Whether you drive an older vehicle or simply want to spruce up your ride, a heads-up display is a great way to add some tech to your car. Many newer vehicles have a heads-up display (HUD) showing information like speed and navigation instructions on the glass windshield in your line of sight. It’s transparent, too, so it’s not distracting. If you want to try one, these are the best aftermarket heads-up displays you can buy to add some luxury to your daily driver.
What to Look for in a HUD (Heads-up Display)
- Pricing: With an accessory like this, you don’t want to get too crazy, which is why our list has options anywhere from under $30 to upwards of $70. It’s a luxury, not a necessity. Higher-priced models do have bigger screens and additional features.
- Screen Size: These come in varying screen sizes. From a small 3-inch digital display to large 5.5-inch screens showing speed, RPM, battery voltage, directions, and more. And while that’s neat, bigger screens take up more space in your view and aren’t for everyone.
- Features: Depending on what you want or how old your vehicle is, the features will change. Newer cars can transmit RPM, fuel consumption, and even engine codes to the HUD. If you don’t want that or can’t use it, look for something more streamlined that simply offers a great MPH readout.
- Installation: Adding something like this to your car should be easy. Mount it to your dash, then run some wires down to the OBDII port, and you’re set. Or to a power source like the cigarette lighter. We chose options with easy installation instructions, as some can be convoluted or difficult to install.
Best Overall: ACECAR Dual System
Made popular by Air Force pilots, these HUDs are starting to show up everywhere. Luckily, you can easily get all the best features from the ACECAR heads-up display system no matter what you drive. It’s a “dual unit” as it can gather data from your vehicle’s OBD2 port or by using GPS.
Once installed, you’ll get speed and RPM readouts, MPG, speeding warnings, water temperature, battery voltage, and a few other options. It’s customizable, too, so you can choose what you do or don’t see on the windshield. This has a little of everything without being too expensive.
Best Display: Sherox Car HUD
Some of the HUDS we found can show a lot of information, but some of you might just want one good display to show your speed. If so, consider the Sherox HUD. It’s nothing fancy, but in a good way, and it’ll definitely get the job done.
The Sherox has some of the best reviews on Amazon simply for having a crisp, clear, easy to see MPH readout. And while it can still show you battery warnings and such, it’s the screen’s quality that makes it stand out from the rest. We like the automatic brightness feature too, for driving at night.
Best Big Screen: VGEBY 5.5-inch
If you’re looking for one of the biggest HUDs you can toss in your car without breaking the bank, this VGEBY HUD is it. Projecting a big 5.5-inch display to your windshield, this heads-up display won’t disappoint. It might display a little too much information for some, but if you need tons of information this has it all: speed, RPM, KM, temps, over-speed limit alarms, a tachometer, and more.
Best with GPS: Pyle Universal HUD
Next, we wanted to recommend the Pyle Universal HUD. This device has an easy cigarette lighter plug-and-play installation, as it only uses GPS instead of your car’s OBD-II port. Plus, thanks to using GPS, you’ll get accurate speed readings, and we like the directional navigation info as well.
Best on a Budget: Anauto Car HUD
If you’re looking for a slightly different look or are on a budget, the Anauto HUD is a great option too. It’s the cheapest of the bunch, still easy to install, and has plenty of features for the price. We like the overall layout and the big 5.5-inch screen, along with the RPM gauge that Anauto says can alert you on when to shift to save on fuel economy.
Best Dash HUD: Timprove Universal Fit
Last but not least, we wanted to recommend something similar, yet completely different. If you love the idea of an extra display for MPH, RPM, temperatures, GPS direction, and everything else, but don’t want it projecting onto the windshield, try the Timprove universal dash HUD.
This little gadget has a 2.2-inch screen you can mount anywhere on the dash. It’ll display multiple readings, like speed, acceleration, RPM, or even just a clock, not to mention everything else the others on our list offer. The only difference here is this doesn’t display anything into your windshield.
