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44 Clever Things You Always Want To Have In Your Car

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by Tiana Crump and Sharon Brandwein
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Amazon

With everything that you have going on in your life between work and play, you probably tend to spend a lot of time in your car traveling from one thing to the next. And sometimes, that can make life feel a little chaotic. Fortunately, that's where these essential things to have in your car come in. From managing accumulating trash to curbing mysterious odors, there are quite a few clever things on this list that will help keep your home on wheels in happy driving shape.

To start, there are clever organizers for your seats, visor, and trunk that will make finding things way easier. Then there are things like seat gap fillers and an Alexa smart speaker specifically designed for your car which you might not have known existed but will soon wonder how you lived without. And then there are the super fun adds like a portable fridge and colorful LED lights, for example.

From practical phone mounts and sunglass clips to a swiveling tray and cleaning sets that actually get into those hard-to-reach spots, these brilliant additions that upgrade your drive will help make all of those hours you spend in your car a lot more enjoyable.

1

A Car Garbage Bin That's Leakproof

This leakproof hanging trash bag keeps garbage off your car floor and makes cleaning up super easy. With its heavy-duty adjustable strap, you can hang it on the back of your seat’s headrest to hold up to three gallons. The lining of this bin can handle beverage spills and can be quickly emptied, wiped out, and reused. Plus, when it’s not in use, it can be closed and stored out of sight.

2

A Car Air Purifier That Removes Odors & Harmful Bacteria

The FRIEQ car air purifier eliminates odors including the smell of smoke to purify your car’s air. It plugs directly into your 12-volt cigarette outlet to release millions of negative ions to combat odor while keeping ozone levels safe. This compact air purifier is small with a sleek design, and it's completely silent, so you won’t notice it’s there.

3

This Car Seat Gap Filler That Catches Everything

As seen on the hit TV show Shark Tank, the Drop Stop car seat gap filler provides gap coverage between your car seat and center console. This expandable gap filler fits most vehicles and blends in so you don’t even notice it’s there until something drops. It keeps everything from fries to phones from falling into the crevices, so you don't have to search or fumble around to find fallen keys, money, jewelry, or other small items.

4

A Space-Saving Trunk Organizer That Makes The Most Of Vertical Space

If you want to tidy up your car trunk or back seat, the YoGi Prime trunk organizer makes the most of your vertical space so it doesn't get in the way of groceries, sports equipment, and everything else. It only takes 10 seconds to install by clipping the hooks around your seat headsets. Store gadgets, toys, and tools in the multiple pockets. Plus, the lids keeps stored items out of sight when not in use.

5

This Tote That Keeps Your Food Warm

The Hotlogic food warming tote is a portable warming bag so your meal doesn't have to get cold en route. Simply place your meal into the tote, add a car adapter, and plug it in to start heating instantly. It’s compatible with all flat-bottom glass and plastic containers, too.

6

A Velour Car Cushion With Two Heat Settings For Year-Round Comfort

The heated seat cushion provides comfort all year long with fast heating options to warm you up during chilly months and cozy, velour fabric. This cushion plugs into your car’s 12-volt DC outlet and has two heat settings (in addition to an “off” setting, which some heated seat cushions notably lack).

7

A Universal Air Vent Cell Phone Mount With 360-Degree Rotation

This phone mount with more than 15,000 five-star reviews fits on just about every air vent and is compatible with both iPhone and Android smartphones. It provides 360-degree rotation to help you get the best possible viewing angle, and there’s also a quick-release button so you can remove your phone without removing the mount. This car mount is available in red, gray, and black.

8

This Echo That Adds Alexa To Your Car

Enjoy hands-free driving at its best with the Alexa Echo Auto. This device adds Alexa’s voice control to your car via an app on your smartphone and plays directly through your car’s speakers. It comes with a vent mount to quickly install. From changing the music to making calls that you're on the way to getting directions, driving just got a lot less stressful.

9

These Colorful LED Strip Lights To Bring The Party (& Find Things You Dropped)

The Govee interior car lights is a 4-piece multicolor LED strip light kit that's waterproof and comes with adhesive tape to easily attach to your car without causing damage. This kit is powered by the cigarette-lighter plug in your vehicle and features a built-in mic with a setting to sync the lights to music. Plus, you can control it via the remote or an app on your smartphone.

