Best Car CB Radio Reviews: Small & Easy to Install Citizen Band Radios for Your Car

Last Updated on September 29, 2019 by Wayne

Buying a car CB radio was one of the wisest decision I have ever made. Yeah, we do go for off-road trips on the weekends and the CB I have in my car has been very helpful in all those occasions.

But, I have seen many people failing to find the best CB radio for their car.

You need to consider the following key factors while picking a car Citizen Band radio:

If you wish drifting your car on a muddy trail, bragging over your radio, you’ve come to the right path.

You will find the reviews of small, easy to install and high-performance CB radios for cars in this article. I am sure that with our findings, you will have some amazing experience.

If you are in a hurry and want to grab the right radio, here are our recommendations:

Top CB Radios for Cars

Why Get a CB Radio for Your Car?

I think this has to be addressed before moving to the reviews. Yeah, there are many people out there who think a smartphone is far better compared to a CB for car.

However, they might be missing something.

Here are the reasons how a Citizen Band radio for your car can change your life.

Best Small and Easy to Install Car CB Radio Reviews

Ready for the reviews?

You need to wait a bit longer.

What are the factors that determine whether a CB is good for your car or not? If you don’t know, let me jot them for you:

1. 1. Small and Compact size
   2. Ease of mounting and installation
   3. Quality Features
   4. High Performance and Noise-free transmission
   5. Rugged usage
   6. Budget

I want to tell you that we have framed this roundup review considering all the 6 factors listed above.

This means the CBs we recommend are of high quality and proven in the market.

Let’s start!

#1. Cobra 29LX: The Best for Your Car

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The top one in our list of car CB radios is from none other than the most esteemed CB brand, Cobra. Cobra 29 LX is an awesome CB radio designed for avid CB users.

The ease of installation is what I loved the most about this CB radio. You will not have to make any drilling in your vehicle. You can use some of the best CB radio mounts to make your task easier.

Here are the top features of the CB:

With Cobra 29LX, you will get four selectable color display-red, blue, green and amber. This cool feature helps you select a display matching your car interiors. You can even adjust the brightness during the night drives.

The most beneficial feature of the CB radio is Emergency Weather Alert. This lets you know of any nearby threatening weather even if CB is turned off.

Cobra has released an upgraded version of this product. This one comes with the Bluetooth feature, helping you connect your phone with the CB. Yeah, it makes your life a lot easier. They have named it as Cobra 29LX Max. Click here to check the latest price of Cobra 29LX Max on Amazon.

All in all, Cobra 29LX is an awesome CB for cars. You can buy it without any fears. I am sure it will make you happy with its astonishing features and amazing performance.

Want to know more about the product? Click here for our Cobra 29LX review.

#2. Midland 75-822: Most bought Car CB

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Midland 75-822 is the most rated CB radio by actual car drivers. This is a basic good quality unit you can invest without thinking twice.

The compact nature and portability are the two features that made it the favorite of regular CB users.

We recommend you to use magnet mount antennas for this CB. With some of the best magnetic CB antennas, you can easily get good ranges of 4 or 5 miles. On the other hand, normal antennas will give you just 1 to 2 miles range.

Although it’s very small in size, the built quality is sturdy. It’s an amazing rugged piece to have.

The memory feature will save up to five channels for immediate access. It also comes with a smart feature that allows you to switch to the last channel you had tuned to before powering off.

Clear transmission is never a worry with Midland 75-822. ANL feature improves reception and Squelch control removes the noise from the background.

Here are other features worth mentioning about this portable car radio.

You can learn more about this CB from our review of Midland 75-822.

#3. Cobra C75WXST: 

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You might be thinking ‘another Cobra product in the list?’. Yeah, Cobra is one of the most famous brand in the CB industry. They are known for producing high quality products.

Cobra 75WXST is the best CB radio for cars having extremely limited installation spaces.

Here are other features worth mentioning about this small CB radio for car.

The only downside of this CB is its speaker. But there are good quality CB external speakers available at cheap price range to make your life easier.

#4. Uniden PRO505XL: Most Affordable Option

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Coming from Uniden’s Professional series, PRO505XL is the best option if you are on a tight budget. It gives you the best price vs quality trade-off among all the products listed here.

This is a basic CB unit that gives you the most necessary functions. We recommend this for people who don’t want a feature-rich option but are looking for a cheap, yet durable CB radio for their car.

Coming to the size, Uniden PRO505XL is a compact CB radio. This means you don’t have to worry about the installation part.

The radio involves all 40 AM frequencies legalized by FCC. The mic is very nice and so is the speaker.

Here are some other features of this good little CB:

What enlighted me the most about this CB is it’s built quality. Uniden has made it sure that the CB is sturdy and long-lasting. You have to appreciate this considering how low it’s price is when compared to other big players.

#5. Midland 1001LWX

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This awesome little radio from Midland will amaze you with the features it offers at this low price. It offers you all those key features you need in the highways. For the price and features it offers, the device is hard to beat.

Midland 1001LWX is a really simple CB radio. It offers RF gain, PA option, NOAA Weather channels, etc.

The hardware is well built and you will enjoy the nice feel it offers.

Large Backlit LCD display is another great feature worth talking about. It helps you use the CB with ease during both day and night.

FAQs

Is it illegal to have a CB radio in your car?

No, CB radios are completely legal to use in the United States. Just ensure that you are not messing up with default manufacturer hardware settings to peaking your CB.

Can I use car antenna for CB radio?

Yes, you can use your car’s antenna for connecting the CB radio. Remember, you need a splitter for this activity.

This is how you can do it.

1. Install your CB radio in the car
2. Remove the antenna cable from AM/FM radio
3. Connect the detached cable to a splitter
4. Connect CB radio and the FM/AM radio to the splitter

How to wire a CB radio to a car battery?

I will explain two simple ways to connect CB radio to car’s battery.

1. You can tap the CB radio to the existing wires used for other accessories. This is by far the simplest method. But, don’t do it if you are not familiar with the connections in your car.
2. You can also connect the CB radio directly to the battery using stranded wires made for automobile use. Don’t forget to ground your device.

There are many other methods available. But these two are more than enough for any normal person.

Concluding Remarks

Though mostly old-school cowboy movies show dudes talking over CB radios in shabby cars, these radios are still in fashion.

If you are a regular commuter, having a CB radio in your car can be very beneficial. It is going to give you the much-needed updates of traffic and weather. Moreover, CB radios are fun to use using off-road trips.

We hope you’re able to find the right CB for your car through this article.

Let us know how your CB experieince is after installing the CB in your car!