Best Car Air Freshener Consumer Reports & Reviews 2023

If you are searching for the best car air freshener according to consumer reports in 2023 then this post is for you.

Suppose you take care of everything regarding odor about you. You take bath, remove all the possible odor items, change your dress, and are ready to start your ride.

But what about the smelly dog sitting in the back or your office colleague sitting along might be in rush, and could not freshen up like you.

Would you be able to neglect that smell? I don’t think so, that’s why car air fresheners have become a parallel market.

Well, the car air freshness journey starts not long back, it started from the cheesy Christmas tree-shaped freshness hung on the rearview mirror.

Back then we might not have had many options, but now we have. You can pick the best car air fresheners, the ones that spread a new aroma inside your car.

To help you pick the best car air freshener, we did some research. We tested a huge range of air fresheners and picked the mentioned ones.

In this post, I am going to review the best car air freshener as per consumer reports. So without further ado, let’s get started.

7 Best Car Air Freshener Consumer Reports

I have compiled a list of the 7 best car air fresheners based on consumer reports 2023.

1. Yankee Candle Car Air Fresheners

Price at Amazon!

Are you on budget and looking for an air freshener that without spending lots of your money helps you easily eradicate the stinky smell inside of your vehicle?

If yes, then Yankee provides a cardboard scent that has over a month of fragrance life.

It is one of the most affordable air fresheners you can buy. One package comes with four air freshener vent sticks that can be used together or separately.

So, with one package, you can remove the smell for around for months, I don’t think you can go cheaper than this anywhere.

I loved its smart design, and strength control feature. It can easily be fastened to your car’s dashboard, with an integrated slider bar that has an adjustable fragrance strength control to easily adjust sit whenever you need it.

It is a recyclable and refillable cardboard scent. It is not like you have to buy a new package every time, easily change or refill the scent fragrance with your favorite scent.

You can change the scent as well if you don’t like your previous cardboard’s smell with your charming smell.

One more thing, the jar below the label shrinks to help you easily spot when it is time to replace the stick or order a new package.

So, in total, if you are cheap and interested in finding a new solution for your stinky cars inside, this cardboard scented Air freshener is the best, and most affordable solution.

It sticks with your car’s dashboard and comes in different smells to help you choose the one you like. Plus, the strength adjusting feature is mind-blowing as well.

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2. LITTLE TREES Car Air Freshener

Price at Amazon!

If you have been driving for a long time, you need no introduction to Little Trees. It is among one of the most popular and selling air fresheners brands around the globe.

It is one of the iconic air fresheners and has been there for more than the last three decades. This air freshener is the only air freshener we are grown up seeing in our parent’s car.

It is a sober-looking tree-shaped design and air freshener. The stand-out aspect about this car’s air freshener is that it comes wrapped in a clear plastic bag.

You can pull the tree down or up, depending on the strength of fragrance you want. If it is more exposed, you will get more fragrance, and vice versa.

One more thing I would like to specially mention here, unlike the above Yankee-designed candle, little trees designed air freshener’s smell is very long-lasting.

Specialized proprietary technologies combined with exceptional smell made it one of the longest-lasting smells.

It comes in three smells, sandalwood, bergamot, and Lemon. I personally like the sandalwood smell, and if you have not tried it, I highly recommend trying this smell, and I reckon you would be ordering this smell every time.

It is not just a car’s air freshener. You can use it at different places if the place stinks.

Places such as laundry rooms, garages, bathrooms, and pet odor areas can easily be brightened up with this small trees-designed hanging scent solution.

If you are allergic or suffering from asthma, you probably should have less exposure to the tree, because the strength might trigger your allergy or you may feel nauseous and dizzy.

It feels overpowering, and those who like the light smell of the air fresheners or perfumes should refrain from using this.

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3. Chemical Guys Premium Air Freshener

Price at Amazon!

If you like discovering new and original fragrances, I highly recommend Chemical Guys designed Premium Air fresheners.

From the time, I checked this air freshener, read the reviews of the consumers, and tested my own, I knew that I will be adding this to the top of my car’s air fresheners list.

I did not use it before driving, I sprays it overnight, and in the morning I was welcomed with a warm vanilla scent.

It stayed overnight, which means, it is long-lasting than any of the above 2 reviewed products and smells amazing.

The best thing and standout aspect is its smell is not overpowering like little trees designed cardboard scent.

