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It's simple. You just need to buy a Bluetooth receiver. They're relatively cheap and easy to use.

Problem: You want to listen to music and answer calls from your phone while you’re driving, but your old car doesn’t have Bluetooth. Also, you don’t have an AUX or USB cord to link the two. What do you do?

Answer: Get a Bluetooth receiver. It’s inexpensive and, because you can change tracks via a remote, it will probably encourage you to keep your eyes on the road. Before buying, however, you need to know which kind of receiver will work best in your car.

Car compatibility: The most important thing is that you need to make sure the Bluetooth receiver will work with your car. Most cars will have a 3.5mm AUX input. If your car doesn’t have a USB port, some Bluetooth receivers will require you to purchase an inexpensive USB charger (like this one) that plugs into the car’s 12-volt DC outlet (a.k.a. the cigarette lighter).

Charging ports: Many of today's Bluetooth receivers come equipped with one or more extra USB ports. This is ideal for people who want to stream music and charge their smartphone (or other devices) while they drive. These extra ports typically increase the cost of the receiver, however.

Size and extra features: Finally, you want to make sure the Bluetooth receiver works best for you. They come in all different shapes and sizes — and you might not want a bulky Bluetooth receiver to take up vital dashboard space. Also, some options come with various features, like a built-in radio transmitter or a built-in voice assistant (like Alexa or Google Assistant), that you may or may not want.

We've been writing about and reviewing audio products — including speakers, headphones, earbuds and other audio components that run the gamut from consumer to hi-fi — for near-on a decade. We also work with major brands and talk to experts within the audio industry. The below selections of Bluetooth receivers are a combination of products that we've had hands-on experience with as well as products that are made by brands that trusted within the audio space.

The AirFly Pro is a Bluetooth adapter that was really designed to allow you to connect your AirPods to an airplane's in-flight entertainment system (because they still don't have Bluetooth), but it also makes a terrific Bluetooth receiver for your car. Just make sure to flip the switch on the AirFly Pro (to turn it into an "AUX In" adapter), connect it to your iPhone via Bluetooth, plug it into your car's aux jack and start streaming music.

It's available in either white or black.

The Anker Soundsync is a simple and easy-to-use Bluetooth receiver that can work with any smartphone. It requires you to plug into your car's AUX jack (so you need to make sure it has one). The only other caveat is that it requires you to charge it (via micro-USB). A single charge will get you roughly twelve hours of battery life.

The Roav Viva is unique because it's a Bluetooth receiver for your car that comes with built-in Alexa. This means you can use your voice (via Alexa) to change songs and navigation directions. The catch is that, particularly, these voice commands work best if you subscribe to Amazon's services, like Amazon Music. However, even if you choose to not use Alexa (or just mute it), the Roav Viva other benefits: just as two USB-A ports that can help charge your other devices. Requires you to use your car's cigarette lighter outlet.

Nulaxy's bluetooth receiver has three things going for it. First, it's one of the most affordable options there. Two, it brings with it a built-in FM transmitter, so you listen to music on the radio if for some reason your car doesn't have it. And three, it has a USB-A port to charge one of devices if you need to. The downside is that it's pretty bulky and looks pretty dated for 2022.

This is different from any other option this list because it work's with your car's cassette tape player. You just slip it inside, connect your smartphone over Bluetooth and start playing music from your car's speakers. You will have to charge it, however. A single charge will get you roughly 8 hours of playtime.

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