be easily maneuvered for the best viewing angle.

  

2. Nekteck USB Car Charger

BEST USB CAR CHARGER

If a phone mount isn’t essential, the Nekteck USB Car Charger is. It has a USB-A port for most devices and a USB-C port for rapid charging of compatible devices. It’ll charge phones, tablets and even a small computer in a pinch through your car’s DC port.

Read More: Best Wireless Car Chargers

  

3. BMK BLUEMICKEY Car Power Inverter

BEST CAR INVERTER

For heavier duty items that need charging, you’re going to want the BMK BLUEMICKEY Car Power Inverter. It converts DC to AC, so you can plug in laptop chargers or anything else with an AC plug. It also has four USB-A ports, so you’ll always have a viable charging option for pretty much any electronic device, big or small.

  

4. Anker Roav Bluetooth Car Adapter and Charger

BEST BLUETOOTH CAR ADAPTER

Though auxiliary ports are all but omnipresent in most vehicles today, thanks to phones nixing their audio jacks, Bluetooth car adapters, like the Anker Roav Bluetooth Car Adapter and Charger, are useful again.

The adapter boasts automatic tuning so your music will always go over unused airwaves, Bluetooth 5.0 ensures your phone stays connected and a USB-A and a USB-C port can charge your small devices.

  

5. Rove R2-4K Dash Cam

BEST DASH CAM

Though not strictly necessary for anybody, a dashcam is one of those things you’re going to want before you need it, like, when you’re in a car accident and not at fault.

The Rove R2-4K Dash Cam offers a lot of features for its comparatively low price. The camera sees 150 degrees, the recorded video comes through clearly in day or night, built-in WiFi makes sharing videos to your phone a breeze and GPS tracks your speed and location — which can be useful if you want to prove you weren’t speeding. It supports micro SD cards up to 512 GB, though you’ll have to provide your own.

    

6. Stinger Super Duty Car Emergency Escape Tool

BEST TOOL FOR AN EMERGENCY

Nobody thinks they’ll get into a car accident, that is, until they do. When life throws such an emergency your way, you’ll be glad you have the Stinger Super Duty Car Emergency Escape Tool. It has two different ways to break a window, one by smashing and the other through a spring-loaded mechanism, as well as a razor-sharp blade to cut through a seatbelt. So if worse does come to worse, this tool could be the thing that saves your life.

  

7. Govee Interior LED Car Strip Lights

BEST INTERIOR CAR LIGHTS

The Govee Interior LED Car Strip Lights will immediately add a touch of coolness and practicality to your car. The lights are highly adjustable via physical buttons or an app for deeper tweaking and can even sync up to music thanks to a built-in microphone. But beyond that, they’re just really helpful for adding light into the car in those places where overhead lights don’t reach. If you’ve ever dropped your phone to the car floor when driving at night, you know exactly what we’re talking about.

  

8. OHill Cable Clips

BEST CABLE CLIPS FOR CARS

As cars continue to become more device-friendly, they can get as cluttered with cords as a workspace. The OHill Cable Clips easily adhere to most parts of the car and will bring much-needed order to your cord disarray.

  

9. Magnelex Microfiber Leather Steering Wheel Cover

BEST STEERING WHEEL COVER

A steering wheel cover like the Magnelex Microfiber Leather Steering Wheel Cover is one car accessory that only seems more useful the more you think about it. If it’s cold out, it’ll keep your fingers off the ice-cold steering wheel. If it’s hot out, the anti-slip quality of the cover will keep sweaty fingers from slipping around. For those two simple reasons, a steering wheel cover can seriously improve your driving experience.

Though this wrap will fit most steering wheels, be sure to double-check the size of your steering wheel before buying lest you be left with a totally useless cover.

  

10. Cartman Heavy Duty Booster Cables

BEST JUMPER CABLES

If you buy only one car accessory, make it jumper cables. There’s simply no argument against having them because there’s a very good chance if your battery dies that another nearby car will be able to give you a jump. The Cartman Heavy Duty Booster Cables will be perfect. At 25 feet, they’re long enough to easily connect two cars without much hassle and they’re 1 AWG, which just means the cables are thick and much better for moving power without loss. That means it’ll be able to jump large vehicles like SUVs and trucks without breaking a sweat.

  

11. Febreze Car Old Spice Air Freshener Vent Clip

BEST CAR FRESHENER

Bring the manly man fragrance of Old Spice to your vehicle with the Febreze Car Old Spice Air Freshener Vent Clip. Sure, there are cheaper air fresheners out there, but none of them will let passengers know you’re a manly man.

  

12. EPAuto Waterproof Car Trash Can

BEST TRASH CAN

Every car needs a dedicated trash bin because everybody produces garbage on the road at some point. The EPAuto Waterproof Car Trash Can has a vinyl interior to prevent leaks and an elastic opening so you can easily shove trash in without worrying about spills or too much trash can stink. Straps making secure the can super simple, whether you want to hang it from a seat back, the console, the gear shift or even the glove box.

