While more and more cars now come with built-in Bluetooth on the stereo, there are still a lot of cars out there that don’t. If your car doesn’t, then a hands-free car kit could save you from disaster – and from trouble with the law. In March 2022 the laws around using mobile phones while in the car were tightened up, doubling down on the tougher penalties that came in during 2019. Before, you broke the law if you used your phone handheld while driving to make or take calls, or send and view messages, but a loophole meant that other uses, such as taking photos or scrolling through your playlist, were still legal.
You can now consider that one closed. The only times when it’s acceptable to have your phone in your hand while driving is when you need to call 999 in an emergency and there’s no safe place to stop, or when you use your phone to pay while you’re driving through a fuel station or fast food drive-through. You can even fall foul of the law for using your phone while stuck in traffic, or for using it while supervising a learner driver. Try it and you could have a £200 fine and six penalty points heading your way.
That depends on your car and what you want the kit to do. The simplest devices are designed specifically for hands-free calling and clip onto either the sun visor, a spot on the dashboard or a ventilation grill. These are usually powered by an internal battery and work much like a Bluetooth speakerphone, doing the job of a Bluetooth headset, just out loud where everyone can hear.
If you’re looking to stream calls and music through your car’s stereo system, then you’re going to need a device with a built-in microphone and a connection to the stereo. More recent cars and stereo systems may have accessible inputs, like a USB port or a 3.5mm jack, that make the whole business of adding Bluetooth much, much easier.
If you haven’t got a more recent car or stereo, then you need an alternative approach. While you can find kits that connect into an auxiliary port at the back of the stereo – which means getting hands-on, pulling it out and potentially rewiring – most people go for an FM transmitter. This broadcasts audio from your phone to the stereo, and the audio can be clear provided there’s not much interference. The only risk is that others could listen to your calls if they’re close enough and have their radio tuned to the same FM frequency, though the signal is usually too weak for this to happen.
Less than you might think. While there are some expensive kits available, some of which need professional installation, you can grab yourself a simple Bluetooth car kit for under £40 – and even less.
Sound quality is the most important thing. If you can’t hear the other person or the sound is shrill and tinny, then you will regret your purchase every time you have a call. However, the mic might be even more important. If the person on the other end of your call can’t hear you clearly or you’re constantly being asked to repeat, then that mic isn’t doing its job.
See RelatedHere the form factor plays a major role. Visor-based kits and dashboard kits sit at a level where the mic is reasonably near your mouth – and there’s a lot you can do with more sophisticated microphones – but some car kits sit elsewhere or plug into the lighter socket, which might not be so conveniently placed for taking in your dulcet tones.
Controls and displays are also important. Some kits and devices keep these minimal and super-size the buttons so that you can adjust the volume or take a call quickly, but others are too fiddly to use when you’re out on the road. While caller displays can be handy, you’re probably not going to use them that much while you’re driving. Some Bluetooth kits used to pride themselves on voice dialling features, but now that you can do this effectively for free using Google Assistant or Siri, it’s a feature that’s not really worth paying extra for. It simply won’t be as easy or effective as using the built-in voice assistant, which already has all the contacts info it should need.
Automatic switch-off is a great idea – providing it works – not only because you don’t want the kit or device running through its batteries (if battery powered) but because you don’t want your phone constantly connecting to the hands-free kit just because you’re still in range while inside your house. Some of these kits use voice activation, motion detection or the noise of the car door closing to turn on and off, saving you the bother of remembering.
With battery-powered devices, battery life is also important. Some kits will give you 20 hours or more of talk-time and a hundred hours or more of standby, but others may need charging three or four times a week. You don’t want to be out there driving only to find your hands-free kit has run out of puff.
You will find our pick of the best hands-free car kits available below, while at the end of the list there’s a comprehensive buying guide packed with all the information you need to choose the right kit for you.
