I will flat out admit that this post has absolutely nothing to do with organizing. But I am a firm believer that organizing is more than just creating order, it is creating beauty.
So today, I am creating beauty… in my car.
I feel slightly sheepish with this post and maybe a bit like a newly turned 16-year-old with a new car. BUT,even at 32 years old, I still enjoy decorating my car and making it my own without making it look tacky.
Here are 25 ways to personalize your car that you’re sure to love!
UPDATE: I added some awesome ideas for how to decorate your car for the holidays down at the bottom of the post… check it out!
Need more ideas? Check these out:9 Simple Car Organization Tips Anyone Can Doand11 Easy Steps to Create Beautiful Faux Leather Keychains
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link!*
There are several ways you can personalize your car to make it cute.I don’t do all of these in my car interior, but these should give you some great ideas to start.
Here are my favorite ways to personalize your vehicle:
- Car Coasters (glitter ones are my fave!)
- Glitter Tumbler (again with the glitter)
- Air Freshener
- Headrest Collars
- Keychains
- Car Mats
- Rear View Mirror Decorations
- Seatbelt Covers
- Steering Wheel Covers
- License Plate Covers
- Personalized Car Fresheners
There are tons of other ideas out there but some of them just go too far for my personal taste. I am going for cute and not tacky. Adding stuffed animals to my car is just a bit too young for me, I guess!
PLUS, my kids add enough junk to the car that I really try to limit the number of things in my car. I just want cute things that I love instead of tons of decor that will just make it feel cluttered.
I mean, you still need places to sit, right? So these car decoration ideas are meant to be practical and functional, as well as cute! Speaking of practicality, if you’re planning a camping trip, having the right gear is essential. Check out this guide to thebest air mattress for campingto ensure you sleep comfortably under the stars.
I saw this Personalized Photo Car Freshener and I fell in love! What better way to display a photo of you and your bae!? You can even choose the scent of your air freshener. I chose pina colada and it’s delicious!
When trying to decide how to decorate your car, it’s important to decide what your style is.
Do you love boho, glitter, and glam? Ritzy? This is an important first step to make sure that your car looks put together.
Car Decoration Themes to Consider:
- Boho
- Retro
- Surfer
- Glitter and Rhinestone
- Sports Fan
- Topical
- Your Favorite Movie
- Your Favorite Pattern (such as a leopard)
Obviously, there are tons of other themes you can use when choosing how to decorate your car’s interior. This is just a great starting point and a way to get the ideas flowing for you.
Once you pick out a theme or have a clear idea of how you want your car to look, it’s time to start decorating!
Retro Car Decorations
If you love the retro vibe, then these amazing car decorations are for you! I’ve scoured the internet for the cutest car decorations that I could find. And I’m literally dying! I’m a huge fan of The Beatles so you’ll notice the small little nods to their lyrics in the products that I chose.
Shop Retro Car Decorations:
Boho Car Decorations
I love the natural, bohemian vibe. It has such a natural, earthy feel to it and if you are looking for a way decorate your car, here are some of my very favorite boho car decorations.
Shop Boho Car Decor:
Leopard Car Decoration
Leopard is all the rage right now so you shouldn’t be surprised to see this as one of the options. I personally LOVE leopard everything and I hope you do too! Here are some of my very favorite leopard car decorations that you’re sure to love:
Shop Leopard Car Decor:
Sports Team Car Decorations
If you’re a sports fan, then why not decorate your car with your favorite team! I’m a big BYU fan so I love decorating my car with blue and white during football season. My favorite thing is these BYU Neoprene car coasters! Use the code ‘PERFECTION10’ for 10% off of your order in the Drip Dye Designs store. Even if you aren’t a BYU fan like I am, she can customize your coasters to whatever team you want!
Shop Sports Team Decor: (Most of these items can be customized to your team)
Tropical Car Decor
Everyone loves a sunny beach vacation, so why not decorate your car to remind you of your favorite vacay spot? These are some of my favorite tropical car decorations that found!
