Roundup · iPhone · iOS 26 and iOS 27
Best CarPlay widget apps for iPhone in 2026
Updated October 5, 2026 · nine apps, from their US App Store listings · includes our own app, ranked last
The CarPlay widget app with the most public evidence behind it is myCar: Car Widgets & Dashboard, with 12,890 US App Store ratings averaging 4.6 on October 5, 2026. Pick CARFACE if you want synced song lyrics, HiCar if connection sounds matter most, CarSkin or AutoDash if you want to pay once and skip a subscription, and Car Widgets: Style Dashboard for weather and time widgets. Our own app, Car Play Widgets: Dashboard, is the newest of the nine and has only 6 ratings. All nine are free downloads with in-app purchases. They build on a feature Apple added in iOS 26: small iPhone widgets can be shown on the CarPlay dashboard.
Ratings, requirements and verdicts
| App | US ratings | Installs on | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. myCar: Car Widgets & Dashboard | 12,890 ratings, 4.6 average | iOS 15.1 or later | The safest pick on public evidence: by far the most US ratings, and it installs as far back as iOS 15.1. |
| 2. Car Dashboard Widgets - HiCar | 1,193 ratings, 4.1 average | iOS 16.0 or later | Sounds first: the listing leads with connect, arrival and disconnect cues. |
| 3. Carvia: Car Widgets | 965 ratings, 3.3 average | iOS 18.0 or later | Buying one themed collection instead of subscribing. |
| 4. Car Widgets: Style Dashboard | 514 ratings, 4.6 average | iOS 17.0 or later | A well-rated all-rounder: the same 4.6 average as myCar, with weather and time widgets and connection sounds. |
| 5. CARFACE Car Widgets & Lyrics | 448 ratings, 3.9 average | iOS 26.0 or later | Synced lyrics. It is the only listing here that advertises real-time lyrics for both Apple Music and Spotify. |
| 6. CarSkin: Widgets for Car | 160 ratings, 4.2 average | iOS 15.1 or later | A widget built around your exact car, with a lifetime purchase listed. |
| 7. CarTheme: Car Widgets & Sounds | 140 ratings, 4.4 average | iOS 26.0 or later | Adjusting layout details yourself, on iOS 26 or later. |
| 8. Car Widgets: AutoDash | 132 ratings, 4.6 average | iOS 17.0 or later | Utility widgets such as clocks, calendars and weather, with a lifetime purchase listed. |
| 9. Car Play Widgets: Dashboard(ours) | 6 ratings, 3.7 average | iOS 17.0 or later | A widget of your own car model with countdown, clock and text cards, if you accept a subscription. |
Installs on is the iOS needed to install the app. CarPlay widgets need iOS 26 or later with every app. The myCar and HiCar descriptions talk about the car screen or display and never use the word CarPlay.
What each listing offers
| App | Widgets | Sounds and lyrics | Listed prices (US) | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| myCar | Photos, custom icons and animated GIFs | Sounds: Startup sounds, from engine sounds to electric tones. | Weekly $4.99 to $5.99, yearly $19.99 to $24.99, other items $0.99 to $34.99 | The listing does not describe lyrics. Its App Store page carries Apple's background-location note. |
| HiCar | Ready-made widget templates | Sounds: A startup sound on connection, cues for arrival and disconnect, and your own audio files. | Weekly $4.99 to $8.99, yearly $19.99 to $49.99 | English only, and the listing says little about widget types. |
| Carvia | Dashboard layouts with calendar and time widgets | Neither is described in the listing. | Carvia Pro $29.99, themed collections $4.99 each | Its 3.3 average is the lowest here. Read recent reviews first. |
| Car Widgets: Style Dashboard | Car-inspired widgets, themes, and weather and time widgets | Sounds: Several connection sounds for CarPlay. | Weekly $5.99 to $8.99, monthly $9.99, yearly $39.99 | It has about 4% of myCar's rating count. |
| CARFACE | Photo and vehicle widgets in categories such as Pets & Animals, Daily Affirmations and Seasonal Themes | Sounds: Custom connect and disconnect sounds. Lyrics: Real-time lyrics for Apple Music and Spotify, powered by Musixmatch, with Shazam song recognition. | Weekly $4.99 to $7.99, monthly $12.99, yearly $39.99 (sale prices $19.99 to $29.99) | Installs only on iOS 26.0 or later. Its average is 3.9. |