I don’t recommend it to be used as an instant fragrance air freshener, as it takes time to spread its smell.

It takes a few hours and dissipates a gentle background smell that makes you enjoy the pleasant smell during your ride.

One more thing, although most air fresheners can’t be used by those suffering from asthma, this one releases a gentle smell in the background, you can use it, no over-powering.

I recently noticed that in premium hotels, expensive cars, and golf clubs, I had already experienced the smell of this scent.

So, it is not just the inside of your vehicle you can use it, you can use it in your rooms, laundry areas, garage, and other places where you feel odor.

It is not only a fragrance but an odor-eliminator too. Yes, if you feel stinky inside of your car because of the sweats of the passengers, or your pets, spread the fragrance overnight, and you can notice the difference in the morning.

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4. Arotags Wooden Car Air Fresheners

Price at Amazon!

If you don’t like chemical smells, as for some users, the chemical smells might trigger their allergies, Arotags designed Wooden Car air Fresheners are the right option to get hands-on.

Keep in mind, that it is not designed using any chemical, it is written in the description in bold letters.

This chemical-free air freshener is made of essential oils, and the smell of it can easily mask your car’s odors and foul smell.

The standout aspect of this air freshener is its long-lasting performance. Yes, one package or the kit easily lasts for around 365-days.

That means you would not have to buy any cardboard or paperboard, nor the pricey refills. In one bottle that comes with the package, essential oils made fragrance easily lasts for one year long.

It comes in four smells. You can choose whatever suits you the best for your personal preference.

This freshener’s package includes An Amish Wood air freshener base with an elastic hoop for handing it over to your rearview mirror or wherever you see it fit.

And refilling of the Amish wood is pretty easy. It comes in a plastic bag, put the Amish wood in the plastic bag, pour 20-drops of the essential oils made into fragrance, and zip it overnight.

Next morning take it out, and hang it over your rearview mirror or anywhere you feel it is a right fit.

I find this air freshener, not only good for health because of its natural essential oils making, but cheaper on your pockets as well.

Yes, as I mentioned, one bottle can easily last for over a year, for one year, you can forget to buy an air freshener.

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5. Treefrog Wakaba Young Leaf Paper-Based air freshener

Price at Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JPZZJ64/

If you like natural fragrances, Treefrog-designed Wakaba Paper-based air freshener is another best option. It is a Japanese-inspired Symbol wrapped in a plastic wrapping.

You can expose the insides to get the fragrance, the more exposed more strength the fragrance. Don’t take all the things out of the wrapped plastic, expose a little at a time.

The freshener is designed to look like the famous Wakaba Mark that is used long back in Japan to denote inexperienced or beginner drivers.

The symbol hanging in the car producing smell is a sign that you will get the inside of your car as fresh as it is newly constructed, with no foul smell.

It is an all-in-one natural solution for cars SUVs, trucks, boats, and RVs. I tried to use it in my office too, but due to the low strength of the smell, I could not get the right use of it.

So, if you love strong smells of the fragrance, I don’t think this option can be right for you. It produces a gentle background fragrance that lasts for days.

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6. Car Essential Oil Diffuser by Anzazo

Price at Amazon!

The world has begun to love natural organic things. In fragrance too, we now love natural essential oils made fragrance, and for air fresheners too, there is no exemption.

If you love natural essential oils-produced fragrances aka air fresheners, don’t overlook the Essential oil diffuser by Anzazo.

I find this product eye-catching. It looks like jewelry and adds aesthetics to your interiors. I am sure people would not take it as an air freshener but as an aesthetic-enhancing gadget.

This car jewelry shows the next level of craftsmanship and looks stunning placed on your dashboard.

The locket aka jewelry is made of high-quality stainless steel with a magnetic closure. There is rubber pad has to be placed inside of it, and then mounted on the air vent.

Don’t worry, it neither uses water nor electric power. The rubber pad inside placed is made to diffuse the fragrance.

In my testing, I find this air diffuser very easy to use. You don’t have to maintain it, nor buy separate special fragrances.

Just pour a few drops of essential oil from the bottle that comes with the package and enjoy the background fragrance, and remove foul smell out of your car, SUV, RV, and other places.

Plus, you can use your essential oil too. It is not like you have to use the provided essential oil, if you have your favorite charming essential oil you can use that too.

The only negative side of this air freshener for cars is its costly price. It is a bit expensive and for those on budget, might not be the right suit.

