5 More Little-Known Car Gadgets Worth Trying For Yourself

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Most of us buy cars to get us from one place to another. However, the reason why some people choose to upgrade when possible is simply because it can make everything from everyday commutes to adventurous road trips more exciting. While not everyone can afford to get a fancier car, there are some little things we can add to make driving easier or more enjoyable. Some new car models have made a lot of tech devices obsolete, like CD or cassette players. 

But while many car features can actually be unnecessary, how useful things can be still depends on what kind of driver you are, how you use your car, and what already comes built into it. Thankfully, if you have an older vehicle, it doesn't mean you're doomed to miss out on the benefits of modern technology. These days, there are so many popular gadgets that can make your car feel new, like dash cameras, phone holders, and even fancy heads-up displays. But, what are some other gadgets that may not be at the top of your list, that might be able to change your commute? Here are some interesting options.

Using a combination of visual and auditory clues, the Aiuphing Car Parking Sensors can be a useful parking tool for people who don't have built-in rear cameras in their vehicles. With a detection distance of up to 2.5 m, it has a 20mm x 20 mm LED display that you can refer to when parking your vehicle. Capable of producing an alarm volume between 70 db to 85 dB, it has an operating distance of 0.3 or 0.4 m to 1.5m. In addition, Aiuphing shares that it also has other neat features like after-vibration elimination that helps reduce false alarms and anti-interference wires, so it doesn't mess with other signals from your car.

Retailing for $16.90, Aiuphing's Car Parking Sensors can be bought in either black or silver. With an average rating of 4.2 stars from over 700 Amazon reviewers, it's also an Amazon's Choice product, which means it's not only reasonably-priced and highly-rated, but can also be shipped immediately. A lot of satisfied users mention how it's a quality product that is both cheap and easy to install. However, one professional mechanic cautions that it's not entirely made to last through extreme temperatures. Plus, one usersmentioned that it's prone to giving false alarms. If you want to make parking more convenient at home, you might also want to add a few parking-related gadgets in your garage as well, like smart control systems and laser parking guides.

When the cold weather season rolls around, you'll need to invest in different ways to avoid winter car troubles, such as cold weather-specific battery maintenance, tire care, and fluid checks. But, one thing that you definitely do regularly when the snow starts blanketing your vehicle? Defrosting your windscreen. When it comes to safely defrosting your windshield, you'll usually need to use a de-icer spray with a scraper, brush, or squeegee. But, if you want a more high-tech solution, the Kärcher Edi4 Windscreen Defroster can save you a lot of time, effort, and cold hands.

A compact, handheld solution that you can use to defrost your windshield with just a push of a button, it has blades that easily scrape off any lingering ice outside of your car. Weighing just 1.19 lbs, it is powered by two Lithium ion batteries. Retailing for $101.90, Kärcher's Edi4 battery-operated Windscreen Defroster has garnered an average rating of 4.4 stars from more than 5,000 people on Amazon. Among them, about 87% have given it an impressive rating of at least four stars. In general, buyers thought that despite being a little unnecessary, it works pretty well. However, not everyone is happy. Among one-star reviews, a few users who shared that it was missing cables out of the box and not being satisfied with the battery life. Additionally, there were also several users who cautioned that it led to scratches on their windows.

Previously, we've mentioned how the Gintenco Magnetic Car Windshield sets itself apart from the crowd with magnetic edges and wiper protection features. One of the highest-rated car snow covers on Amazon, it is made of four foldable layers that make it durable and resistant to high temperatures. In addition, the set comes with a pair of side mirror covers. While it's marketed for snow protection, it can also be used to protect your car from rain, dust, and leaves.

So far, Gintenco's Windshield Covers holds an average rating of 4.4 stars from more than 1,700 Amazon users. With prices starting at $20.99, it's available in three sizes (small, large, and x-large), which fit everything from cars to trucks. If you're not sure what to get for your car, Gintenco has dimensions on the Amazon listing page. Many reviewers share that they think it's easy to put on and remove, doubles as side mirror security covers, and how the magnets keep it down. In fact, someone mentioned liking it so much they gifted it to friends and family.

That said, some users thought it could benefit from more magnets, it had poor fit for their car, and the elastic straps breaking. A couple of people also said that it let water slip beneath it, causing it to freeze underneath. And take note, there was one comment about it leaving behind oily residue, which affected visibility. Although, this seems to be an isolated issue.

Depending on how big your family or how long your planned roadtrip, EUHOMY offers portable refrigerators in three different sizes (19 QT, 26 QT, and 47 QT). All models come with an LED display and integrated app, wherein you can control the temperature and mode. Not to mention, you can power them via an AC wall socket, power station, or the 12V/24V power cord in your car. For its smallest size, which can fit in smaller vehicles, EUHOMY says that it can fit up to 24 330 mL cans. Measuring 22.36 inches x 12.6 inches x 11.34 inches, its 19-quart portable refrigerator also features a magnetic seal to help keep it cool for long.

With prices that start at $149.99, the three EUHOMY Portable Refrigerator models have collectively generated an average rating of 4.6 stars from more than 1,700 people. Tagged as an Amazon's Choice product, it's no wonder that most buyers tend to be satisfied with its performance with a large majority (90%) rating it roughly 4 stars. Some of the ways some happy customers used it included keeping dog food frozen during moves, off-grid activities, and cross-country road trips. Apart from accurate temperature control, people liked how you can't hear it when your car is on and how they can change up how they power it. Although, there were a few users who thought it could use a drain plug and had issues turning it on after extended storage.

If you want something that can keep your car air fresh while serving as a unique conversation starter, Kwak's Solar Energy Rotating Refillable Air Freshener may be one cool option. Available in black or red, this refillable air freshener uses ocean scent fragrance beads that are made to produce a subtle scent and easily be swapped out when finished. In a compact 2.75 inch by 2.5 inch size, it's small enough not to cause a significant obstruction on your dashboard, wherein you can attach it via tape. Priced at $16.99, Kwark's air freshener has been rated 4.1 stars on average by over 2,100 Amazon users. 

Some reviewers mentioned being surprised how fast the spinning can get and how passengers tend to comment on it upon noticing. As for its sticking quality, there have been mixed reviews. While some users said it held well in their moving vehicles, others cautioned that it bounced off after a particularly bumpy ride and the built-in tape wasn't enough to keep it stable. They recommend buying double sided tape for the attachment. Lastly, a recurring complaint from users is that they didn't think it released enough fragrance. Although, it's important to note that air fresheners can only do so much. For example, if your car is a little dank because of pets, you may want to pet-proof your vehicle in other ways, like seat liners, door protectors, and air purifiers.

To come up with this list of gadgets, we included items that meant to augment the existing features in your car. With this, we made sure to include options that aren't so typical or readily-available even in most modern vehicles. To help manage manufacturing consistency, we made sure to select gadgets that have at least 500 reviews. In the same vein, we opted to only include those with a generally positive rating of at least four stars, which indicates a general sense of satisfaction from buyers. In addition, we took note of products that were listed as top options in category among other SlashGear lists, as well as if they've been tagged as Amazon's Choice products. To help you make a decision on whether or not it's worth the purchase, we included both what people loved and didn't like about each product. Lastly, we choose products that didn't have a history of being tagged as frequently returned by customers.