Best car diffusers that make driving a joy for the senses

A Diptyque candle is an instant mood lifter, and we’re pleased to report that the brand’s diffuser brings the same quality, style and delicious fragrance to the car. Choose from favourite scents like baies, figuier, fleur d’oranger and more. We love the design of this diffuser, which features an adjustable grid so you can alter the intensity of the fragrance (it happens to look visually stunning too, with its gold and black colourway).

Some reviewers have complained that this detaches from their air vents but we haven’t experienced that issue; it stayed in place through many rides, even helping us to forget a child had been sick in the car during one journey.

Nothing lifts the mood quite so swiftly as a waft of Jo Malone’s lime, basil and mandarin, which translates beautifully from body and home fragrance to your car in this lightweight diffuser. Slide the scent refill (£26, Jomalone.co.uk) into the square diffuser before attaching it to the air vent. It’s super-easy to use, delivers a strong – but not overwhelming – scent, and definitely made us feel perkier. The refills are also available in wood sage and sea salt, and peony and blush suede.

Everything about this item screams luxury and sustainable design. It’s gorgeous: a hand-crafted steel pomander with a sumptuous moulded leather cap and lanyard. It’s also versatile – you can hang it on your rearview mirror, drop it into a cup holder or attach the magnetic backing to insert it into the air vent (this is the strongest way to experience the scent, when the air or heat are turned on).

Unlike a fragrance you know and expect, Charabanc’s scents are olfactory journeys, layered, complex and inspired by serious road trips. We found the Monument Valley drive fragrance – which combines raspberry, violet leaves, thyme, cypress oil, saffron, amber, jasmine, mate and leather – utterly transportive and intoxicating, even when driving to distinctly unglamorous destinations. You can choose from a range of leather colours and scents.

Italy’s top leather goods brand, Poltrona Frau, and fragrance company Acqua di Parma joined forces to create this delightful car diffuser with a removable magnetic back. The fragrance capsule slips inside and the Milano scent we tested can only be described as unbelievably delicious. The sleek and masculine leather diffuser is so appealing that our friend ordered one for the special man in her life as soon as she saw – and smelled – it.

L’Original’s diffusers look like stylish tech toys with their polished metal finishes and orb-like design. They slot into the car grille like the others but are also petite enough to slip into handbags for a quick pick-me-up sniff when out and about. Choose from a range of metallic finishes – including a chic rose gold – and primarily floral-based fragrances, which are delicate and delicious. This one takes a bit of fiddling to get it going, but once it does it’s certainly worth it.

This might look like one of the hanging car fresheners of yesteryear, but it will surprise you.  Not only are we obsessed by DS & Durga’s playful names (portable fireplace, concrete after lightning), each hanging card has cute graphics and smells divine and powerful (we can’t stop sniffing holy ficus, just for fun). These can double as home air fresheners and work wonders in wardrobes, too.

This is perfect if you’re looking for a subtle diffuser; it’s so sleek and petite you can barely spot it in your air vent. It comes with three refill sticks so you can alternate fragrances; the lime and bay oil we tested with it smells gorgeous. In theory, you can use any oils you like on the diffuser stick if you have essential oils lying around at home.

This car scent comes with a chic rectangular wooden diffuser that looks super-smart in your car (although you may find it bulkier than the others since the diffuser is the width of the air vent). We tested the ritual of oudh, which is a musky, sexy oudh and patchouli fragrance.

The brand has a huge selection of scents to try out, from the ritual of sakura to wild fig – and they all work in the lightweight diffuser, which is probably one of the most well-priced options in our round-up, especially since it includes two refills.

This budget car freshener comes shaped like a cute perfume bottle and quickly fills up the car with its refreshing scent. It’s cute enough to be a gift for that friend that’s always driving you around everywhere.