10

A Sun Visor Organizer To Keep Essentials In Arm's Reach

Keep your car neat and all your essentials where you need them with this handy visor organizer. It features one large zipped compartment, five elastic pockets, one slip pocket, and a glasses clip. It's a great way to store sunglasses, charging cords, cards, and even documents.

11

A Cordless Hair Straightener That’s Rechargeable via USB

For last-minute touchups, this portable cordless hair straightener is a mini iron you can take anywhere. It has four temperature settings, titanium plates, and a compact 1-inch design to help you do touchups on the go. Plus, it charges via USB and provides up to 25 minutes of straightening at a time. On top of that, it has auto-shutoff too for peace of mind.

12

This Magnetic Dashboard Mount That's Strong Enough To Hold A Tablet

The WUTEKU flat magnetic cell phone holder is a car dashboard mount that’s not only easy to install with 3M adhesive strips but tough enough to handle the bumpiest of roads. It features six powerful magnets that allow you to attach heavy smartphones and even tablets to your dashboard. Plus, it's compatible with most models.

13

These Headrest Hooks That Hold Up To 40 Pounds Each

These car hooks keeps jackets, groceries, purses, and more off the floor. This set of two car hangers wraps around the metal headrest post and each hook can hold up to 40 pounds. With a 4.8-star overall rating, they're a clear fan favorite.

14

This Little Device That Offers Driving Data & Roadside Assistance

The Vyncs device provides real-time information like GPS location, driving alerts, and geofencing, as well as optional roadside assistance for a yearly subscription fee. All of the data can be accessed via your smartphone and it even monitors the health of your vehicle, sending push notifications with essential updates.

15

A Backup Camera With Parking Assistance For Your Rear View Mirror

This backup camera attaches to your rearview mirror to provide clear footage behind you day or night. It features a half-screen display that won’t block your view while driving, and there’s enhanced night vision and reverse assistant features so parallel parking can be easier.

16

An Auto Cleaner That Gets Into Awkward Corners

The TICARVE cleaning gel is a car detailing putty that helps clean all the cracks and crevices of your vehicle. It’s ideal for removing dust and dirt from your vents, console panel, cup holder, steering wheel, and even dashboard. Plus, it's super easy to use: Simply press it onto any surface or crack to remove dirt, hair, and dust. It has a fresh magnolia scent and is totally reusable.

17

A Laptop & Eating Tray For Your Car

Make the most of down time in your car with this car wheel desk that attaches to your steering wheel to prop up your laptop or use it as a mini table for a quick lunch or dinner break. It's a snap to add on and easy to put away, too. Choose from black or gray.

18

A Portable Fridge For Your Car

Keep your drinks and snacks cool with this portable car fridge. It works with both 12- and 24-volt DC and 110V AC power sources and features an LED display and one-touch controls to adjust temperature settings from -4 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit quickly. Items stay frozen for up to 10 hours after it's been disconnected from a power source, too.

19

This Car Cup Holder Adapter That Fits Big Cups & Water Bottles

This car cup holder adapter fits into your car’s cup holder securely holds large cups, glasses, and water bottles in place so they're in easy reach. Plus, the felt-lined bottom cuts down on rattling noises. This cup holder adapter fits most vehicles and can hold up to 48-ounce cups along with Hydro Flasks and other large water bottles.

20

This Side Pocket Console That Doubles Your Storage Space

This side pocket console adds more storage to your center console with space for two extra cups, cellphones, and wallets. Made with durable plastic and quality leather, this side pocket console wedges between the seats and easily wipes clean.

21

This Car Interior Cleaning Tool That Easily Gets Into Small Cracks

The manual sweeper brush on this car detailing tool helps clean up small messes quickly. Equipped with an LED light and a magnetic crack retrieval tool, you can easily see into small spaces between seats and pick up lost items including coins. As an added benefit, both sides of the brush are covered in velour, making it super useful for picking up pet hair and lint.

