These Are the Best Car Air Fresheners Keep Your Ride Smelling Fresh (2024)

There's a reason we named these the best car air freshener in our roundup of the best air fresheners for every room in your home. The minimalistic design looks at home on your car's dashboard, they start working instantly as your car circulates hot or cold air and they can last up to a month. One tester was particularly enthused by the design, saying, "It's nice and small, and the black color blends perfectly into my vents and leather dashboard". Some Amazon reviewers have also noted the vent clip design is preferable to a swinging or hanging air freshener which can distract while driving.

In our testing, we noticed the scents may be a bit overbearing after first installing, but these clips are equipped with a dial on the back that lets you adjust the amount of fragrance released so you can easily tune them to your preferences.

This innovative pick from Meguiar's works a little differently from the rest of the air fresheners on our list. While most spray bottle air fresheners simply have you spray an inconspicuous place in your car, this air freshener is a "scent bomb" that claims to eliminate odor by using the air circulation in your car. Simply close all your windows and doors, turn your air conditioner on high, and activate the canister's locking trigger. Leave the car for 15 minutes, then open all the doors and allow your vehicle to air out for an additional 10-15 minutes before hitting the road.

While it isn't as expedient as many other air fresheners, more than 20,000 5-star reviews on Amazon attest to its efficacy. We didn't get a chance to test this one in the Lab for ourselves, but the glowing reviews and innovative dispersal method made it undeniably appealing.

These hanging air fresheners are a massively popular pick for keeping your car smelling nice year-round. They're simple, easy to install, and do exactly what they claim — replace your less palatable car scents with more preferable ones. We are particularly impressed with the sheer number of scents available (over 32 on Amazon!).

While some drivers may not like the distraction of a dangling item in their view, we can't help but admire the simplicity that these offer. If you don't want to hang it from your mirror, you can get creative and tie it around a vent adjuster, door handle or even a headrest. And who said you had to keep them in the car? They're versatile enough to hang anywhere you want a fresh boost.

For the individualist who wants their car scent to stand out among the masses of green pastures and ocean breezes, we present the Air Spencer CS-X3. This refillable air freshener sits atop the dashboard to eliminate foul car odors.

The name is a bit of a misnomer in that this air freshener doesn't actually smell like squash — it has a citrusy sweet scent that many reviewers have compared to Ramune, a popular Japanese soft drink. Since this is a Japanese import product, getting refills might not be as convenient as some of our other picks, but how cool will you sound when you tell passengers that you import your air freshener?

We love just how beautiful this car air freshener is. The wood block is soaked in essential oil and has an organic, minimalist appeal. It clips into the car's sun visor using an included clip. Drift offers a subscription model so that when your old freshener starts to fade, you'll have a new one at the ready for your use.

While we didn't get to try this model in the Lab, we were wowed by its design and equally impressed with the scents offered by Drift — many of which, like coffee and teak, we've never seen before for car air fresheners. We also loved the "scent of the month" option which features seasonally limited edition scents curated for the specific time of year.

If you don't like the feeling of a vent clip blowing scented air toward your face as you drive, a more subtle approach may be better. Chemical Guys makes a great-smelling air freshener in a spray format that lets you have more control over your air freshening application.

Testers were pleased by the spray's uniquely sweet and leathery scent that some Amazon reviewers compared to the Air Spencer CS-X3, meaning this may well be a more accessible dupe. While we liked the spray format, we noticed that upon first using it, the nozzle can get a little clogged and deposit more of a stream of liquid than a true mist, so you may want to do a couple of test sprays before applying to avoid depositing too much at once.

If you're looking for a lot of options and a wide selection of both familiar and seasonal scents, look no further than Bath & Body Works. The shopping mall staple offers a variety of different vent clip styles so you can customize your dashboard, and the multitude of scents will appeal to those who like to switch it up.

One consumer tester noted they are strongly scented, and as such may not be for those who are easily overwhelmed. They also emphasized just how large the scent selection is and how they enjoyed being able to pick their favorite familiar Bath & Body Works scents for use in their vehicle. With over 25 scents currently available online, even the pickiest connoisseur of scent is sure to find something agreeable.

Since the decision of which car air freshener to use is so personal, we're always impressed with products that give the consumer as many options as possible. The Yankee Candle Sidekick features dispensers in vent-clip, visor-clip and hanging forms that all take the same refill.

A starter kit contains one dispenser and two refills, each of which is claimed to last for 30 days. Though we didn't have the opportunity to test the Sidekick in the Lab, we appreciated the novelty of using the same refills for different forms of car air fresheners. It seems so obvious, yet it's so uncommon! We also loved that there are scents that mimic some of Yankee Candle's most beloved candle scents like Pink Sands and Clean Cotton. If you're already a fan of the brand's candles, you'll easily find a perfect freshener for your car.

✔ Type: Car air fresheners come in a variety of formats that each have their benefits. Hanging fresheners are the easiest to set up. Vent clips won't obscure your field of vision as you drive and instantly start working once the air begins to circulate. Sprays give you more exact control over how much deodorizing you need, and the "scent-bomb" format lets you make sure every nook and cranny of your vehicle is pleasantly fragranced. When making the decision, consider what's most comfortable when you're driving, and any risks inherent to the type (more on that below).

✔ Scent: Just like household air fresheners, car air fresheners are available in just about every scent you could imagine. This is an area of personal taste rather than objective truth, so you'll want to pick something that you know you and any regular passengers enjoy. If you or any passengers have fragrance sensitivities, a more thorough and regular car cleaning may be a better route than installing an air freshener.

✔ Safety: Consider both the safety of the driver and passengers when choosing your car air freshener. If the driver is apt to be distracted by a swinging object hanging from the rearview mirror, consider vent clips or a spray. If you have kids, make sure they cannot access your air freshener, as many fragrances are irritating and may be harmful if swallowed. Exercise caution and do not remain in the vehicle while using a "scent-bomb" type air freshener.