It is a sad truth that there is no such thing as a universal mount to hold the mobile devices we put in our cars and trucks. In addition, almost all of our devices are powered by disgustingly huge cigarette lighter plugs because most cars do not have USB ports. On top of that, most modern car dashboards can’t hold anything because they’re bulbous and curvy due to airbag systems.
Here are the mobile mount options we have available:
Cup holder mount
This will easily hold a smartphone or like-sized device like a Garmin or TomTom GPS, however more often than not it’s decidedly inconvenient. Typically these mounts get in your way, and you have to sacrifice your cup holder just to use it. On some cars, this means you’re left with no cup holder as a few only have one.
Clip-on vent mount
This mount style is a hit-or-miss. Either it will work exactly the way you want or it won’t work at all. You also have to take into consideration that you can only mount where a vent is.
Suction mount – Windshield
This is the mount style most of us opt for because it’s the most convenient. Garmin and several other GPS devices come provided with these. Many use a ball mounting system that gives you the most control over the angle of the screen.
Suction mount – Plate
This is what I personally use. You stick a small self-adhesive round plate on the dashboard, then apply the suction mount to the plate. Works nicely and decreases "dashboard dive" (when the mount loses suction and the device falls over) significantly.
Suction mount – Gooseneck
Large and ugly, but gets the job done and has almost as much maneuverability as a ball-style system.
Gooseneck – Drilled plate
This is where a plate is physically drilled into the floor and the gooseneck attached to said plate afterward. Definitely the most rugged of the bunch, and your mounted device never moves – a big plus.
Friction Mount ("Bean Bag")
I used one of these for a while before going to the plate as mentioned above. It is what you think it is, a bean bag with a rubber bottom and custom mount on top for whatever device you’re attaching to it. These last a good long while but eventually start to get ugly from getting beat on by the sun (the black turns gray-ish).
In-dash clip-in
A wonderful integrated solution but very difficult to locate as it’s dependent on make and model of car. This is where you take your device such as an iPhone or GPS device and clip it right into the stereo area of the center stack.
Non-slip rubber dashboard mat
This technically isn’t a mount, it’s just a mat. But oh, what a convenient mat it is. Note: Don’t do what the image on the link shows, because the mat is blocking the passenger side airbag. Dumb, dumb, dumb. If you use a mat, use in the center or above the gauge pod – but never over an airbag. Even if you never have passengers in your car, if you’re ever in an accident and the airbag deploys while you have stuff on top of it, that stuff can be hurled your way and possibly kill you.. which defeats the whole purpose of the airbag in the first place.
Custom-to-vehicle clip-in
This is most likely going to be my next method of mounting a mobile device. ProClip manufactures mounting systems specific to your make and model of car. It is a tool-free clip-on and installs in less than 2 minutes – literally. Simply choose the make and model of car, then the make and model of mobile device, and ta-da, there’s the exact mount you need to buy.
What’s your mobile mount(s)?
Which do you use from the above? Or do you use something custom and unique?
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