I tested all the top car fresheners against market leader Magic Tree and the winner has the smell of a famous sweet
AIR freshener scents for cars are getting crazier by the day.
As more and more of us try to revive musty or minging motors, chosen aromas range from rhubarb and custard, to bacon and, ahem fluffy towels.
Laura Stott sniffs around, and gives her verdicts and ratings out of five.
Rhubarb & Custard, £1 Tesco (in stores)
THIS brightly coloured freshener, a bargain for a quid, is designer-chic to hang from your rear-view mirror.
It looks just like the classic confectionery it’s based on with pink and yellow swirls.
Its pong is a bit sickly but put me in mind of the sweet shop treat.
If you want that old- fashioned sweetie jar whiff, it’s great.
Rating: 3/5
Yankee Candles Fluffy Towels Jar, £2.50 tesco.com
FANS of Yankee’s giant stinky candles can take favourite niffs on the road with these “car jar” versions in a range of quirky smells.
Promising four weeks’ scent of clean towels, this one packed a punch that I didn’t much like.
Rather synthetic, it made me sneeze.
If my laundry smelled like it, I would change my washing powder.
Rating: 1/5
Bacon Air Freshener, £8 amazon.co.uk
Rather pricey for an in-car pong at £8 for only one air freshener but if you can’t get enough of that sizzling bacon sarnie whiff you might think it’s a price worth paying.
Bright pink and designed to look like three giant rashers hanging off your rear-view mirror it’s certainly a statement but the brekkie smell will split the crowd.
Personally, I thought the porky scent – which reminded me of streaky frazzle crisps – was pretty unappealing, and it was overwhelmingly strong.
But pig lovers might disagree.
Something different, but definitely one too avoid if you’re a veggie.
Rating: 2/5
Buttered Popcorn £7.99 chemicalguys.co.uk
This fun cinema themed air freshener scent comes in a spray bottle which means you can use it around the home as well as in the car should you want too, and neatly capturing one of the most crowd-pleasing aromas out there it’s perfect for spritzing to cover unwanted niffs.
A really nice nose that perfectly replicates the same enticing buttery, mouth-watering scent of a bowl of just popped kernels that greets you when you go to the movies.
Strong enough to handle dampening down any reeks of sports kit or muddy pet niffs, but without being too harsh or artificial.
Impressive.
Rating: 4/5
Magic Tree Leather £1.66 B&Q
The retro classic magic tree in-car perfume is a staple of drivers on roads all over the UK and can reliably give your wheels a fresher scent almost instantly.
This rather macho leather scented version is made to look like the material it’s themed around and for just under two quid I was actually rather taken with the design, it rather stylish in a naff way, and really does look like it’s made of cowhide.
The scent wasn’t my favourite but as something to hang up to hide any lurking pongs it does the job for a good affordable price.
Rating: 3/5
Jelly Belly Birthday Cake £3.00 Tesco (in stores)
This glittery, squidgy air freshener is another that’s made to hang on your motor’s mirror and while the sparkles and twinkles aren’t really my thing it is good fun and looks a bit different, resembling a chewy jellybean sweet as the name promises and bringing a disco vibe to your car’s interior.
While I would probably not have opted to make my car smell like a cake I was surprised by how nice this one smelt – exactly like a lovely big gooey slice of something delicious.
A genuinely nice whiff that wasn’t too artificial or chemical, and actually delivered what it promised, a delightful niff of iced sponge.
Considering the quality of the scent I think it’s good value for money and would last well too.
Rating: 5/5
Old Car Smell, free while stocks last scrapcarcomparison.co.uk/blog/old-car-smell/
Anyone not lucky enough to have the keys to a shiny new motor might wonder why you’d want to make your car interior smell like a banger with a few more miles on the clock.
But apparently this ‘old car’ scent is very in demand among drivers with a new vehicle.
This cardboard hanger alleges to give off tangs of muddy dog, drive-thrus and summer road trips, so I suspect the makers had a vintage sports car in mind, not the stench of a battered old fiesta, but either way this is an air freshener with a pleasant enough pong.
I also got whiffs of old leather.
Not too overpowering or chemically either.
Rating: 3/5