  

13. BMZX Anti-Slip Cell Phone Pad

BEST DASHBOARD STORAGE

There aren’t nearly enough high-friction surfaces in cars to set things without them slipping around. The BMZX Anti-Slip Cell Phone Pad rests on the dashboard and a silicone gel bottom stops it from sliding around. A notch down the middle creates useful separation for phones, sunglasses, pocket change, keys and other small items and also will help prop a phone up so you can see it while driving.

The only complaint from users is that the tray doesn’t stay as well on curved dashboards, so keep that in mind before buying.

  

14. DMoose Car Front Seat Organizer

BEST CHAIR STORAGE

Whether to store useful items for work, emergency car supplies, stuff for kids or just the items you need for the day before leaving home, it’s hard to argue against a seat organizer. The DMoose Car Front Seat Organizer can hold a laptop, tablet, water bottles, magazines and really whatever else you think you can cram into the pockets.

  

15. High Road Heavy-Duty Expandable Car Clothes Hanger Bar

BEST FOR HANGING CLOTHES

Feel like you’re living out of your car or maybe you’re regularly transporting a lot of dry cleaning? If so, the High Road Heavy-Duty Expandable Car Clothes Hanger Bar will be a godsend for you. It collapses or extends to fit any width and conveniently hangs from opposing grab handles. Just be careful not to hang so many clothes that you can’t see through the back window or rearview mirror.

  

16. Amooca Car Seat Headrest Hooks

BEST FOR HANGING BAGS

Your bags will thank you once you install the Amooca Car Seat Headrest Hooks. With this four-pack of hooks, you can hang small bags, purses, grocery bags, backpacks and any bag with handles smaller than a small suitcase. Never again will you have to pick your items off the floor after a rough turn caused your bag to spill over.

  

17. Joytutus Steering Wheel Desk

BEST STEERING WHEEL DESK

Whether you’re a working road warrior or simply want to be able to eat in comfort on the road, the Joytutus Steering Wheel Desk can help. This portable desk slips over the steering wheel and folds open into a desk big enough for a small meal or a laptop so you can eat and work from the comfort of your car. Be aware for this steering wheel desk, or really any wheel desk, you’ll likely have to slide your chair all the way back to have enough room.

  

18. Ampper Blind Spot Mirror

BEST BLIND SPOT MIRROR

For whatever reason, most cars choose to not deal with the fact that there’s a blind spot in the mirror. The Ampper Blind Spot Mirror easily fixes that problem. Just stick the glass convex mirror on the lower, outer corners of your side mirrors to finally have a way to see your blind spot without having to crank your neck over your shoulder.

  

19. Zesuper Recovery Traction Tracks

BEST ESCAPE TRACKS

Anybody who’s driven in mud, snow or sand knows the risks of getting the car stuck. But why keep a bag of cat litter in the trunk when you can have the Zesuper Recovery Traction Tracks? Just place them in the trouble spots on the ground and they’ll give your car all the friction it needs to escape its quagmire. It may seem obvious to point out, but these traction tracks are highly durable and flexible, so they don’t break when the car drives over them. Just keep them in your trunk and you’ll never worry about getting stuck again.

  

20. VIAIR 85P Portable Air Compressor

BEST PORTABLE AIR COMPRESSOR

Tires require regular maintenance and that includes making sure they’ve got enough air in them. The VIAIR 85P Portable Air Compressor plugs into your car’s DC outlet and delivers 1.26 CFM of air at 60 PSI, enough air and power to reliably fill most tires relatively quickly.

Just make sure the engine is running while you use it or it will likely blow your car’s fuses.

  

21. Fix-A-Flat Tire Sealant and Tire Inflator

BEST FOR FLAT TIRES

The flat tire is the bane of most drivers’ existence, but it doesn’t have to be so bad in the moment. The Fix-A-Flat Tire Sealant and Tire Inflator not only seals small rips in tires, but it also reinflates the tire too. Of course, you shouldn’t drive on the tire any longer than you have to, but the sealant and inflation will give you enough distance to get to a place where you can safely change a tire or a professional garage if you don’t have a spare.

    

22. SubZero Quick-Lock Snowbroom Squeegee Ice Scraper

BEST SNOW BRUSH

If you live in a snowy climate, you already know how important a good snow brush is. We’re here to tell you it’s time to upgrade to the SubZero Quick-Lock Snowbroom Squeegee Ice Scraper.

The quick lock extension pole expands up to 60 inches and has a durable brush and scraper, with comfortable grips on both ends, to make quick work of snow. The squeegee also doesn’t hurt if the one at the gas station is terrible or if you’re doing a home car wash.

  

23. OxGord Windshield Snow Cover

BEST SNOW WINDSHIELD COVER

Though snowy cars still need to be fully brushed, lest the snow falls off when driving, the OxGord Windshield Snow Cover can save you a ton of time. Just strap it to your car’s windshield ahead of a snowstorm and just pull it off when it’s time to drive. You’ll be that much happier to not have to freeze your whole body just to be able to drive with a clear windshield.

  

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