5 Cool New Dashboard Gadgets Worth Buying If Your Car Feels Outdated

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Thanks to innovation in car gadgets and accessories, as well as growing demand, the dashboard accessories market is expanding rapidly. That means you now have plenty of affordable options to modernize your old car and keep it relevant and enjoyable for longer.

After reviewing hundreds of car accessories, we've narrowed down the top 5 dashboard gadgets that can help you ditch the outdated car experience without buying a new vehicle. Our picks include an anti-slip rubber pad, a radar detector, an air purifier, a Bluetooth transmitter, and the Amazon Echo Auto. All of them can be placed on your car's dashboard, offering plug-and-play convenience.

Together, they can significantly improve your car's functionality. In addition to making every drive more enjoyable with hands-free calling, music, and even direct control of your home's smart lights while you're on the road, they can also improve your safety by cleaning the air inside your car and warning you about speed traps. 

An anti-slip rubber pad is the perfect solution if you want to safely keep items such as phones, sunglasses, keys, baby cameras, and even car dashboard gadgets you're traveling with secure and within reach. The anti-slip rubber pad by BLAU GRUN measures 10.63 by 5.91 inches and has an impressive 4.3-star rating after 3,000 reviews on Amazon. It can firmly hold lightweight items, ensuring they don't fall even during bumpy drives, sharp turns, or sudden braking.

Reviewers love how simple it is to set up. Just unpack it, tear off the film, and stick it on your car's dashboard. Ensure that the dashboard is flat, or at least close to flat, so it sticks properly. You can also remove the rubber pad without worrying about any leftover residue. Another advantage is its reusability. If it gets dirty and the stickiness is affected by dust, you can simply rinse it under running water, clean it, dry it, and it will be back to nearly new condition.

Additionally, its crisscross grid design ensures better friction, and its PVC build makes it soft with good elasticity, meaning it stays in shape and lasts a long time. In addition to your car's dashboard, you can also use it in places such as the bathroom, kitchen, or workspace. The only caveat reviewers have noted is that while it works great in colder temperatures, it can be prone to melting in strong sunlight. They recommend removing it if your car is parked in the sun for a long time. 

If your old car does not have built-in voice command and control capabilities, consider getting the latest Amazon Echo Auto for just $55. It has over 7,000 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.2 out of 5, and reviewers particularly praise how effortlessly it works. All you have to do is place it on your car's dashboard, ideally on top of a hard surface, and connect it using either auxiliary input or Bluetooth to your car's speakers.

Next, just say "Alexa," followed by your command to play music, podcasts, news, audiobooks, live radio stations, or even receive and send calls and messages hands-free while you're driving. Another handy use is for people with smart home gadgets that support Alexa. They can use their car's Echo Auto to control devices back home, including turning smart lights and thermostats on or off and checking that their door is locked.

It comes with five built-in mics, which make it capable of hearing your voice even in loud environments such as traffic or when music is playing. In addition to a USB connection, it also comes with a cigarette-lighter adapter, making it ideal for older cars. Finally, and most importantly, you don't have to worry about trading privacy for convenience, as the Echo Auto comes with strong privacy controls. This includes a dedicated button to turn off the mic, plus you get the option to delete your voice recordings.

Outdated cars are generally low-tech, and they may even lack everyday essentials like Bluetooth, USB charging ports, hands-free calling, and ambient lighting. Now, getting separate accessories to solve each of these issues and smart-ify your car is not only a long-winded process, but it can also be expensive. The solution? The LIHAN Bluetooth Car Adapter. It costs just $16, has an outstanding 4.4-star rating on Amazon after 16,000 reviews, and is one of the most comprehensive car gadgets you can find right now.

Just plug it into your car's cigarette port, and it instantly offers Bluetooth, FM radio, and three charging ports — USB-C, USB-A, and QC 3.0. According to the manufacturer, these charging ports are up to 50% faster than what you typically get in a car. Reviewers particularly love how they can bring their usual streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube to older cars without any complex installation. One reviewer highlighted its impressive value for money, saying that despite being this cheap, the music was loud and they could speak and hear clearly during calls. This is made possible by LIHAN's built-in microphones with noise cancellation.

There's also a dedicated button on the transmitter's interface that lets you receive, reject, hang up, or redial calls with a simple press or hold. Its dynamic ambient lighting comes with seven vibrant color options, allowing you to increase your car's style quotient while also improving the overall driving experience. It's also completely safe to use. It meets all FCC standards and includes protection against short circuits, overvoltage, overcharging, and overheating.

No, a portable purifier doesn't have to occupy a cupholder, make a lot of noise, or feel out of place. The LUFTRUM Car Air Purifier comes with a four-stage filtration system and claims to remove 99.9% of pollutants inside your car, including exhaust fumes, chemicals from plastic materials, bad odors, pollen, and dust. It costs $110, with reviewers saying it offers excellent bang for the buck thanks to a service life of up to 60,000 hours and lifetime technical support.

It takes just six minutes to clean a seven-person car. For smaller sedans, it can purify the air in just two minutes. We like that its fast-rotating fan works under 30 decibels, meaning it's quieter than a whisper. While you do get a manual option to adjust the fan speed, it also comes with an automatic on/off mode. When enabled, the purifier turns on and off along with your car, making it feel like a built-in part of the vehicle rather than an extra road trip car accessory.

It weighs less than 1 pound and measures 2.95 x 10.82 x 7.48 inches, so you can easily place it on your upper dashboard without worrying about obstructing your view. One of its most underrated qualities is its cloth-like, minimal design, which helps it blend seamlessly with your car's interior. Also, since it runs on just 4W of power, you can choose not to use the cigarette lighter adapter and simply plug it into your dashboard's USB port.

The Escort Max 360c Radar Detector is admittedly a niche purchase (it's priced at $570), but it's worth considering if you enjoy long road trips and want to stay clear of speeding tickets. Of course, the idea isn't to bypass hidden patrol cars or sudden speed traps, but to identify them early enough to brake safely and follow all road rules. Sudden braking, after all, can be hazardous and cause accidents. Speaking of braking early, one of the standout features of the Escort Max 360c is its rapid signal processing, which gives you ample time to slow down.

It also has built-in intelligence software that learns the routes you regularly take to improve its false-alert filtering system. Plus, thanks to strong 360-degree detection, you'll be alerted to threats from all four directions. Even better, it uses directional arrows to show exactly where the threat is coming from. Boasting an excellent 4.2-star rating on Amazon, users have praised its simple setup, highlighting how it can be directly plugged into your car's OBD2 port. This means it doesn't occupy any charging ports or your cigarette lighter, leaving room for your day-to-day car accessories.

Another user praised its ability to update automatically over Wi-Fi, saying it helps keep the radar modern and extends its longevity. Once mounted on your car's dashboard, you can pair the Escort Max 360c with compatible CarPlay and Android Auto displays, as well as your smartphone, tablet, or even a dashcam.

Our first priority was to select only gadgets that can be placed on your car's dashboard, whether that's the upper dashboard or in and around the infotainment system. This saves you the trouble of finding dedicated storage space in your car and ensures these gadgets are easy to access and interact with.

We didn't rely solely on manufacturers' claims and instead looked at actual user reviews, ratings, and long-term experiences users might have had to craft unbiased recommendations. Plus, none of the products are sponsored picks. Each was selected after scouring hundreds of options and analyzing reviews and ratings to pick the very best ones for you. Finally, to make sure all the products are easily accessible, we only chose items that are currently available on Amazon.