Car smelling funky? Here are the 20 best car air fresheners to make your vehicle smell luxurious

CNN

12-06-2025

Car air fresheners quick picks
Hanging car air freshener: Homesick Beach Cottage Car Air Freshener
Vent car air freshener: Aromatech Aromacruise Diffuser
Smart car air freshener: Pura Car Diffuser
Luxury car air freshener: Diptyque Baies Car Fragrance Diffuser and Insert
Spray car air freshener: Chemical Guys New Car Smell Spray Between sweaty sneakers, pet messes, lingering food smells and smoke, cars can easily pick up a lot of unwanted odors. That's why so many people turn to the best car air fresheners for a bit of help. Whether you're the go-to driver for social outings or a daily commuter, chances are you don't want your vehicle to smell stale, especially if you're on the road for hours at a time.
Though we can't promise an air freshener will be the solution to all your problems (many of them mask odors rather than eliminate them), if the goal is to freshen up your car quickly, they're worth the buy. Thankfully, there are plenty of options out there to suit various preferences, needs and budgets, whether you spend a lot of time in your car or not.
To help you find the best car air freshener for your ride, we rounded up 20 options at various price points. We also consulted two professional detailers for their expert advice. Keep reading for their recommendations.
Homesick Beach Cottage Car Air Freshener
Known for its fun candle collaborations with brands like KFC, Homesick also has a small collection of hanging car air fresheners. Crafted from paper stock and made using a blend of essential oils, the fresheners are available in unique seasonal fragrances. With summer around the corner, Beach Cottage, which has notes of bergamot, sea air and plumeria, would be a great option.
Vacation After-Sun Gel Hanging Air Freshener, 3-Pack
If you're a fan of Vacation's incredibly scented sun care products, you'll want to add this three-pack to your cart stat. This air freshener shares the same intoxicating cucumber and aloe vera scent as the brand's after-sun gel, which will transport you beachside every time you hop in the car. If cucumber scents aren't your thing, the air freshener is also available in a tennis ball-inspired scent called Vacation Ball Boy as well as the classic Vacation Sunscreen scent.
Drift Wood Car Air Freshener
Drift's starter kit includes a magnetized wooden scent block and a metal clip that allows you to attach the air freshener to your car's visor. Designed to be replaced every 30 days, the scent block comes in several fragrances, including a cabana-inspired coconut scent, to make commuting into the office more pleasant. The brand also sells block refills, so you don't have to repurchase the entire kit.
Little Trees Black Ice Air Freshener, 3-Pack
Want to freshen your car on a budget? Parham Koukia, lead car detailer and operations manager at Panda Hub, recommends Little Trees' hanging air freshener in Black Ice, which has notes of citrus and cedarwood. It's designed to last up to eight weeks and is suitable for use outside of the car as well (smelly shoe closet, anyone?). If you're not a fan of hanging fresheners, it's also available in other forms, like a spray.
D.S. & Durga Road Trip Hits Auto Fragrance Set
The D.S. & Durga Road Trip Hits Auto Fragrance Set includes five of the brand's hanging air fresheners in various scents: Wild Brooklyn Lavender, '85 Diesel, Big Sur After Rain, Concrete After Lightning and Portable Fireplace. Each scent is also available on the D.S. & Durga site as a one-time purchase or as a monthly subscription, so you can stay stocked up.
Yankee Candle Midsummer's Night Hanging Jar
Koukia also recommends this bestseller from Yankee Candle, which is designed to look like a mini version of its iconic candle jars. It has top notes that include bergamot and lime, middle notes of lavender, pine and floral sage, and base notes that include moss and cedarwood.
Lazy Royal Deja Vu Car Freshener
A hanging air freshener that's chicer than a cardboard tree? Yes, please. This bottle-shaped air freshener has fragrance notes that include cardamom, violet, cedarwood and musk. At just $11, it's a budget-friendly option that would make a great gift for anyone with a car.
L:A Bruket 181 Fragrance Tag Hinoki
This bestselling fragrance tag can be hung from your interior car mirror or used in your home in lieu of a scented candle. Notes of nutmeg and cedar make this air freshener a great choice for those who prefer woodier and spicier scents. The brand also sells this fragrance tag in three other aromatic scents: Tabac, Coriander and Grapefruit.
Pura Car Fragrance Diffuser
If you're looking to introduce a smart diffuser to your car, Pura's plug-in car diffuser is a great option. The level of intensity can be controlled via the app or manually, allowing you to choose between bold or subtle scenting. The diffuser is also able to detect motion, so it will automatically turn on and off in response to car movement. Just note that the actual fragrances are sold separately unless you purchase a full starter set.
Ceeniu Smart Car Air Freshener
Perfect for daily commuters, this ultrasonic diffuser provides up to two months of use after just two hours of charging. Because it's capable of detecting car movement, it turns on and off automatically, making it an excellent option for drivers who'd rather set it and forget it. Plus, one refill can last up to four months, so you won't need to replace it frequently.
Aromatech Aromacruise Fragrance Oil Fan Diffuser
Unlike most of the other options on this list, Aromatech's car diffuser is meant to be used with the brand's aroma oil blends, which are sold separately. To use it, simply add a few drops of the oil to the diffuser and attach it to your car vent, reapplying oil as the scent fades.
Diptyque Baies Car Fragrance Diffuser and Insert
