Best car air fresheners 2023

Jun 13, 2023

Unpleasant lingering odours inside your car can be caused by all kinds of things, such as a family pet or a previous owner who smoked.

So what is the best way to eradicate an unwanted stench and leave your car smelling fresh? The easiest and cheapest option is to buy a car air freshener. Air fresheners are designed to emit a specific scent and work faster when your air conditioning system is functioning. In fact, some air fresheners are known to reduce stress and improve your mood when you drive.

Nowadays car air fresheners come in all shapes and sizes: some are powered by a 12V or USB socket; others hang from the rear-view mirror, or are designed to clip on to an air vent.

But with so many options available, which air fresheners should you actually buy?

Here, we reveal the best air fresheners available today, while also outlining which ones you should avoid.

The Lynx car freshener impressed us for its easy installation and ability for its scent to fill the interior of our car quickly.

It comes with two scented sticks which slot neatly inside a case in the back of the air freshener, with the Lynx clipping seamlessly into the vent in the dashboard.

Although slightly bigger than other air fresheners in this test, the Lynx did not interfere with the use of the vent itself. The scent was subtle and tasteful, and at £4.95 the Lynx is good value, with the air-freshener claimed to last up to 30 days.

What Car? rating Five stars out of five

How we found the best air freshener

To determine which air fresheners were best, we assessed them for ease of installation, scent, how well the fragrance filled the interior and if any damaged the trim or impeded vision. Value for money was also considered in our test.

Our test car was equipped with air conditioning and a fan. In order to ensure all products were tested under the same circumstances, we switched the fan on and turned it to the number two setting and closed all the windows, so as not to impede air flow.

Proving that you don’t need to break the bank to get a good air freshener, the Little Trees is an easy-to-use option that smells great.

The included elasticated band is pliant, allowing for carefree installation over the rear-view mirror. It does hang reasonably low, but didn’t impede our vision out of the windscreen. It felt a little more flimsy than some of the other options in our test, though.

Even with our air conditioning fan on, the Little Trees air freshener fragrance successfully filled the inside of our test car, and the scent was just as pleasant as the Lynx.

What Car? rating Five stars out of five

It may be the most expensive air freshener in our test, but the Yankee Candle powered diffuser smells great and is easy to install.

The circular fragrance slots into the top of the diffuser, with the Yankee Candle powered by the 12V socket in your car. A blue LED light indicates that the diffuser is on, while a switch on the side of the air freshener allows you to control the fragrance strength.

During testing, the Yankee Candle scent took longer than the Lynx to fill the interior, and only hints of its fragrance could be detected in the back.

What Car? rating Four stars out of five

If you’re looking for an air freshener that gets to work quickly, the Febreze Car Cotton Fresh is a good choice.

Granted, the scent itself is strong – but not unpleasant – even with our air conditioning fan adjusted to the number two setting. Plus the air freshener’s scent radiated through the inside of the car well, even in the back.

The clip on the back of the air freshener is rigid, meaning you have to apply more pressure when slotting it into a vent, however, it did not damage any trim. And at £4.30, value for money is good too.

What Car? rating Four stars out of five

Price £4.30 | Buy from Amazon

The Frsh Scents Black Cherry has a claimed lifespan of up to 90 days, potentially making it the longest-lasting air freshener in our test.

Although the Black Cherry fragrance was subtle, its smell was pleasant and calming. It did take a bit longer for the Frsh Scents to fill the interior fully, however.

We were disappointed with the clip mechanism on the back of the Frsh Scents because it comes separately to the air freshener, making it fiddly to put together. Despite this, the Frsh Scent clipped on to the vent easily and did not damage any of the trim.

What Car? rating Three stars out of five

The Yankee Candle air freshener was easy to install and looped seamlessly around the rear-view mirror. It’s worth noting that the Car Jar is quite big and hangs lower than other air fresheners, although it didn’t impede our view out of the car.

The Clean Cotton scent is fresh, albeit intense. And you needn't set the air conditioning level high because the Yankee Candle fills the front of the car well; it’s harder to detect in the back, however.

It is more expensive than most disposable air fresheners, and its lifespan is no better than other options in this test.

What Car? rating Three stars out of five

Although the Air Wick’s scent is more appealing than other air fresheners in our test, it was significantly slower at percolating around the interior of the car.

This is due, in part, to the positioning of the Air Wick, which is intended to attach on to sun visors and door handles. Both the disposable and vent-mounted air fresheners in our test radiate their scent far quicker than the Air wick.

It does gain marks for its claimed 60-day lifespan, plus you can get a twin pack of the Water Burst scent for as little as £1.99 from some retailers.

What Car? rating Three stars out of five

Price £2.19 | Buy from Fabfinds

While the California Scents air freshener was robust and good quality, its Coronado Cherry scent was too powerful and intense to be enjoyed regularly.

Despite the strong fragrance, the air freshener filled the front of our test car’s interior well, but it was harder to detect the back.

It does hang quite low down when hooked on to the rear-view mirror, but the California Scents didn’t impede our view out of the car. Considering the air freshener costs £1.99, the California Scents present good value for money, but we’d recommend sampling its fragrance before you consider buying it.

What Car? rating Two stars out of five

Price £1.99 | Buy from Halfords

The Autoglym Car Air Freshener was very strong in terms of smell, and despite its cheap price tag it lacked overall quality. It’s also not the most exciting to look at, with the Yankee Candle and California Scents being more fun in their appearance.

However, it is much cheaper than some of the other disposable options in our test, with Status Car Care selling the Autoglym for less than £1.

The Autoglym air freshener was easy to install on the rear-view mirror due to the Autoglym’s wider hook, but ultimately it was the intensity of the fragrance that let it down.

What Car? rating Two stars out of five

It might look appealing, but the Jelly Belly was not to our taste, with its scent too sweet and overpowering for use on a regular basis.

The elasticated hook used to hang the Jelly Belly up also lacked quality, and the sticky plastics made the air freshener feel cheaper than many of the other fresheners in our test.

What Car? rating Two stars out of five

How we test products

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you buy using the links on our site, we may earn a commission, but this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

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