22

This Sleek Dual USB Charger Adapter The Charges Two Devices At Once

This dual USB adapter lets you charge two devices simultaneously, not to mention lightning fast. The zinc alloy body of this adapter is scratch-resistant, looks seamless in your cigarette lighter, and its compact size ensures that it never gets in the way.

23

This Full-Coverage Back Seat Protector That Creates A Safe Hammock For Your Dog

This back seat cover protector takes the fear and mess out of taking your dog along for a ride. With buckles that easily snap around headrests, you’ll have a full-coverage hammock protecting your backseat in less than 60 seconds. This car seat hammock is waterproof and scratch-proof while a nonslip backing and seat anchors keep it firmly in place.

24

This Glass Cleaning Tool That Helps You Clean Hard-To-Reach Places

Not only does this windshield cleaning tool give you an assist to easily clean hard-to-reach spots on your windshield, it can also come in handy around the house. The waffle-weave microfiber cloth attaches to the tool within seconds and cleans your windows to a lint-free streak-free shine. Wash the cloths to use it over and over again.

25

A Foldable Snack Tray That Works For Entertainment Or Laptops, Too

This Zone Tech car snack tray has two cup holders, a storage pocket, and a flat surface for eating comfortably in your car. You can also use it as a portable workstation and organizer. It has an enclosed pocket to store your smartphone and other small items while working on the go. Plus, it's foldable and can be hung on the back of your front seat to save space.

26

This Sticky Car Dashboard Mat That Holds Everything

This sticky car dashboard mat can be used to hold your keys, sunglasses, smartphone, and most other small gadgets, too. Since it’s a flat mat, it doesn’t obstruct your view and can even be used in your home office. It’s temperature-resistant, and no magnets, adhesives, or glue are needed. A quick clean with soapy water will renew its stickiness. Plus, you can cut it to the exact size you need.

27

A Cushion That Makes Your Armrest More Comfortable

Make long rides more enjoyable with the Timorn car armrest cushion. This ergonomic memory foam cushion relieves pressure while adding soft padded support to your armrest. It has two elastic straps that easily attach onto the car’s console lid. Plus, the straps are fully adjustable to fit all console sizes.

28

An Adjustable Phone Mount for Hands-Free Viewing

The Vansky car phone mount is a fully adjustable silicone mount with a unique pad design. It features two removable holders that you can adjust to fit devices 3.5 inches to 7 inches in size. It even works with GPS navigators like the Garmin or TomTom Go under 7 inches.

29

These Mini Dusters That Are Double-Ended & Multifunctional

Each of the three car vent dusters in this set are double-ended with one end having a cleaning cloth for removing dust and the other side a brush. They're great for your car air vent and shutter, but it also works around the home on things like keyboards or window blinds. It’s small size also makes it easy to store away in your car console or glove compartment.

30

A Portable Sleeping Pad With An Air Pump

Travel is easy with this inflatable car air mattress with a pump. This sleeping pad is designed to turn your backseat into an instant bed, and the air pump conveniently plugs into your lighter socket to inflate in minutes. It’s ideal for long road trips or even car camping.

31

These Sun Visor Mounts Hold Glasses Plus Important Cards

If you want to keep your glasses out of sight but in reach, these FineGood glasses holders are a breeze to attach to your sun visor. They rotate 180-degrees to hold your glasses either vertically or horizontally and won’t scratch your frames or leave any damage on your sun visor. Its handy clip design can be used to hold your credit cards and other essentials, too.

32

A Travel Case For Jump Starters & Other Tools

The Gooloo portable EVA travel case helps to keep all your car emergency supplies together and organized. This travel case stores most portable jump starters and is made of sturdy EVA and nylon to last. It also has a built-in mesh pocket for accessories. This case is shockproof, water repellent, dust-proof, and has a hand strap for easy carrying.

33

A Bottle Opener Keychain With Multiple Rings

This heavy-duty key chain bottle opener is made of heavy-duty zinc alloy so that it won’t rust, and with multiple holes, you can carry tons of keys at once. It also has a carabiner clip for easy access and is available in seven variations of silver, black, and gold to match your style.