If you don't mind the loftier price tag, Diptyque's popular Baies scent comes in car diffuser form too. In addition to having an adjustable metal grill that allows you to control the level of intensity, the diffuser is refillable. Each fragrance cartridge is designed to last for 40 continuous hours before it needs to be replaced, so you're sure to get plenty of use from it.
Febreze Car Luxe Air Freshener Vent Clip in Rainforest, 2-Pack
The intensity dial on this Febreze car vent air freshener recommended by Koukia allows you to set the intensity to low, medium or high, and are designed to offer up to 40 days of fragrance. The Rainforest scent features notes of white musk, bergamot and aloe.
Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus Spearmint Car Fragrance Refill
Featuring notes of spearmint, clary sage and eucalyptus leaf, Bath & Body Works' car fragrance refill provides four to six weeks of spa-like fragrance. It's designed to be used with the brand's clip-on fragrance holder (sold separately), which comes in several cute designs, like this cowgirl boot and a golf cart.
Capri Blue Volcano Car Diffuser With Refill
This bestseller includes a vent diffuser and four fragrance reeds in the brand's iconic Volcano scent. To use, place two reeds inside the holder and then attach it to your car's vent. Since the reeds can last up to 30 days, you can enjoy a whole month of fragrance before having to swap them out.
Zara Home Car Air Freshener in White Lotus
For those who love woody floral fragrances, this air freshener features notes of lotus flower, violet, mandarin and wood. It can be clipped onto the vent of your car and is available in other fragrances, including fresh-smelling scents like Absolute Linen and Light Cotton.
Chemical Guys New Car Smell Air Freshener Spray
One of Koukia's favorites for that brand-new car smell, this air spray should be misted around carpets, fabric upholstery and under car seats. His only warning? Don't overdo it to avoid smelling like your car.
Meguiar's New Car Air Re-Fresher
Meguiar's New Car Air Re-Fresher is another Koukia-approved pick that will make your car smell like it just came off the lot. '[It's] great for eliminating odors and adding a fresh scent — super reliable,' he said. The air freshener is designed to remove bad odors on a molecular level, so you're not just masking them. It should also be sprayed in your car while the AC is on to allow it to circulate through the ventilation system. Charcoal-based car air freshenersMoso Natural Air Purifying Bag
Koukia recommends Moso's Natural Air Purifying Bag as a way to neutralize odors rather than mask them. If you're sensitive to fragrance, this is a solid, nonirritating way to freshen up your car.
Clemt Car Perfume Diffuser DM1 Pebble
This luxury aluminum car air freshener comes with three bottles of essential oils in the brand's most popular scents: Baies, Aqua Kiss and Lime Citron. We love that the level of intensity can be controlled by adjusting the opening between the screw-on cap and the rest of the diffuser. It even comes with a dashboard mount. Keep your tolerance level in mind
Selecting the right car air freshener depends on a few factors, but the experts we spoke with agree that your sensitivity to fragrance is one of the most important. '[The] biggest thing I would be looking at is [the] ingredients and the base,' said Andrey Smirnov, a detailing expert and the owner of Silverstone Auto Spa. 'If I wanted a premium experience, I would only be looking at naturally based fresheners to minimize [the] risk of headaches or other problems.'
Koukia emphasized the importance of watching out for allergy triggers, recommending hypoallergenic options when necessary. 'If you have a wide variety of passengers, perhaps if you're an Uber driver, I'd actually advise [getting] something like a bamboo charcoal bag, which absorbs and neutralizes smells, as opposed to masking them in any way, and then maybe a very mild, neutral scent,' Koukia said.
Consider the type of air freshener
Each type of air freshener comes with its own set of trade-offs. If you're looking for longer-lasting options, Koukia recommends vent clips or gel fresheners, though he said that gel types can dry out quickly and are often only noticeable when you're close to them. Vent clips are easy to attach to your car's air vents and many offer adjustable scent strengths, but Koukia warned they can sometimes be overpowering.
Hanging air fresheners, on the other hand, come in a wide variety of scents, are readily available and are budget-friendly; however, Koukia said they can be overwhelming at first and tend to fade quickly. If you're looking for a quick and instant refresh, car sprays are effective but need to be resprayed regularly.
The following FAQs have been answered by detailing expert and Silverstone Auto Spa owner Andrey Smirnov.
How long do car air fresheners last?
How long do car air fresheners last?
This depends on the type of air freshener you use. 'Air fresheners that are dispensed by air blowing through them will only last as long as product is there,' Smirnov said. 'Fresheners that are applied into carpeted surfaces and/or leather can last one to three months.'
Where should you put an air freshener in your car?
Where should you put an air freshener in your car?
Hanging air fresheners are typically hung from your car's interior mirror, while vent clip air fresheners attach to your car's vent. Smirnov prefers using fragrance sprays and recommends deep-cleaning the interior before applying the perfume to carpeted areas and leather surfaces.
For this article, we consulted the following experts to gain their professional insights.
Parham Koukia, lead car detailer and operations manager at Panda Hub
Andrey Smirnov, detailing expert and owner of Silverstone Auto Spa in Austin, Texas
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item.
For this article, associate editor Rachel Dennis interviewed professional car detailers who shared their tips on shopping for the best air fresheners, along with their recommendations.