A phone mount in your Bronco or Maverick, and the hands-free rules

Where a mount sits in a Bronco

In a 2021–2026 Bronco, 2-Door or 4-Door, you have two places that need no drilling. Our magnetic phone holder bolts to the left front A-pillar with the Bronco screws that are already there. It skips adhesive, which can let go in summer heat, and it leaves the air outlet open.

Two ball joints on that holder each turn 360 degrees, so you can aim the screen toward your seat. The phone has to be magnetic, either in a MagSafe case or a phone that takes a magnet without one. A thick case or a hard off-road run weakens the hold. That is one more reason to set your route before you drive, rather than reach for the phone on the trail.

The aluminum phone mount screws into the factory holes on the dashboard instead. It stays out of your view through the windshield, and a magnetic ring adapter comes in the box for a phone that has no magnet of its own. A dual ball joint turns the phone from portrait to landscape. It does not fit the Bronco Sport.

Pick by phone and by place. The A-pillar holder puts the screen on the left, beside the driver, and needs a magnetic phone or a MagSafe case. The dashboard mount uses the screw holes on the dash, keeps clear of your view through the windshield, and works with a phone that has no magnet once the ring adapter is on.

Where a mount sits in a Maverick

Ford changed the Maverick dash for 2025, so your mount depends on the model year. In a 2022–2024 truck, the small cubby next to the center screen usually holds nothing useful. Our phone holder cubby drops into it after you pull out the factory rubber piece.

Its ball head holds your phone on a strong magnet, turned level or upright. The phone sits clear of the center screen and the air vents, and nothing sticks to the dash, so there is no adhesive residue if you take it out later. The holder is ABS and carbon steel.

In a 2025–2026 Maverick, the phone mount holder is shaped to the newer dash and does not fit the older trucks. It turns your phone a full 360 degrees and comes with 2 connection methods for most phone sizes. It sits where it does not cover the screen or the controls, and you set it up without tools or drilling.

Set the route before you drive

Every one of our phone mounts carries the same line in its instructions: set your route before you drive. A mount puts the map where a glance reaches it. It is not a place to type, scroll or answer a message while the truck is moving.

A few minutes in the driveway saves you from reaching for the screen on the highway. Run through these steps each time, before the truck leaves its spot.

1. 1

   Put the truck in park before you touch the phone.

2. 2

   Open the map, enter the address and start the route.

3. 3

   Turn on voice directions and set the volume so you can hear them over road noise.

4. 4

   Start the playlist or podcast you want for the whole drive.

5. 5

   Turn on your phone's driving focus or do-not-disturb mode so messages wait for you.

6. 6

   Seat the phone on the mount, angle it toward your seat, and leave it there.

What the national safety groups say

NHTSA puts the cost plainly. Distracted driving claimed 3,208 lives in 2024. NHTSA counts any activity that takes attention from driving as distraction, and that includes phone use and fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system.

Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, NHTSA says, that is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

The National Safety Council adds a point that matters for anyone with a mount. Cell phones are a top distraction because so many drivers use them for long periods each day. Hands-free devices and in-vehicle infotainment still distract the brain, and they keep distracting drivers after they have been used. NSC calls this technology a matter of convenience, not safety.

So a mount takes the phone out of your hand, but it does not take the call out of your head. The safest route is the one you set before you leave.

Phone laws differ from state to state

NHTSA notes that state legislatures make the laws on phone use while driving. The Governors Highway Safety Association keeps those laws on one page, state by state. On it, 33 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones while driving.

Texting bans reach further. GHSA lists 49 states, D.C. and the same territories as banning text messaging for all drivers. No state bans all cellphone use for all drivers, yet GHSA's own advice goes past the law: do not use cellphones or other electronic devices while driving, regardless of the current law.

Before a trip across state lines, look up each state you will pass through on the GHSA page. The rule can change at the border, and the habit of setting the route in park keeps you clear of it in every state.

If you need to change the route on the way, pull over somewhere safe and stop before you pick up the phone. A passenger can also handle the map for you.

Our mounts live on the shades, mounts and handles shelf. If you are adding lights at the same time, our guide to adding lights to your truck covers what the federal lighting standard says.

Every product named here is part of the Mabett lineup.