Dehumidifiers in cars are an odd one, but they are important, as well as the other essential winter products. Keeping the air dry in your car is essential so it does not build up any nastiness. The air in a car will get damp, especially in winter, because a car’s interior is a confined space in which we exhale moisture.
There are other causes, too, such as transporting the wet dog around to and from the park or settling into your seat after running through a rain storm. Older cars also have the added issue of not being well sealed, meaning external moisture can penetrate the interior, too.
Though it’s not thought of as a winter priority as, say, ice scrapers for your windscreen, preventing moisture build-up in a car helps keep it free of condensation and avoid the invasion of mould and mildew.
The best dehumidifiers 2024 at a glance:
The best car dehumidifier: Pingi A300 Car Dehumidifier – Buy from Amazon.
Editor’s pick: Pingi Mega Car Dehumidifier 1KG – Buy from eBay.
Best double dehumidifier: Hillington Reusable Car Interior Dehumidifier Bags – Buy from Amazon.
While glass squeegees are good for absorbing outside moisture on your windscreen. Dehumidifiers are great at absorbing moisture inside and there are plenty with automotive use in mind. We’ve rounded up the best dehumidifiers for use in cars over the damp, cold winter period. They range in style, quantity, price, and longevity.
The best car dehumidifiers 2024
The best car dehumidifier
It's really affordable, small in size and features a handy dot that turns from blue to pink once it needs recharging. If you suffer from damp or steamed-up windows, one of these will be worth its weight in gold.
Pros
- Unlimited usage and the charge indicator is very handy
- Great value for money at well under £10 for the bag
- Excellent properties and very easy to use and dry
Cons
- No anti-slip treatment, which may be a struggle for some dashboard designs
Editor's pick
Nevertheless, it's an ideal unit for car interiors as well as campervans, caravans, or even garages. It will happily deal with fogged-up windows and morning moisture that you may find in your vehicle over winter.
Pros
- A more powerful upgrade over the standard Pingi dehumidifiers
- Perfect for fogged-up windows in anything from cars to vans and even campervans
- Good value for money at just under £15
Cons
- Needs to be dried/recharged pretty thoroughly compared to other dehumidifiers
Best double dehumidifier
The first is the dot on the bag. When the bag has absorbed all it can, the dot goes blue. You then 'recharge' it (about once a month in the microwave) and the dot goes pink. The second useful feature is the inclusion of non-slip pads that you can use to stop the bags from sliding off a dashboard, making this a really good option for a moisture-prone car.
Pros
- Unlimited usage and recharge signal makes them easy to use
- Perfect for your dashboard on a number of different vehicles
- Also absorbs other odours as well as moisture
Cons
- No performance advantage over the Pingi dehumidifiers
Best car dehumidifier bag double pack
Pros
- Double pack included for just £19, which makes it good value
- Good capacity of 500g per bag
- Suitable for all sorts of vehicles from cars to vans and caravans
Cons
- No indicator to show when a recharge is needed
Best dehumidifier for absorption
The downside is that they don't have any non-slip pads or boast an indicator to tell you when they need a recharge.
Pros
- Can hold a decent amount of water (150ml of it)
- Easy to 'recharge' as you simply have to put them in the microwave
- Can last up to two months before recharging
Cons
- No recharge indicator, which other dehumidifiers have
Best dehumidifier gadget
Being cordless, you'd imagine the ID-A300 is battery-powered, but in fact, that's not the case. Just as the bags need to release collected moisture, so too does this and that is what plugging it in achieves. However, it needs to be plugged in for a long time - 15 to 20 hours - in order to release all the moisture.
Pros
- More substantial way of dehumidifying a car
- Neatly packaged into one comprehensive unit
- Ideal for leaving in your car overnight to capture winter moist
Cons
- It's bigger and more complex than a simple dehumidifier bag
Best versatile dehumidifiers
They can sit in a car for quite a while before needing to be dried out, which you can do on a radiator, in the microwave, or just by airing them out. As a natural deodoriser, these bags should help lift smells without having to rely on air fresheners.
Pros
- Unlimited usage and easy to recharge by placing them in direct sunlight
- Great dehumidifiers if you want them to be made sustainably
- The effectiveness claim is up to two years
Cons
- You'll need to find somewhere to keep them in your car
Best odour spray
Pros
- Eliminates an array of bad odours, from moisture to leftover scents
- Easy to use, as it's a simple odour spray
- Perfect for use on carpets and fabric surfaces like seats or trim
Cons
- Not the answer if your car needs a seriously deep clean
Best air con cleaner
To combat this, unblock the drain hose (there are many YouTube videos showing you how) and use an air-con cleaner to kill the bacteria. We recommend STP Air-Con Cleaner. It's easy to use. Just run the air con (doors shut and no one in the car) with the STP spray for 10 minutes before ventilating the car thoroughly.
Pros
- Cleans out the air conditioning system in good time
- Easy to set up and use, as you mostly have to leave it to do its thing
- Effective at maintaining your air conditioning vents
Cons
- You do have to have the engine running
- It's a one-use product rather than multiple
FAQs and things to remember with car dehumidifiers
Can dehumidifiers eliminate odours?
While car dehumidifiers dry the air and help avoid moisture-related problems in the first place, of the dehumidifiers above, only the bamboo charcoal will purify the air and eliminate odours, too. It erases what no fancy high-tech torch can even illuminate. Meanwhile, air fresheners mask a smell but don’t eliminate the cause.
What causes my interior to smell?
The cause could simply be a forgotten apple core or pair of gnarly old socks (different from a set of car socks, mind) that need to be removed from the car. However, smells penetrate fabrics and need to be dealt with.
How can I prevent bad smells from occurring in my car interior?
The best permanent solution to avoid smells permeating throughout a car interior is to keep the interior clean. A dehumidifier is a fine way of keeping moisture at bay, but other solutions like air con bomb cleaners and a good vacuum and detail also helps.
In fabric upholstery, odours tend to stick more than on leather surfaces, so fabric cleaners are also recommended. Above all, however, ensure your car’s interior is neat and tidy; leaving rubbish littered all over the cabin has the likelihood of generating bad odours, and no dehumidifier or air freshener will get rid of it without you cleaning it.
It’s useful to air it out on a nice day to encourage fresh airflow. Though not on a freezing cold day in conditions where you’ll need some snow chains.
What other products can help with dampness?
While cars will get damp for all manner of reasons (leaky rubber seals are a top culprit), condensation isn’t the only concern. Damp can lead to horrible smells and even mould. Combat the smell with some of our recommendations. We’re also including an air-con refresh bottle, as blocked ventilation is a leading cause of damp.
How we choose
All of these car dehumidifier products have been hand-selected by our team of experts who have spent hours investigating and researching car dehumidifier products to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we’d never recommend a product we don’t believe in.
Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about.
Aaron Hussain is a commercial content writer at Bauer Media writing for Parkers and CAR. He is obsessed with classic cars and anything with a fascinating story to tell.
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