Home Depot Finds: 6 Budget-Friendly Accessories For Your Vehicle’s Interior
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
If you have a car, it’s safe to assume that it’s somewhat your home away from home. For safety and convenience, you’ll want to ensure that you have everything you’ll need while you’re on the road. Whether it’s for a short errand or a long-distance drive, there are plenty of essential items you ought to have on hand to make your journey a more pleasant experience.
In case you weren’t aware, Home Depot is a great place to source useful in-car accessories. If you don’t already have one in your car, you can equip your vehicle with some essentials like afirst aid kit for only $24or avariety of must-have tools. If you need ideas that are more affordable, below are a couple of suggestions for car-adjacent products that you can order from Home Depot that won’t break the bank. For the purposes of this roundup, we’ve highlighted accessories for the inside of the vehicle that are in the below-$100 price range.
Phone charger
Every car should have designated mobile phone cords and charger that’s compatible with devices owned by every family member bound to ride in it as a driver or passenger. One of the top-rated charging cables on the Home Depot website isDeWalt’s Reinforced Braided Cable for USB-A to USB-C. It comes in four, six, and 10-foot lengths with price ranging between $13 to $21. It’s also reinforced with Kevlar fiber, so you can rest assured of its durability. There’s also a 6 foot-longUSB Type-C Cable from Armor All. Similarly wrapped in tough materials and can be used to charge a variety of mobile devices, it’s even more affordable at $4.99.
If your car doesn’t have a USB port already built into the dashboard to take in your charging cable, you can get an adaptor that uses your vehicle’s cigarette lighter port. TheMacally 17-Watt Dual Port USB Car Charger, available at $16, is a basic one that comes with two 2.4 amp slots that can charge up to two tablets or cellphones at the same time. Similarly priced at $15 is theMonster FM-Bluetooth DC Charger. Apart from the two USB ports — one of them for playing music — and 20-watt Type-C port, it also doubles as a Bluetooth FM transmitter. You can talk hands-free, access Siri or Google Assistant, and stream music from your mobile phone to your car stereo while charging your devices.
Having a dashboard camera — more commonly referred to as dash cam — connected to your car is useful for recording incidents that may occur while you’re driving. For instance, if another driver exhibits some road rage or if you are involved in a car accident, having a visual record of events could assist in determining who is at fault for insurance and legal purposes.
Although top-of-the-line dash cams are often expensive, Home Depot has a few cost-effective ones that you can buy as your starter device.Armor All’s Dash Camerais small and inexpensive at only $19. When connected to your car’s DCC port, you can start recording automatically as soon as your car is turned on. If you want a bigger screen, the same company has ahigh-definition 1080p Dual Dashboard Camerafor $50. It has one front-facing and one-rear-facing camera, as well as an adjustable lens and a 360-degree swivel mount for better camera angle control. However, the best rated dash cam below $100 on the Home Depot website is the122 Dashcam by Nextbase, currently available for $80. Customers love its ease of use and compact design, making it a great starter cam.
All of these dash cameras will need a memory card to store any footage, but one isn’t included and will need to be bought separately. A32GB Micro-SD card by Wyzeis available on Home Depot’s website for $12.
Mobile device mount
If you regularly consult navigation apps tocompare and select the best travel routeswhile driving, it’ll be great to have a contraption to keep your mobile phone secure and steady where you can quickly glance at it for directions safely. TheTzumi Auto Dash Mount, which costs $15, can grip a variety of mobile phone sizes and keep yours in place so you can check it hands-free. It’s equipped with an extendable arm and a 360-degree rotating base, so you can set it at an angle that works for you. You can attach it to any vent, a CD slot, or use the suction cup mount to mount it to any flat surface.
If you need a mount for a gadget to keep your backseat passengers entertained, getMacally’s Adjustable Car Seat Head Rest Mount and Holderfor $14.99. You can use it to hold mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, and other devices up to 8 inches wide. It’s the perfect accessory to have for people with young and easily-bored kids, as well asthose going on long road trips.
Car organizer
Unless you’re disciplined enough to clean the interior of your vehicle at the end of every driving day, it can get messy real quick and worse over time. ThisCollapsible Waterproof Trash Canis a must-have at only $16. It’s lightweight and easy to pass around, so others can deposit their trash and when it’s not in use, you can fold it up and store it.
You can alsoblock the front seat gapand turn it into something more useful withStalwart’s Front Seat Organizerfor only $12. Compatible with most cars, trucks, or SUVs, these things are essentially storage slots that can hold a cup, mobile phone, and anything else you need to keep next to you. It has a nifty charging cable hole so you can keep unsightly wires out of sight while in use.
Finally, you need to have a couple of organizers situated in different parts of your vehicle to store loose items in. For the backseat, you can get theBucket Boss Tech Organizerfor $15 which also doubles as a tablet device holder, or opt for the $13E-Z Travel Collapsible Traythat comes with its own tissue dispenser. In the middle console, you can set up theStalwart Collapsible Storage Box— which you can buy for $15 — to hold drinks, snacks, toys, gadgets, and the like when you don’t have a third backseat passenger.
For the last row or the trunk area, you can get thishanging four-pocket organizerfor $14 or abigger collapsible storage boxfor $18 to keep things tidy. You can even opt forone that has a built-in cooler binto store your drinks and other perishable food items for almost the same price.
Windshield sun shade
Whether it’s to keep yourself from getting scalded by your car’s steering wheel, seat, or seatbelt buckle that’s been sitting in direct sunlight, or to keep the inside of your vehicle somewhat shielded from passersby, having something to block your windshield while it’s parked is essential. Home Depot has a “Car Sun Shades” category on its website that has a section for products that’s compatible with most automobile types.
Plasticolor is a company that makes a variety of accordion windshield sunshades that range between $15 to $19, featuring popular carmaker brands like Ford, Honda, and Nissan. However, the company’s most popular variety is a sun shade thatfeatures characters from the original “Star Wars” movie trilogyaboard the Millennium Falcon. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’re able to proclaim it to anyone walking by your parked car with this fun themed accessory.
Another maker of windshield protectors that sell products through Home Depot is FanMats. Sports fans can represent their idols withofficially licensed sun shadesfeaturing teams from a variety of NCAA and professional sports leagues, including baseball, basketball, football, and hockey.
Seat cushion or protector
Since you’ll be spending a good majority of your time seated in place while you’re in the car, you want it to be as comfortable as possible. You can start with a seat enhancer like theHealthMate Memory Foam and Gel Seat Cushion, which you can buy for $47. It’s ergonomic and handy, so anyone riding in the car can use it if needed. It’s also equipped with cooling gel cells that minimize heat emanating from your body and a high-density memory foam that conforms to your seat shape.
If you want more than a seat cushion and want an enhancer for the backrest as well,Wagan Tech’s Cool Air Car Cushionwill keep you comfortable during long rides in the hot summer days, for the price of $57. It has a built-in fan that runs as you drive and distributes air to your back, legs, and thighs. On the other hand, if you need to keep warm, the $44Stalwart Vibrating Heating Padhas two heating pads situated in the back and seat area that can heat up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, not only to foster coziness in the cooler months but also provide muscle relief when needed. In addition, the enhancer also has a vibrating massager for more relaxation.
Finally, if you have pets, young children, or often engage in sports or outdoor-related activities, you ought to get a car seat cover like the $44Wagan Tech Road Ready Seat Protectorto keep your back seat pristine.
