The best head-up displays for cars
Three different products share this name, and the one you can actually use depends on whether your car's diagnostic port will talk to it. The compatibility rule, printed.
By Sawyer V. · Published · How we research
We have not tested any of this. Everything below is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, and the arithmetic is printed so you can check it. This page carries affiliate links: if you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the order of the picks. Full disclosure.
The verdict
Buy the wiiyii P6 at $31.19 if your car is a gasoline model from 2004 or later, and the SinoTrack GPS display at $26.63 if it is not. That single question decides this category. An OBD2 display reads your car's own data bus and can show RPM, coolant temperature and fault codes; it needs a diagnostic port that will share them. A GPS display shows your speed and nothing else, and works in anything with a 12V socket — any diesel, any hybrid, any EV, any age of car. Prices as of October 6, 2026.
The P6 is the pick because it does both: OBD2 for the engine data, with a GPS fallback for speed if the port will not cooperate. Who should skip the whole category: anyone whose complaint is that they keep looking down at the phone. That is a mount position problem, and it is cheaper to fix.
| # | Pick | Install | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SinoTrack 5.5 in GPS Head-Up Display A GPS-only display that works in any car, including diesels and EVs | Plugs in | 9.3/10 | $26.63 - view on Amazon |
| 2 | wiiyii P6 OBD2 + GPS Head-Up Display Dual OBD2 and GPS mode, so it works either way | Plugs in | 9.3/10 | $31.19 - view on Amazon |
| 3 | A8 5.5 in OBD2 Head-Up Display A windshield projector rather than a dashboard screen | Plugs in | 8.8/10 | $42.98 - view on Amazon |
| 4 | VIVIHUD V3-SE Wireless CarPlay HUD Display A CarPlay and Android Auto screen in head-up form | Plugs in | 7.3/10 | $105.99 - view on Amazon |
Prices last verified October 7, 2026. They move constantly; the figure on Amazon when you click is the real one.
Three products, one name
Everything sold as a head-up display falls into one of three groups, and they are not competitors so much as different answers to different questions.
- OBD2 displays. Plug into the diagnostic port under the dash and read the car's data bus. They can show speed, RPM, coolant temperature, fuel consumption and fault codes, because the car already knows all of it
- GPS displays. Plug into the 12V socket and derive speed from satellites. They know your speed, your heading and your altitude, and nothing whatsoever about the engine
- CarPlay cluster screens. A small wireless CarPlay or Android Auto screen that happens to sit where a HUD sits. A different product at roughly triple the price
And a fourth thing worth naming because it is sold alongside them: a plastic reflector tray that sits on the dash and bounces your phone screen into the glass. It needs no power and no data because it is a mirror. It is also unreadable in daylight.
The compatibility rule that decides everything
OBD2 is a standard for the connector and a family of protocols for what travels over it. Having the port does not guarantee the car will hand over the parameters a cheap display wants.
If you want to know what your car's port will actually give up before you spend anything, an OBD2 scanner answers the question properly, and it is a more useful tool to own than a HUD.
The four, by data source
| Display | Data source | Shows | Screen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wiiyii P6 | OBD2 and GPS | 100+ data types, 10 layouts, clears codes | Dash unit, 5.24 in wide | $31.19 |
| SinoTrack | GPS only | MPH, trip meter, overspeed and fatigue alerts | 5.5 in LCD | $26.63 |
| A8 | OBD2 only | Speed, RPM, fuel use, water temperature | 5.5 in projected | $42.98 |
| VIVIHUD V3-SE | OBD2, GPS and phone | Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, plus speed | Not published | $105.99 |
Projected or a screen you look down at
A true head-up display projects onto the windshield, so the image appears to float out beyond the glass and your eyes never leave the road. That is the original idea and the A8 is the one unit here that does it.
The catch is brightness. A projector competes with daylight coming through the same piece of glass, and not one product in this category publishes a brightness figure in nits. In practice a projected image is excellent at night and washed out at noon.
A dash-mounted screen — what the wiiyii and SinoTrack units are — is readable in any light, because it is a backlit display rather than a reflection. It is also a thing you glance down at, which is a smaller improvement over your instrument cluster than the marketing implies.