34

A Handbag Holder That Keeps Your Purse Off The Floor

The Car Cache handbag holder fits snugly between the gap of your center console and front seats to hold your handbags in place even if you slam on the breaks. This mesh holder can also double as a barrier between the front and back seats. It’s available in both black and tan to match the interior of most vehicles.

35

A Portable Support Grab Bar That’s Also An Emergency Escape Tool

This vehicle support grab bar is a three-in-one safety tool that inserts into your door latch as an instant grab bar to make getting up easier. It also works as a window breaker and seat belt cutter for emergency situations. This tool only weighs a pound and can be stored in your glove compartment or handbag when not in use.

36

This Tray Fits Into Your Cup Holder & Spins For Easy Access

This handy swivel tray makes dining in your car easy and very accessible. It fits directly into your car’s cup holder to create a serving tray for your food drinks or even essential accessories. It can swivel between both the driver and front passenger seat and be adjusted for the ideal angle.

37

A Fire Tablet Holder For Your Headrest With Adjustable Angles

This car headrest tablet holder is a universal car mount that’s compatible with 7-inch to 10-inch Fire tablets. It features a holding clamp that allows you to adjust the angle for optimal viewing. Plus, you don’t have to take off your protective covers or tablet cases to attach. This holder is also foldable for easy storing.

38

A Space-Saving 4-in-1 Emergency Car Kit

The ISAVEU car safety kit saves tons of space while giving you peace of mind by providing four tools in one: a magnetic LED arrow warning light, a flashlight, a life-saving seat belt cutter, and a window breaker. Plus, it’s easy to use; all you have to do is unfold it to access each attachment, and it packs down small when you don't need it.

39

This Handheld Vacuum For Quick Cleanups

With a 12-volt motor, this handheld vacuum is a powerful ally for in the fight against the little messes in your car. The durable HEPA filter is washable so you can just rinse and reuse, and the bright LED lights illuminate dark spots for a thorough cleanup. This portable vacuum cleaner comes with three different nozzles so you can tackle any type of mess and a 16.4-foot cord for easy reach. It’s available in four different colors.

40

These Charcoal Air Purifying Bags That Eliminate Lingering Odors Naturally

These air purifying charcoal bags are an effective way to clear the air. Made with activated bamboo charcoal, these bags help rid your car or home of unwanted smells naturally. What’s even more awesome is that these charcoal bags can be recharged; just lay them out in the sun for an hour, and they’ll work like new again. Each order comes in a pack of eight.

41

This Battery Charger That Keeps Things Running Smoothly

If you don’t use your vehicle for days at a time or just want to improve your battery life, consider the Battery Tender to keep things running smoothly. This 12-volt gadget keeps your battery charged so it’s always ready and can even help bring a dead battery back to life. It comes with alligator clips and ring terminals for easy hookup.

42

This Windshield Repair Kit That Prevent Cracks & Chips From Getting Bigger

Small chips or cracks in your windshield can get pretty serious, pretty fast so save yourself the time and money of replacement with this windshield repair kit that minimizes the appearance of cracks and chips and stops them from spreading further. This kit allows you to remove air from the crack, fill it with resin, and let it cure, keeping the damage to a minimum. “I live in Montana where you regularly get various chips on your windshield as a way of life. In 2 years, I can get up to about 8 or 9 chips on my windshield. It is like I have a rock magnet in my car. Amazingly enough, this works to fill them in and make them so they are hardly noticeable,” one reviewer wrote.

43

This Tire Pressure Gauge That Makes It Easy to Extend The Life Of Your Tires

Having the right tire pressure reduces tire wear and improve gas milage, and this super-precise tire pressure gauge takes the guesswork out of checking your tire pressure with quick and accurate readings. This tire pressure gauge turns on easily with the press of a button and has an automatic-shutoff feature to conserve the battery.

44

This Steering Wheel Cover That Keeps Your Hands Comfortable In Any Season

This steering wheel cover keeps your hands warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Made with high-quality microfiber and viscose, the 15-inch cover fits most vehicles and is available in 14 colors to match any interior.

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