| CarSkin | A widget of your own car: upload a photo or pick a model, then set the color and license plate | Neither is described in the listing. | Weekly $7.99, yearly $24.99, lifetime $19.99 to $29.99 | The description says $4.99 a week but the purchase list shows $7.99. Check the price in the app. |
| CarTheme | Custom widgets with an editor for colors, backgrounds, spacing and icons | Sounds: In the app name, but the description does not describe them. | Weekly $6.99, other plans $4.99 to $49.99 | Installs only on iOS 26.0 or later. Its description calls the app Carlio. |
| AutoDash | A dashboard builder with 40+ styles: clocks, calendars, weather, battery, world clock and a GPS speedometer | Neither is described in the listing. | Weekly $4.99, monthly $9.99, yearly $29.99, lifetime $39.99 to $59.99 | Last updated April 1, 2026, the oldest update here. |
| Car Play Widgets | Car artwork from a library of 1,470 cars across 121 brands, plus photo, clock, date, countdown and text cards | Sounds: Connect, disconnect and home-arrival sounds, run by an Apple Shortcuts automation. Lyrics: No synced lyrics in version 1.5. Text cards show words you type yourself. | Weekly $4.99; a yearly plan at the price shown in the app | Our own app, the newest here, with only 6 US ratings. Saving a widget requires Pro. |
Listed prices are the price points on each US App Store page; the price in the app can differ.
Bigger apps that include widgets
Two larger apps are outside this comparison because widgets are one feature among many in them.
- Car Play Connect, Sync & Care (49,589 ratings, 4.7 average). A driving-mode app whose listing also mentions weather and photo widgets.
- Car Auto Play: Connect & Sync (11,878 ratings, 4.2 average). A connection app whose listing includes custom car widgets.
You may not need a dedicated app: Apple's developer documentation says people can choose an app's small widgets from the CarPlay widget gallery. The guide to adding widgets to CarPlay has the steps.
Where our own app fits
Car Play Widgets: Dashboard is ninth of nine by rating count, with 6 ratings and a 3.7 average. It is not the choice for a one-time price.
Browsing and customizing are free. Saving a widget requires Pro, a weekly or yearly subscription with no free trial. The app has no CarPlay app of its own and reads no vehicle data. Its widgets need iOS 26 or later and a CarPlay display that shows widgets. Car Play Widgets 1.5 has no synchronized lyrics. Its text cards show words you type yourself.
See Car Play Widgets on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
What is the best CarPlay widget app for iPhone?
On public evidence it is myCar: Car Widgets & Dashboard, with 12,890 US App Store ratings averaging 4.6 on October 5, 2026. Pick by feature if you need one: CARFACE for synced lyrics, HiCar for sounds, CarSkin or AutoDash to pay once.
What are the best apps to customize Apple CarPlay on iOS 26?
For custom widgets on iOS 26 and iOS 27, the nine apps here are the dedicated options, led by myCar on rating count. Apple's own settings cover wallpaper, icon order and appearance. No app can restyle CarPlay itself.
Is there a free CarPlay widget app for iPhone?
All nine are free to download and all list in-app purchases. No listing promises a fully free tier, so expect a paywall. The free route is a widget from an app you already use, because iOS offers the small widgets of installed apps in the CarPlay widget list.
Which CarPlay widget app has a clock or countdown widget?
AutoDash lists 14 clock styles plus calendars and a world clock. Car Play Widgets: Dashboard has clock, date and countdown cards, and is the only one of the nine listings that names a countdown. Carvia lists calendar and time widgets.
Sources
The US App Store listing of each app, linked from its name in the first table and read on October 5, 2026. Platform facts come from Apple's developer documentation on CarPlay widgets. Ratings change daily.