The Best Car Air Purifiers of 2024

The IQAir Atem portable HEPA air purifier comes with high ratings as well as a high price tag. This plate-sized car air purifier sits on the back of your seat’s headrest to filter particles 100 times smaller than 0.3 microns, along with gasses and odors, making for a fresh ride without taking up precious cupholder space. By purchasing a separate carrying case for extra portability, the IQAir portable air purifier can be used as a car air purifier or in your home or office; it has the ability to cover rooms up to 1,238 square feet.

Use of this car air purifier is easy, as it comes with a dedicated smartphone app allowing you to adjust fan speed settings as well as the option to activate a built-in child lock, with just a few taps. Users with severe asthma and allergies swear by this car air purifier even in cities like Los Angeles, known for their smoggy days.

At under half a pound, the rechargeable NWK portable cordless ozone generator sits perfectly in your cupholder without any annoying cords. Unlike other car air purifiers, this ozone generator is meant for use when you and your loved ones aren’t in your car. It works quickly to clean your car of smells and harmful pollutants within 15 minutes, making it convenient for use between errands. Whether you’re looking to deodorize your car after letting a friend borrow it, or just want to be sure you’re breathing the freshest air possible, the NWK car air purifier is a simple solution at a portion of the cost of other air purifiers on the market.

Users love this quick fix because it’s easy to use and charges fast without issue. Just don’t expect it to get your car back to feeling completely brand new; it’s meant for personal use, rather than in place of a professional car detail.

This corded-electric car air purifier weighs 0.7 pounds and includes a HEPA Filter and ionizer that work in tandem to rapidly clean airborne contaminants from your vehicle. To use, plug the car air purifier into your cigarette lighter, power on to start, and use the power button on short-press to select low, medium, or high fan speeds. One great feature of this car air purifier is that once you shut off your engine, the unit powers down so there isn’t any additional drain on your car’s battery.

This car air purifier will not work with a 14-volt plug and should only be used in cars with 10/12-volt charging ports. Included with purchase of the VR-Robot car air purifier is a HEPA Filter, a charging connection cable, bottom adhesive, a product manual, and perfume. While this is a good option as car air purifiers go, this product is quite large in size and may not be a great fit in certain vehicles.

About the same size as your favorite Yeti cup, the Philips GoPure 5611 is a nice portable car air purifier complete with a carrying strap. Connected by a USB-C power cable, the GoPure provides powerful UV filtration that’s safe for use around families and pets to neutralize gasses and unpleasant odors in your vehicle. Sleek and unassuming, the GoPure 5611 includes a UVC LED light said to effectively deactivate 99% of respiratory viruses. The convenient auto on/off feature of this car air purifier is a welcomed feature and you won’t have to worry about the GoPure draining your car’s battery while you go about your day.

Housed in the 5611 is a SaniFilter Plus—to capture particles as small as 0.004 microns—as well as a UVC LED light and a HESAMax cartridge to capture harmful chemicals. This product doesn’t emit any ozone, so it’s safe for use while you drive.

The GoPure 5212 is a larger cousin to the 5611 and may be the solution to users’ low-airflow complaints. At a slightly higher price point, the 5612 sits on your center console or on your car’s headrest to provide clean air filtration throughout your car safely. As is with the 5211, the 5212 has an automatic on/off function after two hours. Like many of Philips’ products, this car air purifier is designed to be sleek, but at 1.7 pounds, it may be bulky for some. The necessary cable is 12 feet, making it easy to place this car air purifier wherever is most convenient for you, but the corded feature may not be ideal for those looking for a more portable option.

We like the GoPure 5212 for people with a lot of space in their car and for those looking for a quiet, corded filtration solution.