Who each one is for
- wiiyii P6 — a US gasoline car from 2004 or later. Dual OBD2 and GPS operation, over 100 data types, ten layouts and fault-code clearing. It is the only unit here that cannot be made useless by an uncooperative port. Skip it if you drive a diesel, hybrid or EV
- SinoTrack GPS — everyone else, and anyone who only wants speed. The largest published screen at 5.5 inches, MPH, a trip meter and overspeed and fatigue alerts, with no compatibility question to answer. Skip it if you wanted engine data; it has none
- A8 projected — the driver who wants a genuine head-up image. Real windshield projection with speed, RPM, fuel consumption and water temperature. Skip it if you drive into the sun on your commute, or if you want a GPS fallback
- VIVIHUD V3-SE — a different purchase entirely. See the skip note
What a HUD fixes, and what it does not
Be clear about the problem. A HUD does not make you a safer driver in any way that has been demonstrated to us, and nothing on this page is a safety device. What it genuinely does is put two or three numbers where you can read them without refocusing.
| Complaint | HUD? | Better answer |
|---|---|---|
| I keep glancing down at my phone for the speed limit | No | Move the phone mount up |
| My car has a tiny or awkward speedometer | Yes | — |
| I want to know engine coolant temperature | Yes, OBD2 | — |
| I have a check-engine light and want to know why | No | An OBD2 scanner |
| I want navigation in my eyeline | No | A phone mount high and central |
| I want CarPlay in an older car | No | A portable CarPlay screen |
| I speed without noticing | Yes | — |
Two of those rows point somewhere cheaper. If the real complaint is navigation and calls, then a portable CarPlay screen gives you a proper display for similar money, and how to add CarPlay to an older car covers the whole route. If it is the check-engine light, an OBD2 scanner reads codes a HUD only clears.
Installation, and the one thing to get right
Both kinds are plug-in. The OBD2 units run a cable from the port under the dash, the GPS units run one from the 12V socket, and both leave you with a cable to route.
Tuck it along the trim seam at the base of the windshield and down the side of the centre console. What you must not do is let a cable hang across the instrument binnacle or near the steering column, and nothing on the dash may sit where it would obstruct your view of the road or interfere with an airbag deployment path. Check your owner's manual for the airbag zones before choosing a position — a dash unit sits in the same real estate as the passenger airbag on some cars.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry lists the specifications the maker publishes, the axis scores those specifications produce, and what you give up. Rows that read “Not published” are not omissions on our side: they are things the maker will not commit to in writing, and they cost the product points on the transparency axis. Specifications compiled September 4, 2026.
Our pickA GPS-only display that works in any car, including diesels and EVs
SinoTrack 5.5 in GPS Head-Up Display
GPS only, which sounds like a limitation and is actually the reason to buy it. It needs no OBD2 port, no protocol negotiation and no model-year cutoff, so it works in a diesel, a hybrid, an EV or a 1998 pickup. The 5.5 inch LCD is the largest screen here, and it adds an overspeed alarm, a trip meter and a fatigue-driving alert. If all you want on the glass is your speed, this is the honest answer.
- Data source
- GPS only
- Compatibility
- All vehicles, stated
- Screen
- 5.5 in LCD
- Speed units
- MPH
- Alerts
- Overspeed alarm, fatigue-driving alert
- Trip meter
- Yes
- Engine data
- None
- Screen brightness
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
List price $26.63 per Amazon listing, October 6, 2026, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
What it gets right
- GPS only, so compatibility is not a question -- stated for all vehicles
- 5.5 in LCD, the largest published screen in this group
- Overspeed alarm, trip meter and fatigue-driving alert, all stated
- Shows MPH, so no unit conversion to set up
Flaws
- No engine data at all -- no RPM, no coolant temperature, no fault codes
- GPS speed lags true speed slightly and needs sky view to lock
- No published brightness figure or operating temperature range
The working behind the 9.3
- Heat headroom: not scored (weight 22%)
- The maker publishes no operating-temperature ceiling, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Install effort: 10.0 (weight 24%)
- Plugs into a 12V socket or a USB port. Nothing to mount, nothing to route, reversible in a second.
- Price against the ceiling: 9.5 (weight 24%)
- Listed at $26.63 on the compile date. This site's buyer has a practical ceiling around $150 for a single upgrade, so the scale rewards everything under $100 and falls away sharply past $150. The live price is very often different, and that is what the button is for.
- Written commitment: not scored (weight 15%)
- No warranty term published, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Spec transparency: 7.8 (weight 15%)
- 7 of the 9 specifications we went looking for are published by the maker (78%). A blank row is never a guess here: it prints “Not published” and it costs the product points, because a figure nobody will commit to in writing is a figure you cannot check.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled September 4, 2026 from the SinoTrack 5.5 in GPS head-up display listing.
