The 4 Cheapest Ways To Turn Your Car Into A Smart Car – BGR

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Replacing your old car with a new one can be an expensive affair, and depending on how old your model is, you may not even get good resale value. But if the only reason you’re considering an upgrade is because you’re craving modern features like touchscreens, voice controls, smartphone apps, and camera assistance, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a new car. There are plenty of useful and affordable gadgets that work with older vehicles and give them smart car functionality without burning a hole in your pocket.

However, with hundreds of options available on the market — and multiple versions within the same product categories — it can be difficult to know which ones are actually worth buying. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the best and most affordable smart upgrades you can make for your car. Our choices include a backup camera, a tire pressure monitoring system, a digital speedometer HUD, and a portable wireless CarPlay or Android Auto screen.

According to our research, these gadgets can significantly improve both driver and passenger convenience by enabling hands-free navigation, music, and calls. They also enhance safety by making parking easier, helping you monitor tire health, and reducing distractions to help keep your eyes on the road. The best part? All of them are available on Amazon and are priced under $100.

While a good dash cam can help you collect evidence of accidents and prove to be a lifesaver during insurance claims or potential theft, a backup camera can significantly boost your old car’s day-to-day usability. It removes the guesswork from reversing and parking, which in older cars without smart assistance often requires repeatedly checking your mirrors and estimating your distance from walls and adjacent vehicles. The LeeKooLuu Backup Camera (just $36) has an excellent 4.4-star rating on Amazon after over 15,000 reviews, and for good reason.

It’s very simple to set up. The package includes everything you need, including a cigarette lighter adapter, a detailed manual, a video cable, and even a mounting bracket for the monitor. Although the manufacturer claims that installation only takes 15 to 30 minutes, several users have reported that it can take a couple of hours, depending on your expertise. On the bright side, the cable is long enough to route inside the car. You have two installation options. You can either plug it into your car’s cigarette lighter port, or connect it directly to your reverse lights. The second option automatically turns on the monitor whenever you shift into reverse.

The camera delivers crisp 1080p HD video and carries an IP69 rating, making it resistant to water, dust, extreme temperatures, and even robust cleaning. Another highlight is its night vision. It houses six LED lights that automatically turn on and off depending on the light outside, ensuring clear visibility no matter if it’s day or night.

One of the best ways to “smart-ify” your old car is by adding a sleek infotainment screen that not only looks great, but also brings several features your vehicle might lack. These include glanceable access to GPS navigation and full hands-free support for music, calls, and messaging. You can do all of this by adding Apple CarPlay (or Android Auto) to your car with the Krunia Portable Screen.

Simply mount it on your dashboard or over your old stereo and plug it into your car’s cigarette lighter port, and it’s ready to use. It features a large 9.26-inch IPS display with a 1,600 x 600 resolution, which the manufacturer claims is 1.3 times smoother and offers 1.5 times better clarity than competing models. It also supports over-the-air (OTA) updates, meaning you can update the firmware without having to connect it to a computer or flash drive.

When paired with its rear camera (which comes bundled in), this car screen doesn’t just improve your vehicle’s convenience and style, it also enhances safety. The display offers up to 550 nits of brightness, which is more than enough to keep images clear and crisp on cloudy days. We also like that it comes with 24/7 customer support and a two-year warranty, so you’re protected against durability and technical issues. Oh, and you get all of this for under $90.

Staying on top of your tire pressure is crucial. Letting it get too low doesn’t just shorten your tire’s lifespan, but it also reduces gas mileage and can increase the risk of a blowout. Luckily, there’s a simple and affordable way to avoid this: a tire pressure monitoring system. It’s one of the most underrated smart car gadgets, yet it can be a real lifesaver, thanks to its ability to warn you about deteriorating tire health early. There are several options to choose from, but we really like the Tymate TM7, priced at just $36.

It’s completely wireless, meaning you don’t have to deal with any complex wiring. Simply attach the sensors to all four tires and plug the display into your car’s cigarette lighter port. This makes it all the more ideal for older vehicles. It’s compatible with a wide range of four-wheelers, including sedans, trucks, and SUVs. In addition to tire pressure, it also displays tire temperature, with two units available for each metric: psi or bar, and Fahrenheit or Celsius. According to the manufacturer, the overall accuracy is within ±1.5 psi or ±3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because the sensors come with batteries included, you can get started right away. Over time, though, you’ll need to replace them, but the process is pretty simple thanks to Tymate’s in-depth manual and tutorial videos. In fact, several Amazon reviewers have praised the simplicity of these help resources, saying they make installation and maintenance straightforward. Moreover, the Tymate TM7 also doubles as a USB adapter. It includes two USB ports: one USB-A and one USB-C, saving you from needing a separate adapter for your old car.

Speedometers in older cars don’t just run the risk of being faulty, which can lead to speeding tickets or fines, but they’re also often hard to read at night due to poor or nonexistent dashboard lighting. This means you may have to look at your speedometer for a bit longer than usual, and even that tiny extra moment can be dangerous, especially at high speeds. The solution? A digital speedometer heads-up display (HUD) with built-in GPS, like the Vjoycar Speedometer HUD.

Unlike other HUDs that project information onto the windshield and can cause glare, this one sits directly on your dashboard. It uses a simple USB connection for power, making it extremely plug-and-play. For accurate speed readings, it connects directly to GPS satellites and updates your speed in real time with minimal margin of error. This also means it doesn’t need to connect to your car’s wiring or OBD port, making it especially suitable for older vehicles.

It boasts a solid 4.2-star rating on Amazon, and users particularly love its bright green display. Several reviewers mention that they have no trouble reading it at night. Priced at just $15, the Vjoycar Speedometer offers excellent value for the money. That said, there are a few trade-offs. Some users feel it lacks customization options, as it only displays speed in miles per hour and doesn’t allow you to change colors. Also, since it relies entirely on a GPS signal, it won’t work indoors or in underground parking lots.

Before anything else, we prioritized affordability. Three of the four products in this guide are under $50, and the remaining one is under $90, meaning all of them offer a cost-effective way to upgrade your car. When selecting these products, we focused on real-world usability: We wanted to create a list of the most essential gadgets for someone smart-ifying their car for the first time.

We also chose to feature only products available on Amazon, as the platform ensures wide accessibility, fast delivery, and easy returns. Moreover, none of the products we recommend are sponsored. Every pick is based on thorough research, real user experiences, reviews, and careful comparisons of features and value for money against competing products in the same category.