Car dashboard mounts are one of the best ways to keep a phone or GPS within easy view without hanging a mount directly in the middle of the windshield. The right choice depends heavily on your dashboard, your phone, and whether you want something removable or permanently installed.
The iOttie Easy One Touch 6 is our favorite all-around dashboard phone mount and the mount shown above.
Fit varies depending on dashboard shape, vents, infotainment screens, and windshield clearance. A mount that works perfectly in one vehicle can be awkward in another.
There are several ways to mount a device to the dashboard. Some use suction, others use adhesive, weighted bases, magnets, or hardware. Rather than treating them as interchangeable, we have broken down the best dashboard mount choices by how they attach and the type of driver they work best for.
Best Dashboard Phone Mounts at a Glance
| Mount | Type | Best For | Complete Mount? |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOttie Easy One Touch 6 | Suction cup / dash pad | Best Overall | Yes |
| andobil A-MAG-Fold-3 | MagSafe magnetic suction mount | Best for MagSafe | Yes |
| iOttie Dashboard Pad | Adhesive dashboard disk | Existing suction cup mounts | No |
| Bracketron Nav-Mat | Weighted friction base | No-adhesive / rental cars | No |
| RAM Round Plate Mount | Bolt-down | Permanent / heavy-duty installs | No |
Best Overall: iOttie Easy One Touch 6 Dash & Windshield Mount
For most drivers who simply want a good dashboard phone mount, the iOttie Easy One Touch 6 Dash & Windshield Mount is where I would start.
It combines a suction-cup base with an adjustable arm and iOttie’s familiar Easy One Touch cradle. Press the phone against the trigger in the center of the cradle and the side arms close around it. Release bars on the sides open the cradle again.
That one-handed design is a big reason the Easy One Touch line has remained popular for so long. There are no magnets to line up and no metal plates to stick to the back of the phone.
The telescoping arm also gives you more positioning flexibility than a small fixed dashboard mount. You can keep the phone low and close to the dash or extend it toward you when the dashboard is deep.
The cradle has an adjustable bottom foot, making it a good option for larger phones and many phones used with cases.
This is also the mount pictured at the top of this article. It is a good example of what a modern dashboard phone mount looks like when you want a complete solution rather than assembling several separate pieces.
Best for MagSafe: andobil A-MAG-Fold-3
If you use a MagSafe-compatible iPhone and prefer a magnetic mount instead of a cradle, the andobil A-MAG-Fold-3 is the option I would consider here.
The current version is marketed as a 2026 upgraded MagSafe car mount and uses a magnetic phone holder instead of mechanical side arms.
That makes everyday use simpler. Bring the phone toward the mounting surface and it attaches magnetically, without opening or closing a cradle.
The A-MAG-Fold-3 also uses a three-axis adjustable design, which gives you more freedom to change the position and viewing angle than a simple fixed magnetic puck.
andobil also specifies a vacuum-style suction mounting system for attaching the base to the vehicle. That makes it a very different product from the adhesive dashboard disk and weighted Nav-Mat options below.
The listing promotes a holding-force claim of more than 108 pounds. I would treat that as the manufacturer’s marketing claim rather than a real-world phone-load measurement, but the important point is that this is designed as a high-grip suction mount.
For iPhone users who already rely on MagSafe, I like this format because it removes the cradle entirely while still giving you substantial positioning adjustment.
The iOttie remains my overall pick because it works with a much wider range of phones and cases, but for a MagSafe user, the andobil is arguably the cleaner setup.
Dashboard Suction Mounts vs. Windshield Suction Mounts
One thing worth understanding before buying the iOttie, andobil, or a similar mount is that dashboard and windshield mounting are not quite the same.
Glass gives a suction cup an almost ideal smooth surface. Dashboards vary enormously. Some are smooth plastic, while others are heavily textured, soft-touch, stitched, curved, or covered in leather.
Many dashboard suction mounts therefore include a flat dashboard pad or disk that creates a smooth surface for the suction cup.
Before installation, clean the mounting area thoroughly and make sure there is enough space above the dash for the phone and mount.
Best Dashboard Disk: iOttie Adhesive Dashboard Pad
If you already own a suction cup phone mount or GPS mount, you may not need to replace it at all.
The iOttie Dashboard Pad creates a smooth mounting surface on dashboards that are too textured for a suction cup to grip reliably.
The concept is simple. The bottom of the disk adheres to the dashboard and the top provides a smooth surface for the suction cup.
This is particularly useful when you already own a mount you like but cannot get it to remain attached to the dashboard itself.