Shop Tropical Car Decor:
Neon Car Decorations
If you’re a huge fan of neon, then this is the theme for you. I LOVE neon colors…they are so vibrant and full of life! Neon pink is my favorite so I chose to feature those but all of the listings that I’ve linked below have the option to choose other neon colors. And if it doesn’t say that specifically, message the seller!
Shop Neon Car Accessories:
Car Coasters
I was browsing Etsy a while ago and discovered car coasters. And not just car coasters…GLITTER CAR COASTERS!
I instantly fell in love and knew that these would be the perfect touch to add to my car. They are made of sturdy epoxy and are perfect for any car. There are SO many varieties and possibilities with glitter car coasters – your mind will be blown!
If you are looking for an excellent seller with excellent service,Jackieis your gal. She sells the widest variety of colors in car coasters that I’ve seen and she really is just a gem. Go check out herGlitter Coastersin her shop, I know you’ll love them! She is also offering 10% off for all of my readers (use code PRACTICAL at checkout).
My 10-year-old daughter was so funny the other day when she said, “Did you know that glitter is proven to release serotonin into your body and that’s why it makes you so happy?!”
Well, girl, I have no idea if that’s true or not, but glitter makes me happy…so I’ll take it!
Personalized Car Fresheners
Everyone loves their car to smell amazing, but why not let your freshener double as a photo AND a freshener?! This is a hugely popular item on Etsy and it’s not hard to see why. I LOVE this darling Personalized Photo Air Freshener and I just love seeing this picture of my husband and me hanging in my car.
Glitter Tumbler
Now onto my very favorite part of this post – my glitter tumbler! The current trend of Glitter Tumblers is one of my favorite trends in a LONG TIME! I am literallyobsessedwith them!
I found aparticular storecalledSparkle Shimmathat I have used a couple of times and I have been so happy with not only the tumblers themselves but her customer service! She made my Pink Leopard Glitter tumbler for me.
This car accessory isn’t something that necessarily stays in the car but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to have a few of them!
I have a personal obsession with custom glitter tumblers. (Remember that glitter = serotonin = happiness?!)
I like to match them to the theme of my car once in a while and it really adds an extra fun look to your car accessories.
Here is a link to all of the Glitter Tumbler Sellers I have in this post:
- Pink Leopard Glitter Tumbler bySparkle Shimma
- It’s Fall Y’all Glitter Tumbler byCurly Nick Designs
- Hocus Pocus Glitter Tumbler byCattle Dog Studio
- Buffalo Plaid Christmas Car Glitter Tumbler byDaydra’s Custom Creations
After learning about the tedious process of making these cups, I have truly come to appreciate what a true art this is!
Of course, my cup has to match the decorations in my car! 🤓 It’s the best way to personalize your car, in my opinion!
Car Phone Accessories
Car phone accessories are a staple when it comes to our cars. Heaven forbid we run out of battery on our phone! 😂
I also really hate to hold my phone while I am driving and following Google Maps toward my destination. So I bought an awesome phone holder that attaches to my car vents. I like that it’s not a permanent solution like gluing something to your dashboard.
I purchased my phone holder at Target in their dollar spot but you can findtons of different optionson Amazon, too. I used a faux leather glitter sheet that I found at Hobby Lobby to bling up my phone holder and to make myself a tassel keychain usingthis tutorial.
Keychain Accessories
There is this funny joke in my family where my husband absolutely hates bulky keychains – or keychains at all – and I absolutely love them! He hates carrying them around and how they bulk up his front pocket. So maybe keychains aren’t for everyone. 😂
But if you want to learn how to create your own Leather Keychains, check out mykeychain tutorial.
I have mentioned this in a previous post, but one of my pet peeves is when I lose my chapstick! I found thisawesome store on Etsythat has the best quality chapstick keychains! They are faux leather and she makes them herself!
Now I will never lose my chapstick again! Hopefully.
Headrest Collars
Remember that I love all things shiny? I was looking for products that I could use to bling up and customize my car interior in any way! I found these super cuterhinestone headrest collarsthat are just perfect! I love them!
They are really easy to install. All you have to do is to push that little lever at the bottom of the headrest pole and pull out the headrest. Place the headrest collars onto the silver poles and replace the headrest until it clicks.
And viola!
