The 10 Best Car Air Fresheners
Special Honors
Bel-Air Fresheners Enough with the cliché flavors of the past; Bel-Air puts creative options on the table for all types, from fruit-lovers (banana, mango, watermelon, raspberries) to nature fans (dark frost, eucalyptus, rain). They’re designed to slowly dispense freshness for two weeks, at which point you’ll probably want to bust out a replacement. belairfresheners.com
Suavecito Car You know that invigorating, masculine scent that tends to linger after a visit to the barber shop? That’s what pomade producer Suavecito aims to recreate. Pair this model with a grooming product, then prepare for an onslaught of positive feedback from those who get a whiff of your car or your hair. suavecito.com
Gent Scents Subscription services are all the rage these days, and Gent Scents has emerged as an intriguing option on the air freshener front. Each month, they’ll deliver a unique, elegant-looking item to your door, in a variety of scents that may include orange spice, musk, cedar, or teakwood and tobacco. gentscents.com
Editor's Notes
August 28, 2020:
When it comes to car air fresheners, it's important to remember that there are some odors that are stubborn and will not go away without a fight. You also need to consider the climate you live in, as hotter temperatures usually dissipate fragrances more quickly. And if you're using a selection that clips to your vents, like Febreze Gain Original, and run your air conditioner often and on high, they won't last very long. It's also good to know that some of the items in this category will mask bad smells with fragrances and some actively work to neutralize them, but if you're worried about air purity then you should consider a car air purifier in lieu of or in addition to one of these.
Charcoal options like the Purggo Purifier and newly-added Moso Natural are great for those who are sensitive to strong scents and want something to passively keep their vehicle clean and free of odors, but if you're a smoker or are dealing with a car that has a scent almost permanently imbued in its carpets — like the notorious "crayon" smell that many Volkswagens have — then these likely won't help with that.
This list had a great balance of options that we maintained during the latest update, so you'll find gels, sprays, old-school hanging paper models like the Little Trees Home, and all-natural options like the aforementioned charcoal items and the TT-Star Aromatherapy, which uses the essential oils of your choice. We said goodbye to a handful of selections to make room for the newcomers, which included the Air Spencer CS-X3, a Japanese model that many auto enthusiasts have sworn by for years. It gives off a very distinctive scent that smells vaguely of fruity candy and surprisingly doesn't look too unsightly on the dashboards of most cars.
June 26, 2019:
The Ezoir Ionizer was no longer available, so we took it off the list. Even though the Yankee Candle Midsummer’s Night is still available, we decided to eliminate that as well, since numerous reports indicate that the fragrance is extremely weak (and isn’t particularly pleasant if you actually can smell it). Also removed the Sensible Needs Eliminator — too many users complain that it makes little to no impact on the scent within a vehicle.
These subtractions necessitated the addition of several items. The Ozium Eliminator are an interesting new choice, especially for those who would prefer not to display their air freshener for the world to see. They come in gel form, which allows the user to keep the odor-fighting product hidden under seats or even concealed somewhere in their home. On the flip side, we wanted to include an option geared toward those who do want to add some flair to their car — the RoyAroma Acorn is a decorative, rustic wooden nut that hangs from the mirror and doubles as an essential oil diffuser for revitalizing the stagnant air in the vicinity.
We’d say the most inventive item on the list is probably the Gent Scents option, found in the Special Honors Section. As you know, no freshener is permanent — which is why this subscription service makes so much sense. It will deliver one new masculine aroma to your door every month to replace the previous version once it wears off.