2Dual OBD2 and GPS mode, so it works either way
wiiyii P6 OBD2 + GPS Head-Up Display
The only unit here that publishes both modes in one box: it will read the OBD2 port for engine data, and fall back to GPS for speed if your car's port does not cooperate. That dual capability is the whole argument for it, because the single failure mode in this category is buying an OBD2 display for a car that will not hand over the data. wiiyii publishes the compatibility rule plainly, which nobody else here does.
- Data source
- OBD2 and GPS, dual mode
- OBD2 compatibility
- OBD2 protocol gasoline vehicles, US after 2004, elsewhere after 2008
- GPS compatibility
- Any vehicle, 8 to 18V
- Data types
- 100+, stated
- Display layouts
- 10
- Unit size
- 5.24 x 3.54 x 4.33 in
- Weight
- 6.7 oz
- Fault code clearing
- Yes
- Screen brightness
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
List price $31.19 per Amazon listing, October 6, 2026, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
What it gets right
- OBD2 and GPS dual mode, so a car with an uncooperative port still shows speed
- States compatibility: OBD2 protocol gasoline vehicles made in the US after 2004, elsewhere after 2008
- Publishes that the GPS mode works on any vehicle in an 8 to 18V range
- Over 100 data types and 10 display layouts, stated
- Can clear fault codes, so it doubles as a basic code reader
Flaws
- Diesel and hybrid support is not stated, only gasoline
- A windshield projector washes out in direct sun and no brightness figure is published
- No published figure for which specific OBD2 parameters it reads
The working behind the 9.3
- Heat headroom: not scored (weight 22%)
- The maker publishes no operating-temperature ceiling, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Install effort: 10.0 (weight 24%)
- Plugs into a 12V socket or a USB port. Nothing to mount, nothing to route, reversible in a second.
- Price against the ceiling: 9.5 (weight 24%)
- Listed at $31.19 on the compile date. This site's buyer has a practical ceiling around $150 for a single upgrade, so the scale rewards everything under $100 and falls away sharply past $150. The live price is very often different, and that is what the button is for.
- Written commitment: not scored (weight 15%)
- No warranty term published, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Spec transparency: 8.0 (weight 15%)
- 8 of the 10 specifications we went looking for are published by the maker (80%). A blank row is never a guess here: it prints “Not published” and it costs the product points, because a figure nobody will commit to in writing is a figure you cannot check.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled September 4, 2026 from the wiiyii P6 head-up display listing.
3A windshield projector rather than a dashboard screen
A8 5.5 in OBD2 Head-Up Display
This one projects onto the windshield rather than sitting on the dash as a screen you look down at, which is the arrangement the phrase head-up display originally meant. It reads the OBD2 port for speed, RPM, fuel consumption and water temperature, and adds a speeding alarm. A projector needs the reflective film that ships with it or a clean, vertical area of glass, and in strong daylight it is the weaker of the two approaches.
- Data source
- OBD2
- Display type
- Windshield projection
- Projected size
- 5.5 in
- Shows
- Speed, RPM, fuel consumption, water temperature
- Alerts
- Speeding alarm
- Setup
- Plug and play
- Screen brightness
- Not published
- Compatibility list
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
List price $42.98 per Amazon listing, October 6, 2026, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
What it gets right
- True windshield projection, so your eye line stays on the road
- Publishes the data it shows -- speed, RPM, speeding alarm, fuel consumption, water temperature
- Plug and play from the OBD2 port with no wiring
- 5.5 in projected image
Flaws
- Projection washes out in direct sunlight, and no brightness figure is published
- OBD2 only, so no fallback on a car whose port will not share data
- Unbranded, with no published warranty or compatibility list
The working behind the 8.8
- Heat headroom: not scored (weight 22%)
- The maker publishes no operating-temperature ceiling, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Install effort: 10.0 (weight 24%)
- Plugs into a 12V socket or a USB port. Nothing to mount, nothing to route, reversible in a second.
- Price against the ceiling: 9.0 (weight 24%)
- Listed at $42.98 on the compile date. This site's buyer has a practical ceiling around $150 for a single upgrade, so the scale rewards everything under $100 and falls away sharply past $150. The live price is very often different, and that is what the button is for.
- Written commitment: not scored (weight 15%)
- No warranty term published, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Spec transparency: 6.7 (weight 15%)
- 6 of the 9 specifications we went looking for are published by the maker (67%). A blank row is never a guess here: it prints “Not published” and it costs the product points, because a figure nobody will commit to in writing is a figure you cannot check.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled September 4, 2026 from the A8 5.5 in OBD2 head-up display listing.