Air Freshener
You could have the cleanest car in the world but if it stinks like sweaty football players, it doesn’t matter how clean it is. It won’t feel clean!
Smell is such an important element to enjoying being in your car. My very favorite car fresheners are the ones fromBath and Body Works! They always have such incredible scents and I even love their holiday car vent clips.
Bath and Body Works usually has sales, so keep an eye out for these and get a bunch. They are such a fun way to customize your car.
Because I love Leopard print, I just fell in love with this cutecar freshener diffuser. And guess what?! It’s covered in rhinestones! It goes so well with my leopard glitter tumbler.
Other Ideas
There are so many other car decoration ideas out there and so much car decor you could purchase or create.
You could get a steering wheel cover that you love, seat covers in your favorite color or pattern, or (for the exterior of your car) a license plate cover!
Once you start searching, creating, or shopping, you’ll find tons of fun car decoration ideas that the whole family will love.
My Favorite Organization Tip
I do want to mention one organizational tip that I forgot to add to myCar Organization post. This one is great for keeping all of your car paperwork perfectly organized.
Get a file folder you can keep in the storage compartment on your dashboard or slide it under a seat in your car. Separate your documents into maintenance receipts, vehicle registration, etc.
That way, if you get pulled over by a cop, you know right where your insurance and registration papers are! 😉
Decorating for the Holidays
This idea might seem ridiculous to some but I absolutely love holidays and seasons. My favorite holidays and seasons to decorate for are fall, Halloween, and Christmas.
You may be thinking that decorating your car for a holiday is just a bit much. But IS IT!?
Think about it… we decorate our homes, our phone wallpapers, our bathrooms, and sometimes even our bedrooms. And so many of us spend tons of time in the car. So why not ‘deck the car’?!
So I have done just that. I don’t go crazy… I just added a few small touches to my car to make it seem a bit more festive for each of those holidays. And it makes me so happy inside!
I love the looks I get when people pull up next to me at the traffic light and see our full-size skeleton, Mr. Bones, in the passenger seat.It brings smiles to their faces… and mine, too!
If you love the holidays and want to infuse that festivity into all corners of your life, consider switching things up in your car interior to give it a customized decorative look depending on the time of year.
Decorating Your Car for Fall
So, as I mentioned before, I always try to go for cute and not tacky. I’m quite selective in the things that I choose to decorate. They are just small touches, not overwhelming decorations.
Here are the things that I added to my car to decorate it for fall:
- It’s Fall Y’all Glitter Tumbler
- Leaf Glitter Car Coasters
- Fall Keychains (tutorial here)
- Fall Car Scents from Bath and Body Works
Decorating Your Car for Halloween
Like I said, my favorite thing is to see the reactions of random drivers as they see my full-sized skeleton in my passenger seat. They get quite a kick out of it and it’s the perfect touch for Halloween!
Here’s what I add to my car for the Halloween season:
- Hocus Pocus Glitter Tumbler
- Pumpkin Straw Topper
- Glitter Car Coasters
- Halloween Keychains (tutorial here)
- Fall Car Scents from Bath and Body Works
- Gold Spray Painted Skeletons to hang from the rearview mirror (Dollar Tree)
- Full-Sized Skeleton to put in the driver seat
Decorating Your Car for Christmas
Christmas makes even Scrooge feel festive, so here are some decoration ideas for things you can add to your car during the Christmas season:
- Buffalo Plaid Christmas Car Glitter Tumbler
- Red Glitter Car Coasters
- Christmas Tree Ornament (from Hobby Lobby) to hang from the rearview mirror
- Christmas Car Scent from Bath and Body Works
- Christmas Car Clip (for scents) from Bath and Body Works
- Christmas Keychains (tutorial here)
While decorating your car is obviously not necessary, I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to feel like their car interior is really an extension of them.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and I appreciate you humoring my juvenile antics as I decorate my car and add a little bit of bling to my otherwise boring car interior.
If you like any of these decoration ideas, I highly encourage you to check out the products I’ve linked, or start searching for things that will match your personal style.
Decorating your vehicle might seem a little over-the-top, but I promise it will make you happy every time you sit down inside your car.