But, it comes with a 60-day replacement warranty, in case you did not like the smell or the design of this jewelry, you have every right to send it back and get full money refunded right there.

Overall, I am superbly satisfied with not only the smell but with the design too. I always prefer buying qualitative things that look aesthetically appealing.

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7. Febreze Car Air Fresheners

Price at Amazon!

If you want to get rid of the odor trapped in your car’s vents and inside, and looking for something very powerful to freshen up the inside, I recommend buying Febreze designed Car air freshener.

Febreze is one of the big names in producing qualitative air fresheners. It is not a brand, has been working in making great fresheners for a long time.

This air freshener not only produces charming fragrance but removes foul odor and blocks terrible smells.

The smell build-up in your car’s vents and other spaces can easily be fixed and removed using this air freshener.

In my testing, it is one of the easiest to use an air fresheners. To use it just push the vent clip and activate the fragrance and enjoy the sweet smell.

It lasts easily for as long as 30-days, but that depends on the strength, and how you want the scent to be released.

I loved the way this thing is compactly designed. Yes, it is small, sleek, and remains out of sight.

It is not like other air fresheners we reviewed which have to be hung on the rearview mirror.

It stays in the vents and allows you easily push it to get the fresh pleasant scent smell.

Just keep one thing in mind, before you order this car air freshener, get a rough idea of the car vent.

Because in my testing, and according to the consumer reports, it does not fit all vehicles. So, get a rough idea of the vent size, and then order this scent.

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Different Types of Air Fresheners

There is more than one type of air freshener available on the market right now. One aspect is similar to them all; fragrance.

Their construction, made and storage can be different which makes each of them a different variety.

Let’s see different types of air fresheners available on the market right now.

1. Scented Cardboards

If you are a little cheap like me and don’t want to shred lots of your hard-earned money into buying car air fresheners, I recommend going with scented cardboards.

Hand them inside your car, and you are good to go with a scented cabin for over a month.

Well, there are various types of scents in cardboard scents available, pick your desired scent and you can easily get rid of the stinky vehicle inside.

Well, my grandfather had a different way to get rid of the smelly transports and insides. He had to use coffee beans to absorb the stench, a very effective remedy.

But we all get addicted to artificial things and can’t go through the phase of making beans ready to absorb the stench and manual labor involved in it.

So, buy scented cardboard, hang them inside the vehicle and you are all set to go.

2. Gels

Absorbent gels are one of the most used and selling types of air fresheners for your vehicles.

They come in resalable containers, with a nozzle. In some containers, you can adjust the nozzles and can increase or decrease the intensity of the smell.

They are usually easy to store, and often placed in an unnoticed place in cylindrical containers, to easily grab when needed.

3. Air sprays

Air sprays work just like the air fresher at homes. These are the easiest and quickest modes of scent application.

They can easily change the atmosphere in seconds, but at the same time, the scent does not last long.

4. Vent Clip Air fresheners

After the cardboard scents, these are my favorite type of air fresheners. What sets them apart from the rest is their affordable price range and instant pleasant smell?

These are used differently than others, they come in gel or liquid form and to apply has to be clipped onto the air-con vents and spread rapidly across the cabin.

They are a refillable, compact, and easy option for those who are a little cheap in buying expensive air fresheners for their vehicles.

Wrap Up

It is hard to get the best car air freshener, especially when you are buying it for the first time. And not all air fresheners may suit you the best.

In this guide, we have reviewed the best air fresheners available. We tried to put on the top-selling products to help you get the best out there.

FAQs

How long will my car air freshener last?

You can’t say anything, particularly about the air freshener. It depends on the type of air freshener you purchased.

It is the product that decides how long it lasts. As per consumer reports, an Air freshener can last for weeks to months and years.

In some cases, manufacturers mention in the product description how long the air freshener can last.

How often should I change my car air freshener?

The general rule of thumb for your car’s air freshener to be changed is when you can’t notice the scent.

Yes, if you don’t scent anything inside of your car, it’s time to change the air fresheners.

Some experts also recommend that remove the vent clip from your vehicle and sniff it, and if you get the intended sniff that means it is still working.

How do car air fresheners differ from enzymes?

There is a big difference between a car’s air fresheners and enzymes. The air fresheners are used to remove the bad odor, foul smell build up in the vents or inside of the car.

On the other hand, Enzymes are used to remove mold or other contaminants that are causing bad smells.

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