A dashboard disk also gives you more freedom in choosing a mounting location than relying on the few naturally smooth areas found on many modern dashboards.
Installation matters. Clean the dashboard first, position the disk carefully, and give the adhesive time to bond before attaching the weight of the mount and phone.
Best No-Adhesive Option: Bracketron Nav-Mat
There are situations where you do not want suction cups, adhesive, screws, or anything else permanently attached to the vehicle.
That is where the Bracketron Nav-Mat Portable GPS Dash Pad still makes sense.
The Nav-Mat is essentially a weighted dashboard base. Its flexible bean-bag-style body conforms to the dashboard while the non-slip underside helps prevent the base from sliding.
The center provides a smooth mounting area for a suction cup mount.
Put the Nav-Mat on the dashboard, attach your existing suction mount to the center, and you have a completely removable dashboard setup.
It is particularly useful for:
- Rental cars
- Drivers who regularly change vehicles
- Textured dashboards
- Older portable GPS units
- Anyone who does not want adhesive on the dashboard
The downside is size. A weighted base takes up much more dashboard space than the iOttie or andobil mounts. It is functional rather than elegant.
For a vehicle you use every day, I prefer a properly installed dashboard mount. For a rental car or something you want to remove without leaving any trace behind, the Nav-Mat has a real advantage.
Best Permanent Dashboard Mount: RAM Mounts Round Plate With 1-Inch Ball
At the opposite end of the spectrum is a permanent RAM Mounts installation.
The RAM Mounts Round Plate with 1-Inch Ball is a drill-down mounting component intended for drivers who want a much more substantial installation.
This is not a complete phone holder.
The round plate bolts to the vehicle or another flat mounting surface. The attached 1-inch B-size RAM ball then connects to a compatible RAM double-socket arm. The other end of the arm connects to a phone, GPS, tablet, or other device holder.
That modular design is the main attraction of the RAM system. You select the base, arm, and cradle separately.
For a normal passenger car, this is usually more mount than necessary. For work trucks, fleet vehicles, off-road use, or vehicles where the device stays installed every day, the extra effort can be worthwhile.
For phones, one common final component is the RAM X-Grip. We cover the different cradle options in our RAM X-Grip guide.
You will also need an arm between the base and cradle. Our RAM arm guide explains the available lengths and how the pieces fit together.
Which Dashboard Phone Mount Should You Buy?
For most people, I would keep this decision simple.
If you want a complete dashboard phone mount that works with a wide range of phones and cases, get the iOttie Easy One Touch 6. It remains the most versatile option in this group.
If you use a MagSafe-compatible iPhone and prefer a cleaner magnetic setup, the andobil A-MAG-Fold-3 is the one I would choose instead.
If you already have a suction cup mount that you like but your dashboard will not hold it, add the iOttie Dashboard Pad rather than buying another complete mount.
If absolutely nothing should be attached to the vehicle, use the Bracketron Nav-Mat.
If this is a work vehicle or a permanent installation where maximum stability matters more than easy removal, build a RAM Mounts setup.
Where Should a Dashboard Phone Mount Go?
The best position is usually high enough that you do not have to look far away from the road, but low enough that the phone does not interfere with your forward view.
Avoid placing the mount directly over airbags, controls, defroster vents, speakers, or vehicle displays.
Also remember that an adjustable arm does not mean it needs to be fully extended. The farther a phone sits from the mounting point, the more movement you may see over rough pavement. Keeping the arm shorter usually improves stability.
Modern vehicles with large infotainment displays can make dashboard placement more difficult. In those vehicles, a vent mount, vehicle-specific mount, or screen-mounted solution may fit better.
Dashboard Mount vs. Vent Mount
Dashboard mounts and vent mounts solve the same problem in different ways.
A dashboard mount gives you more freedom to position the phone exactly where you want it. It also avoids putting weight on the vehicle’s vent louvers.
Vent mounts are smaller and usually require less setup. They can also work well in vehicles where the dashboard has no suitable flat mounting area.
Neither style is automatically better for every vehicle.
If dashboard mounting looks awkward in your car, see our guide to car air vent mounts before forcing a dashboard solution into a location where it does not belong.
More Car Mounting Guides
Different vehicles favor different mounting locations. These guides cover the other major options:
- Car Air Vent Mounts for compact phone mounting without sticking anything to the dash
- Car Headrest Mounts for phones and tablets used by rear-seat passengers
- Rear View Mirror Mounts for another high-mounted phone or GPS location
- Cup Holder Mounts when the dashboard and windshield are poor mounting locations
- Vehicle-Specific Phone Mount Recommendations if you want picks matched to your exact make and model
