The 8 Best Wireless Car Chargers for 2023 – CNET

$60 at Amazon

The iOttie Auto Sense Qi Wireless Car Charger has auto clamping arms

iOttie Auto Sense Wireless Car Charger

Premium automatic clamping

$29 at Amazon

The Upgraded Zeehoo wireless car mount is an excellent value

Upgraded ZeeHoo Wireless Car Charger

Best value for feature set

$56 at Amazon

The Belkin Boost Charge magnetic wireless charger is MagSafe compatible

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger

Best magnetic wireless car charger

$48 at Amazon

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iOttie Velox magnetic wireless charging car mount

Best magnetic wireless charger from iOttie

$40 at Amazon

The Scosche MagicMount Pro Charge 5 works with iPhones and Android devices

Scosche MagicMount Pro Charge 5

Good wireless car charger for iPhones and Android devices

$100 at Amazon

Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger offers 15W charging for MagSafe iPhones

Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe

Best fast-charging MagSafe wireless car charger

$18 at Amazon

ZealSound Qi-Certified Car Charge Slim Pad Station Dock

Spigen Mag Fit Phone Holder Car Mount

Affordable Apple MagSafe wireless charger compatible mount

$40 at Amazon

The Scosche MagicGrip FreeFlow Autogrip has auto-sensing arms

Scosche MagicGrip FreeFlow Autogrip

Auto-clamp wireless car charger from Scosche

$17 at Amazon

Ainope Mini Fast USB Car Charger

Ainope Mini Fast USB Car Charger

Best fast-charging USB-C cigarette lighter adapter

The best way to keep your phone charged while you’re on the go is to use a wireless car charger. Yes, carmakers have started realizing it might be smart to build in wireless phone chargers now that so many new phones offer wireless charging and people like to charge their phones while driving. Unfortunately, though, the vast majority of newer cars don’t have wireless phone charging. And when they do, it’s available only as an overpriced add-on. That means it’s up to drivers to get wireless chargers themselves.

For the fastest charging speeds, you should opt for the wired route and use a USB-C or Lightning cable with a high-wattage cigarette lighter power adapter and fast-charging USB-C ports. But going wireless is clearly more convenient. With a wireless car charger, you just place your phone in your car mount — or on it in the case of magnetic mounts — and your phone automatically starts charging. You don’t have to worry about plugging a cable in to your phone every time you get in your car.

Alas, wireless charging doesn’t mean there aren’t any wires involved. You’ll still need to connect the charger to your vehicle. But once it’s set up, all you need to do is pop your phone in when you want to juice up.

Note that each wireless charger in this buyer’s guide 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 roundup. I’ll keep updating this best list to consider new wireless phone chargers as they hit the market. 

Read more: Best Car Phone Mounts for 2023

The iOttie Auto Sense Qi Wireless Car Charger has auto clamping arms

Amazon

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.

The Upgraded Zeehoo wireless car mount is an excellent value

Amazon

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 autoclamping 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. However, 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).

The Belkin Boost Charge magnetic wireless charger is MagSafe compatible

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

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. And 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 on 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. 

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iOttie

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.

The Scosche MagicMount Pro Charge 5 works with iPhones and Android devices

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

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). 

Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger offers 15W charging for MagSafe iPhones

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

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.

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 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. 

ZealSound Qi-Certified Car Charge Slim Pad Station Dock

Amazon

If you’ve already got Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging puck, this Spigen mounting accessory is a good option for bringing it into your car. As I said, the MagSafe wireless charger isn’t included. Nor is a USB-C cigarette lighter adapter. But at $30, this is a fairly affordable magnetic mounting accessory.

Note: Just make sure to get the right cigarette lighter adapter with it to get the maximum 15-watt charging speed. Also, since this relies on the magnets from the wireless charging puck for your phone to stick to it (MagSafe case required if you are using a case) this isn’t recommended for the larger iPhone 14 Pro Max as it’s more likely to slip off the mount — especially if you hit a bump — because of its weight.