4A CarPlay and Android Auto screen in head-up form
VIVIHUD V3-SE Wireless CarPlay HUD Display
Skip this one. It is a wireless CarPlay screen wearing the head-up display name, at roughly three times the price of a speed readout. If you want CarPlay in a car that has none, compare it against a proper portable CarPlay screen with a usable display size before buying a small cluster version of one.
This is a different product wearing the same name. It is a wireless CarPlay and Android Auto cluster screen that happens to sit where a head-up display sits, so it gives you navigation, music and calls as well as an OBD2 and GPS speed readout. At about three times the price of a plain speed display it is only worth it if you want CarPlay and your car has none -- in which case compare it against a portable CarPlay screen before buying.
- Data source
- OBD2, GPS and phone over Bluetooth
- Phone projection
- Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto
- Brightness
- Automatic
- Setup
- Plug and play
- Screen size
- Not published
- Resolution
- Not published
- Compatibility list
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
List price $105.99 per Amazon listing, October 6, 2026, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
What it gets right
- Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, stated -- no cable to the phone
- Also reads OBD2 and GPS for a speed readout
- Automatic brightness, which the plain displays here do not publish
- Plug and play, so it adds CarPlay without touching the dashboard
Flaws
- Roughly three times the price of a GPS-only speed display
- A small cluster screen is a compromised CarPlay experience next to a 7 in unit
- No published screen size, resolution or operating temperature range
The working behind the 7.3
- Heat headroom: not scored (weight 22%)
- The maker publishes no operating-temperature ceiling, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Install effort: 10.0 (weight 24%)
- Plugs into a 12V socket or a USB port. Nothing to mount, nothing to route, reversible in a second.
- Price against the ceiling: 6.0 (weight 24%)
- Listed at $105.99 on the compile date. This site's buyer has a practical ceiling around $150 for a single upgrade, so the scale rewards everything under $100 and falls away sharply past $150. The live price is very often different, and that is what the button is for.
- Written commitment: not scored (weight 15%)
- No warranty term published, so this axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Spec transparency: 5.0 (weight 15%)
- 4 of the 8 specifications we went looking for are published by the maker (50%). A blank row is never a guess here: it prints “Not published” and it costs the product points, because a figure nobody will commit to in writing is a figure you cannot check.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled September 4, 2026 from the VIVIHUD V3-SE head-up display listing.
Prices last verified October 7, 2026. They move constantly; the figure on Amazon when you click is the real one.
Questions people actually ask
Do head-up displays work in any car?
GPS ones do — they need only a 12V socket, so a diesel, a hybrid, an EV or a 1995 pickup all work. OBD2 ones do not. wiiyii publishes the rule for its own unit: OBD2-protocol gasoline vehicles built in the US after 2004 and elsewhere after 2008. Diesels and hybrids are not stated as supported.
OBD2 or GPS head-up display?
OBD2 if you want engine data — RPM, coolant temperature, fuel consumption — and your car qualifies. GPS if you only want speed, or if your car is a diesel, a hybrid, an EV or older than the OBD2 cutoff. One unit here does both and falls back to GPS if the port will not talk, which is why it is the top pick.
Are head-up displays readable in daylight?
Backlit dash-mounted units are. Windshield projectors are not, reliably — they compete with sunlight coming through the same glass, and no product in this category publishes a brightness figure in nits. If your commute drives into the sun, buy a screen rather than a projector.
Can a head-up display read my check-engine light?
The OBD2 units can display and clear fault codes, but clearing a code is not diagnosing it. For actually reading what is wrong, a dedicated scanner gives you live data, freeze frames and readiness monitors that no HUD exposes.
Is a head-up display legal?
Rules on what may be mounted to a windshield vary by state, and some restrict anything fixed to the glass in the driver's field of view. Beyond the law there is the airbag question: a dash unit can sit in the passenger airbag deployment path on some cars. Check your owner's manual for the airbag zones and your state's windshield-obstruction rule before choosing a position.
Sources
- Published dual OBD2 and GPS modes, model-year compatibility rule and unit dimensions for the wiiyii P6
- Published GPS-only operation, 5.5 in LCD and alert features for the SinoTrack head-up display
- Published projected display size and data readouts for the A8 OBD2 head-up display
- Published wireless CarPlay, Android Auto and OBD2 features for the VIVIHUD V3-SE