5 Expensive Car Accessories Users Say Are Worth Buying

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Many of us spend a large amount of time in our cars, whether it's on our daily commutes to work, off-road weekend adventures, or camping trips that can span entire days at a time. Because of this, it's no wonder that many of us treat our vehicles like our extended homes (and spend like it is too). For people looking to upgrade their driving experience, there are plenty of budget-friendly car accessories that you can choose from. 

For options under $10, you can find cosmetic upgrades like lighting or functional upgrades, such as phone holders, organizers, and cleaning supplies. There's even a ton of gadgets that can turn your older vehicle a little bit smarter, which include USB-C chargers or AUX to Bluetooth adapters. 

There will always be drivers who will be looking to cut corners on things that don't particularly move the needle for them. However, if you're the kind of person who leans towards the finer things in life, there are also expensive car accessories that users with a little more budget swear are worth paying for. While many of them share similar features to their relatively affordable competition, they typically have unique features, whether it's a patented design, built quality, smart add-ons, or other types of technology that isn't as readily available. Here are a few that a lot of users, reputable publications, and award-giving bodies swear by.

WeatherTech is known for being a proudly American manufacturing brand. While it produces a ton of different automotive products from deflectors, roof racks, to seat protectors, it does have a strong reputation of being one of the best car mat brands out there. In general, many people think it is worth the splurge, especially its FloorLiner HP line up, which can be fully recycled. Unlike floor mats from other brands, it's crafted to fit each vehicle precisely with high walls, avoiding shifting, and having non-slip nibs.

While the prices will vary depending on the car model, a full set for the Kia Telluride retails for $339.85 on Amazon, which more than 60 customers rated 4.8 stars. Across sets for other car models, it has consistently been rated above 4 stars with many users mentioning that while it's pricey, it tends to be durable, fit like a glove, and worth the money. On Auto Accessories Garage, they've been rated an impressive 4.9 stars by more than 170 reviewers with mostly 5 stars for its quality, performance, and appearance. many reviewers also confirmed that its installation time was instant.

By comparison, some of its competitors, such as the 3W Floor Mats, go for less than half the price at $159.99 (for the Kia Telluride). The good news is that if you do decide to buy it from the WeatherTech website, you can get both discounted or free shipping (for orders over $250).

There's very little argument around how many people think electric coolers are worth it. While how much people are willing to spend on it is still up for debate, there's one premium brand that consistently gets recommended for those with bigger budgets: Dometic. As of writing, Dometic lists 19 models under its premium CFX5 range that you can choose from, which includes their standard powered coolers to those with other practical off-grid features like dual-zone and ice making. 

In its independent review, Gear Lab notes that the Dometic CFX 45 is the best out of the 11 electric coolers it tested, besting models from other popular brands like Anker, Igloo, and EcoFlow. Dometic has long been a favorite for people who live in their vehicles. It's even part of why we think the Black Series HQ19 is one of the coolest camping RVs. We've also mentioned before that the Dometic CoolMatic CD 30 was one of the most popular campervan fridges in 2023.

On Amazon, the Dometic CFX5 series is lumped together with its CFX4 series, and its product listings have been collectively rated 4.2 stars on average by over 700 customers. A user did note that they owned models from both series but found that the CFX5 95DZ model was significantly better in terms of quietness and cooling speed. The CFX5 Series also secured a win from the 2025 ISPO Awards, being labelled as "the future of off-grid cooling."

While it's part and parcel for roof boxes to slow down your vehicle, investing in a good quality one can make all the difference, like the Thule Motion 3. Designed specifically to maintain fuel efficiency, it has versatile sizes and an easy to mount system. It's also designed with full trunk access in mind. Available in five sizes (L, XL, XL Low, XXL, and XXL Low), prices for the Motion 3 range between $1,099.95 to $1,249.95 on the official Thule website. 

It's sold in black and gray for its L to XXL variants, but you can only have the XXL Low model in black. If you want to tack on some useful accessories, the Thule Motion 3 Box essential bundle includes the unit itself, a roof box liner, box lid cover, and cargo box light, and it starts at $1,359.80.

Despite its relatively high prices, the Thule Motion 3 models have been consistently well-received by both professional and independent reviewers. On the Thule website, the average general rating varies between models. However, its highest rated offer is the XL Low, which boasts a 4.8-star average rating from 24 customers. In recent times, the Motion 3 also won both the 2024 iF Design Award. Aside from roof boxes, Thule also offers other luxury storage options, like hitch cargo carriers, roof baskets, cargo carrier bundles.

These days, plenty of cars already come with built-in dashcams, like the Mini Cooper, Toyota Camry, BMW 8 Series, and the Tesla Model 3. If your car doesn't have one yet, we've mentioned before that it's a must-have upgrade for things like protecting yourself from insurance fraud or finding out where that random scratch came from. In the past, we've discussed how some expensive dash cams might be a waste of money for the average person. However, for people with more budget, premium options like the VIOFO A329S could make you change your mind. 

On the VIOFO website, it lists four models to choose from: the $379.99 A329S 1CH (front camera), $459.99 A329S 2CH (front and rear camera), $449.99 A329S 2CH-IR (front and fisheye cabin camera), and $519.99 A329S 3CH (front, rear, and cabin camera). The excellent 4K 60 FPS video is highlighted among users, and there's also five parking modes, a built-in GPS logger, and a broad operating temperature of between -20 degrees Celsius to 65 degrees Celsius, or from -4 Fahrenheit to 149 Fahrenheit. 

Other unique aspects include the ability to record on up to 4TB solid state drives (SSDs), Wi-Fi connectivity, four different satellite systems, plus a few smart features, like geofencing, and voice control. On Amazon, both two-channel and three-channel models have been rated above 4.4 stars by more than 190 customers on average. If you buy it directly from VIOFO, it has a 14-day return policy and 18-month warranty protection.

It's a universally annoying experience to wait for your car to either cool down or warm up before you can comfortably use it, especially when you live in harsher climates. While there are some tricks you can do to cool down without A/C, you can also get a two-way remote that locks and starts your car, like the Compustar CS4905S-Kit. 

As long as it has an automatic transmission, the Compustar CS4905S-Kit is compatible with all kinds of powertrains, like diesel, electric, gasoline, and hybrid. Its remote features include start, cold temperature start, and timed start. As well as starting, you can also turn off the vehicle, and there's a valet mode. You can also preset your preferred temperature, so it's comfortable to ride from the get-go. Aside from two-way notifications on the water-resistant remote itself, it also includes a bypass module, and you can use a tie-in smartphone app.

Retailing for $549.99, the Compustar CS4905S-Kit lets you remotely start your car from up to 3,000 ft away. There is also an option for 12-month financing, so you can get it for around $45 per month on Best Buy, wherein the Compustar CS4905S-Kit has an average rating of 4.6 stars from more than 3,100 customers. Additionally, a little over 80% of its reviewers thought it was worth giving a perfect 5-star rating. Despite its hefty price tag, 93% of users said they would recommend it to a friend. Several customers mentioned how it has great range, is easy to use, and has saved them a lot of time.