Where to begin with this air freshener? It’s simply fantastic. A single cartridge lasts months in our experience and the scent is clean with just a slight twang to give off a light citrus vibe. Although it’s named “squash,” I promise it doesn’t smell like gourd. Instead, this Japanese air freshener takes its fragrance from a popular soda flavor called Ramune.

Flip the vents on the cartridge all the way open for a powerful scent, but even leaving them open slightly provides enough fragrance in our experience. Plus, you get a nifty cartridge holder to stick where it fits best in the car.

Little Trees

You don’t always have to get fancy to produce a stellar result. If you’re an Uber or Lyft driver, you likely don’t want to spend a fortune to keep the car smelling fresh. That’s why Little Trees are our top pick for rideshare vehicles.

These little bundles of fragrance last a decent amount of time and they won’t break the bank. The scents? There are 40 different ones, but Black Ice seems to be a people pleaser. It’s modern and doesn’t give off too much of a perfume-like smell, so it should be a good neutral scent for anyone hopping in the car.

Yankee Candle

Ridding a car of cigarette smoke is tough, and it’ll likely require more than a simple air freshener. But in our experience, a Yankee Candle Car Jar can do a good job at keeping a car smelling fresh. Specifically, the beach-esque and cotton fragrances do a darn good job of eliminating a smoke smell. Of course, this all depends on how frequently someone smokes in a car.

The plastic jars (Car Jar Ultimates) do a better job with cigarette smoke than the standard cardboard ones and a single jar smells pretty potent for at least a few weeks. Beyond that, the scent still lingers in a positive fashion.

Febreze

Febreze may not be the first thing that comes to mind for your car, but it works well in this situation. What situation? Pet odor situations.

You may already have a can of Febreze sitting at home, but the Febreze Air with its Linen & Sky scent comes off as pretty inoffensive for anyone climbing in the car. The brand does produce a deodorizer specifically for odor elimination of unwanted pet smells, but honestly, it comes off as very harsh. In a closed space like a car, we prefer the airy scent from the aptly titled “Air” version.

One important note: Don’t leave a can of Febreze car air freshener inside the car. The contents are under pressure and high temperatures inside the vehicle can lead to unwanted mishaps. Instead, spray some Febreze car air freshener inside after taking the goodest boy or bestest girl for a ride.

Chemical Guys

We talked above about how you definitely won’t ever find something to replace the true new car scent. But, if there was ever a product that comes close, it’s Chemical Guys’ New Car Smell spray premium air freshener.

If you like more perfume-based scents, this isn’t for you. Instead, the New Car Smell does its best to mimic the clean plastic scent found in a brand new car. It’s still off and definitely not the same, but nevertheless, it’s a pleasing scent. And it’s the nearest thing to making an older car smell like it just hit the dealership lot.

Febreze

Car freshener vent clips are nothing new, but Febreze jumped on the bandwagon years ago with its dedicated line of clips for your car’s air vent. In our experience, the Febreze Car Unstoppable vent clips pack quite the punch.

Both scents, Fresh and Shimmer, have a pleasant smell and do a great job at dulling other scents in the car. Fresh is definitely for those that enjoy a cleaner fragrance, while Shimmer is the more perfume-like scent. Neither are overly pungent, though.

Each clip also features an adjustable dial to pump more or less fragrance into the car, and they look awfully discreet by design.

The Signature Scent name isn’t inherently funny, but this is perhaps one of the most humorous air fresheners on the market. Basically, it’s supposed to smell like a stripper. In fact, before the Signature Scent name came around, it was legitimately called Stripper Scent.

Curiosity likely helped push its popularity, but if you want an honest take, it smells a little bit like perfume with a healthy dose of vanilla added. There’s also a certain musk to it that’s hard to place. It definitely won’t be for everyone, but it’s sure to get a laugh out of those who take a seat in a car freshly sprayed with the Signature Scent.