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Best Bluetooth speakers for your car
4 min readA good portable Bluetooth speaker isn't just one of the better tech investments you can make, it's a standout alternative to upgrading the speaker system inside your car. It's cheaper and brings the added flexibility of taking your music with you, whether you’re out on a hike or chilling at the beach.
That said, there are many different factors to consider when purchasing. How’s the battery life? Does it have AUX-in? Can I link it to other speakers? How heavy is it? There is no shortage of questions you should ask yourself before settling on a speaker for your car.
Fortunately, we've got the answers. This article is your one-stop shop for picking out the best portable Bluetooth speaker for your car.
What to look for in a portable speaker
Weight
Every time you pick up or pack away a Bluetooth speaker for your car, the relative heft of that hardware is going to be on your mind. The lighter, the better. That said, when it comes to things like party speakers, a heavier form factor is going to be hard to avoid.
Durability
One of the big differences between Bluetooth speakers for your car and their socket-bound siblings is that the former tends to be more ruggedised. The best indicator of how durable a given portable speaker is is an IP-rating akin to what you find in modern smartphones.
Battery life
Given that the ability to use a speaker when you're on the road is the big selling point for portable speakers, the amount of playback you get per charge should be one of your main concerns. While small speakers can offer between six and twelve hours of usage, larger ones can offer as much as twenty hours of listening time.
Features
Even at the cheaper end of the market, car-friendly Blueotooth speakers come with plenty of creature comforts. This can include things like integration with voice assistants like Siri, support for 360-degree or Spatial Audio and things like AUX-in ports.
Best Bluetooth speaker for cars
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3
Ultimate Ears is Logitech's looser audio brand. They're not quite as mainstream as JBL, but that alternative quality doesn't detract from the sound quality involved. The Wonderboom 3 is the best place to start with the brand and a great option to consider if you're in the market for a Bluetooth speaker that you can chuck in your car.
In our review of the speaker, we called it a humble but hard-working piece of kit. It didn't do much to tinker with what its predecessors had going on, but that's mostly a good thing.
"The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 isn't a huge departure from the previous model, but it's still as charming to look at, convenient to carry around and crisp to listen to as ever."
Best cheap Bluetooth speaker for cars
Sony SRS-X100
No, it doesn’t have the catchiest name in the world, but the Sony SRS-XR100 remains one of our favorite portable speakers. Despite the smaller size, it's packing some serious bass. Even if it lacks the 360-degree sound of the Wonderboom 3, it's still the perfect shape and size to chuck into a spare cup-holder or corner of your car.
With 16 hours of battery life, an IP67 rating for water resistance and easy pairing with a second SRS-XB100, it's got all the usual bells and whistles plus a stereo jack that lets you cut Bluetooth out of the equation entirely.
Best of all, it's cheap as chips. In Australia, the SRS-XB100 starts at around $99 but can often be found for less. If you're after a cheap speaker for your car, this is definitely one to consider.
Best small Bluetooth speaker for cars
Avantree Roadtrip
If you aren't feeling the idea of shoving a speaker into your dashboard, the Avantree Roadtrip is an alternative you might want to consider. With a form-factor that's functional but doesn't get in the way, it features a dual 6W speaker system and noise-cancelling microphones that help ensure a better hands-free speaker experience in your car.
The Avantree Roadtrip even incorporates a motion sensor to activate when you enter the car and doubles as an FM transmitter. It's not necessarily going to deliver as good a music playback experience as some of the other speakers covered in this article but if you're more concerned about calls than concerts it might be what you're looking for.
Best big Bluetooth speaker for cars
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
Even if it's not exactly a spring chicken at this point, the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 remains a solid choice for those seeking a larger portable speaker. The sleek design, intuitive controls and 360-degree sound make it a great fit those looking for louder in-car audio that they can take with them when they need to.
With 20 hours of battery life, the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 is more road-trip-friendly than most and if you've got any other speakers by the brand sitting around you can always connect them for even more bass.
Best Bluetooth speakers for your car compared
How do the portable speakers on this page compare to every other one we've reviewed and recommended?
Product | Price [RRP] | Availability | Battery life | IP rating | Weight |
|
From$149.95
| Amazon | 14 hours | IP67 | 420g | |
|
From$99
| Amazon | 16 hours | IP67 | 340g | |
|
From$89
| Amazon | 16 hours | IP67 | 240g | |
|
From$169.95
| Amazon | 12 hours | IPX7 | 540g | |
|
From$328
| Amazon | 12 hours | IPX7 | 540g | |
|
From$179
| Amazon | 6 hours | IP67 | 290g | |
|
From$147
| Amazon | 15 hours | IP67 | 608g | |
|
From$249
| Amazon | 20 hours | IPX7 | 960g | |
|
From$399
| Amazon | 20 hours | None | 4.1kg | |
|
From$277.99
| Amazon | 12 hours | IPX7 | 1.26kg | |
|
From$179
| Amazon | 18 hours | IPX5 | 635g |
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