To help you determine which in-car air freshener fits your needs, we’ve put together a buying guide to steer you through the choices. We've also ranked the best air vent, plug-in and hanging fresheners available on Amazon, eBay, Tesco and Asda. From perfume deodorisers to luxury Yankee candles, we’re sure to have something for every ride.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of car air fresheners available and understand how our ranking was determined.
Image | 1 ![]() Jelly Belly | 2 ![]() California Car Scents | 3 ![]() Febreze | 4 ![]() Little Trees | 5 ![]() Sex Wax | 6 ![]() Yankee Candle | 7 ![]() Bliss | 8 ![]() Dirtbusters | 9 ![]() Qrity | 10 ![]() Diptyque |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | 3D Jelly Bean Air Freshener | Coronado Cherry Air Freshener | Car Air Freshener Odour Eliminator | New Car Fragrance | Mr Zogs Sex Wax Assorted Scents | Smart Scent Vent Clip | Creed Car Air Freshener | Vehicle Odour Eliminator | Car Aroma Diffuser | Car Diffuser With Baies Insert |
Features | A Fun, Fruity Option With Just the Right Strength | A Strong Freshener That's Both Organic and Completely Recyclable | Clear Out the Bad Odours and Replace Them With a Fresh Fragrance | An Affordable, Familiar Way to Get That Classic 'New Car' Smell | An Alternative Choice for Surfers and Camper Van Drivers | Perfect for Fans of Yankee's World Renowned Candles | A Classy Perfume Diffuser With a Rich, Woody Aroma | For Those Looking to Banish Smoke, Pet or Other Smells | A Plug-In Diffuser You Can Fill With Your Own Essential Oils | If You Want a Touch of Luxury, Look No Further |
Price | £2.75 | £3.48 | £10.49 | £5.69 | £9.00 | £9.99 | £12.99 | £10.95 | £13.99 | £79.00 |
Type | Mirror hanging | Can | Vent clip-on | Mirror hanging | Mirror hanging | Vent clip-on | Mirror hanging | Spray | Plug-in | Vent clip-on |
Scent | Blueberry, various | Cherry | Cotton fresh | New car | Strawberry, coconut and grape | Midsummers night, various | Creed perfume | Wild fig & cassis | Any oil you choose | Baies (fruity and floral) |
Deodorising | - | - | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes | - | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 21 days | Up to 60 days | Up to 30 days | Up to 30 days | Up to 14 days | Up to 30 days | - | - | - | Up to 3 months |
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You’ve no doubt seen these a thousand times: your Grandad has the classic green tree, and most other people you know have something that looks and smells similar. These old school classics work just as you would expect, and are placed on the rear-view mirror.
This is the cheapest option and the most likely to come in a multipack, so you know that you'll be getting your money's worth. However, their scent doesn’t usually have a very long lifespan, so you will have to change them out for a fresh one fairly often.
This style simply clips onto the air vent in your car. The best vent fresheners have a dial that allows you to control the width of the ventilation slots in the device, which in turn controls the intensity of the smell.
These also tend to have a longer-lasting scent than mirror hanging options. The downside is that you usually need to have the ventilation system on in the car when you want to use it.
This style is very straightforward – simply open the seal on the lid of the can and pop it somewhere in your car where it won’t rattle about. Similar to home fresheners, these cans contain a gel that should gently blanket any odours in your car.
Cans have a long-lasting scent, often sticking around for one to two months. You must place them carefully and somewhere where they’re unlikely to fall over, though, because if the gel bleeds out it could risk damaging or staining certain plastics or fabrics in your car.
This style will plug into the lighter port in your car and use the power to slowly heat the oil inside the glass, thus diffusing your chosen scent. Their X-factor is that you can use them for a boost of fragrance without wastage – once the odour you're trying to banish has faded, you can take them out until your car next requires a freshen up.
Plug-in fresheners also generally have a much stronger scent than the other options, and while this can be a good thing for many people, others may find them to be overpowering.
Spray-style car air fresheners also let you have a boost of fragrance as and when you need without wastage. They're a quick way to solve any odour problem but may leave small droplet stains.
If you’re a smoker, pet owner or frequent fast-food muncher, then we’d recommend not only looking for a pleasant smell, but also one that actively works to deodorise and remove any stubborn smells rather than just covering them up.
Another factor to consider is how sensitive your nose is. People vary from having two to six million olfactory sensors, which is why some of us can pick up other people’s smelly feet before others. If this sounds familiar, look for a scent that is a bit more neutral, such as a simple floral or fresh fragrance or a classic ‘new car smell’.
Banish unwanted smells from your car with car diffusers and essential oils too.
The duration can vary greatly from product to product and is often defined by the level of quality, but it's worth noting if you'd prefer something you can stick in the car and not have to think about for a while. On the other hand, you might like to change up the scent often as you would with home fragrances.
Gel-filled cans tend to last the longest with a lifespan of 1 to 2 months, followed by vent clip-ons which, depending on how much air you blow out, can last up to 30 days. Mirror hanging and plug-ins, meanwhile, typically last 7 to 14 days. The difference here is that you will be able to refill the plug-in fresheners, whereas you'll need to replace a mirror hanging type each time.
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£2.75
Type | Mirror hanging |
---|---|
Scent | Blueberry, various |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 21 days |
£3.48
Type | Can |
---|---|
Scent | Cherry |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 60 days |
£10.49
Type | Vent clip-on |
---|---|
Scent | Cotton fresh |
Deodorising | Yes |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 30 days |
£5.69
Type | Mirror hanging |
---|---|
Scent | New car |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 30 days |
£9.00
Type | Mirror hanging |
---|---|
Scent | Strawberry, coconut and grape |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 14 days |
£9.99
Type | Vent clip-on |
---|---|
Scent | Midsummers night, various |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 30 days |
£12.99
Type | Mirror hanging |
---|---|
Scent | Creed perfume |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | - |
£10.95
Type | Spray |
---|---|
Scent | Wild fig & cassis |
Deodorising | Yes |
Fragrance Duration | - |
£13.99
Type | Plug-in |
---|---|
Scent | Any oil you choose |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | - |
£79.00
Type | Vent clip-on |
---|---|
Scent | Baies (fruity and floral) |
Deodorising | - |
Fragrance Duration | Up to 3 months |
Written and researched by Lewis Clark
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