The Top Phone Mounts For Rideshare Drivers

One of the most important accessories for every Uber and Lyft drivers is a phone mount. These humble holders help keep you safe on the road and they’ll help your passengers feel safe too. In this video we’ll look at several popular phone mount options including window mounts, vent mounts, dashboard mounts, and more.

Check out the video, then read the transcript below to get the full story.

Ram X-Grip

First up is the RAM X-Grip. This rugged phone mount retails for around $50. But for it’s high price tag you’ll get some pretty cool features. Included with the mount, you’ll find adhesive for securing the rubber tips to the X-Grip arms as well as a tether for making sure your phone won’t fly away in high winds or other extreme use scenarios.

Installation is as easy as screwing the two halves together and twisting the suction cap block into place. The metal components make the X-Grip mechanism sturdy. It offers plenty of room for aux cables and charging cables, and you can also pick up an extension arm to mount your device further into the cabin if you have an extra deep dashboard. A single X-Grip holder can be moved to additional mounts for boats, motorcycles, and more. The X-Grip will hold phones up to three and a quarter inches wide. You’ll likely need both hands to insert your device.

I had a couple gripes with this mount. First, the arms on the X-Grip come awfully close to pressing my power and volume buttons, something that I suspect most smartphone users will have to watch out for when using this mount. Second, the X-Grip leaves room for the phone to rotate a little to either side, meaning you may find your phone drooping a bit if you’ve been driving over rough terrain. RAM’s numerous hardware and customization options are unmatched and the durability of this mount means it will stand up to years of daily use. For some drivers though, it’s high price tag may outweigh those benefits.

• The Ram X-Grip at Amazon.com

Kent Airframe and Airframe Plus

Next up, we have the Kenu Airframe and Airframe Plus. These come in at around $20 and $30 respectively. The regular Airframe will accommodate phones up to 2.8 inches wide and this Airframe Plus will accommodate larger phones up to 3.3 inches wide. When deciding on a mount, be sure to consider the width added by your phone’s case. Here we’ve got the Airframe Plus. The Airframe mounts to your car’s vents making it super light and easy to install. Soft rubber around the mount’s interior offers a firm grip and helps absorb shocks. Taking your phone out one handed will be a challenge, as this mount does get a pretty good hold on your device. On the other hand, you won’t be tempted to text and drive. This mount is super simple, making it the most user friendly mount we tested. It’s compact size and lightweight design also make it easy to move to different vehicles and it can be used with a wide variety of devices.

When considering a vent mount, be sure to look at how your cars vents are placed. In this car, mine are kind of angled so the mount ends up being a little angled also. Vent mounts may not be ideal if your vents are recessed too far back into the dashboard. Here in the south, having a vent mounted device in the Summer months is great and the concentrated AC will keep your phone from overheating. I haven’t noticed problems with heat during the winter or with the phone blocking airflow as it doesn’t block my whole vent but your mileage may vary. The Airframe has plenty of room for cables and so forth. You’ll still have to be careful of those side buttons but nonetheless, this mount is simple, secure, and foolproof, a great option for those looking for a compact and easy-to-use mounting solution. The Airframe Plus we’re giving away comes as part of a kit, which includes a car charger and cable. For most people however, it will be cheaper to purchase these items separately.

• Kenu Airframe
• Kenu Airframe +

Magnetic phone mounts

Next, we’ve got some magnetic options for you. Two considerations before we get started: first, the vast majority of phones won’t be damaged by magnets. Most phones use what’s called flash memory which, unlike the hard drives found in computers, won’t be corrupted or damaged by magnetic force. Second, magnetic mounts all require adhering a metal plate to the back of your phone to make it stick to the mount. These plates self-stick and work with a variety of phone surfaces. You can also stick them to your phone’s case rather than your actual phone but keep in mind that if you get a new phone, you may have to get a new backing plate too. One more thing, these metal plates will work with any magnetic mount so you won’t necessarily need to get the same brand if you do need to replace it.

Scosche mount

There are a few options from Scosche. Personally, I use this one. It’s an older model which is slowly being phased out but you can still find it on Amazon for around $20. It’s designed to mount on your windshield but I have it on the smooth part of my dash. The latest models include this dash mount and this window mount which are very similar. These retail for around $15 and $20 respectively. The dash mount sticks to your car using an adhesive. The base has flexible wings that can conform to the curves on your dashboard, whereas the window mount uses a suction cap. Each include a total of two backing plates for your phone which is super helpful and an extra piece of plastic trim which I found pretty unhelpful but hey, why not?

Setting this up is super easy. Remember to wipe of the surfaces before sticking things to them and be careful when applying so nothing ends up crooked. Because I have the smooth plastic part of my dash, I can use the suction mount at either place, but if your dash is textured or leather, you’ll need the dashboard specific adhesive version for this setup. As a dash mount, I actually like the old design better, as the flexible arm gives you more placement options. With the new ones, you won’t have an arm to extend so be sure to consider the design of your dashboard before making a selection. Nonetheless, I really like these mounts as they provide full access to the outside of the phone. Detaching and reattaching the phone to call or text passengers or update your GPS destination could not be easier. And although I was skeptical about the metal plate thing at first, the adhesive has held up flawlessly. If I had a thin case, I could probably even put the plate underneath and the magnets would still have enough strength to hold the phone through the case. The new designs even include a little clip on the back to hold your charging cable when not in use.

• Scosche Window MagicMOUNT
• Scosche Dashboard MagicMOUNT Pro
• Scosche Window MagicMOUNT Pro

WizGear – Economy option

Last but not least, we have an economy option from a company called WizGear. Retailing for less than 10 bucks on Amazon, this little guy is both vent mounted and magnetic, making it the most compact of all the mounts we looked at. For it’s size, it offers a grip that’s just as strong as it’s brand name competitors. It’s so strong in fact, that sometimes the mount comes right off the vent when you remove your phone. Not ideal but hey, it’s a ten dollar phone mount. Like the Scosche mounts, each Wizgear mount includes two sizes of backing plate. Interestingly, this one actually included three, although one of them didn’t have any adhesive backing on it, kind of weird. Not sure if that was intentional. You won’t get a cable clip on this one, but it will keep your phone cool in the summer, like our other vent mounted option. Again, the opposite may be true in winter so keep that in mind if your phone tends to overheat. Overall, this is a very functional phone mount at a great price, making it an ideal option if you’re on a tight budget.

• The WizGear at Amazon

To recap, we looked at five phone mounts: the RAM X-Grip, the Kenu Airframe, three flavors of Scosche magic mount, and Wizgear vent mount. Which option is best? It all depends on how your cabin is set up and where you’d like to mount your phone. No matter which one you choose, having your phone mounted will help improve your safety and maybe even your ratings. Remember, using our Amazon links below help support the site but it won’t cost you a penny extra. Thanks for watching and don’t forget to subscribe.