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Supplement your dashboard with a heads-up display for your car Tire Sensor
The best car heads-up displays aren't the first thing you'll think of when it comes to accessorizing your car, but you'd be surprised at how useful they can be. Your car has a wealth of information available while you're driving, but a lot of it is often stuck on some kind of screen beyond your immediate line of sight. A good heads-up display can display it in a spot that doesn't require you to take your eyes off the road.
Some heads-up displays interface with your car's computer, others pull data from your smartphone and the very best can do both. The best part is you don't need a top of the range car either, and many of these HUDs will work still work — even if you've been driving the same old beater since high school. Here are some of our favorites, to help you decide on the best car heads-up display for you.
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The Hudway Drive has just about everything you could want from a car heads-up display. It manages to combine data from the car’s OBD port, GPS satellites and your own smartphone. The only thing it doesn’t do is add Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to your car, but that might be asking a little much.
At $279 it is one of the most expensive HUDs on the market. But the amount of information it can put in your face means it’s well worth it. Whether that’s driving speed, engine RPMs, or turn-by-turn directions. Just be aware that the unit itself is rather big, and the fold-down screen might get in the way of your view of the road at times.
Read our full Hudway Drive review
The Pyle PHUD180BD is able to squeeze an impressive amount of information onto its 5.5-inch screen, but even more impressive is how much it can manage with a $67 price tag. Not the cheapest car heads-up display by any stretch, it’s still a brilliant bargain - especially since it can combine OBD and GPS data.
Complete with a display that is as bright as it is large, and the ability to show more than two dozen pieces of automotive information, this is one of the best car heads-up displays money can buy. It may get in the way at certain points, and it lacks phone integration, but for $67 you have to make some compromises.
Read our full Pyle PHUD180OBD review
Another unit that combines GPS and OBD data, the Wiiyoo C1 is a car heads-up display that manages to display loads of data in a visually-appealing format. Though this HUD is designed for people who want more than their dashboard has to offer, with support for data that real gear-heads will get a kick out of. If you ever wanted to know air-to-fuel ratios or turbocharger pressures while you’re driving, this might be the HUD for you.
Sadly there’s no phone integration, and no navigation features to go with it. But you get a HUD with a self-contained projection screen, the ability to scan for and alert you to OBD fault codes, and an absolute smorgasbord of information. Plus, it costs just $56.
Read our full Wiiyii C1 OBD + GPS review
While we certainly could have done without the faux leather finish, the Dagood A8 is still a car heads-up display with a lot of promise. Not only is it inexpensive, it also offers a large 5.5-inch display, bright graphics, and a light sensor to automatically adjust brightness based on the surroundings. It also combines GPS and OBD data to give you a more comprehensive view of everything going on in your car at any given time.
The size does mean the Dagood A8 can get in the way at times, a fact that isn’t helped by the lack of an integrated screen, but not by much. After all, the large display does make it easier to see the on-screen information at a glance - freeing you from potential distractions while you drive. And with a wide range of automotive information to offer, it’s a solid addition to any car’s dashboard.
Read our full Dagood A8 review
Another car heads-up display that pairs the OBD port with GPS satellites, the Akabane A500 can actually do a lot of things other HUDs can not. Not only is it able to show off a bunch of different pieces of information on its screen, performance enthusiasts will be happy to know it has the ability to test braking and acceleration as well. Can that Tesla of yours really hit 0-60 in the advertised times? The Akabane A500 can help you find out, though we don’t recommend testing this on a public road.
The menu settings can be a little confusing, and the 3.5-inch screen isn’t enormous. Still it can show off a lot of useful information mid-drive, and the OBD connectivity means it can detect when faults occur somewhere in the depths of your car. The inexpensive price tag is just an extra bonus.
Parking Assistant Read our full Akabane A500 review