Secure your firearms on the go with the best car gun safes available. After rigorous testing and ranking, I present top-rated options designed to keep your weapons safe and accessible while traveling. Explore hands-on reviews to find the perfect car gun safe for your needs.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Hornady - Gun Safe for Cars and Trucks
Top-Rated: 440 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Patented RFiD technology delivers the fastest access to your handguns while you're on the road. Touch-free entry opens the car safe/truck safe instantly using the included wristband, key fob or decals
Helpful review: "Not sure why this thing is getting negative reviews. I got it installed into my 2012 maxima and it works perfectly. I bought it solely for the purpose of keeping my kids away from my gun, and I couldn’t be happier. This is the 3rd “vehicle safe” that I tried and it’s a winner. The others were so bulky and took up so much room, I could have just bought a regular safe and put it in the back seat. This one fits just as it should, doesn’t rattle, was fairly easy to install, and best of all, gives me quick access to my weapon, should I need it. The others would have me getting out of my car and going into the back seat to have access, which is the opposite of “ideal”. The guys at Hornady have done a great job. I would defiantly purchase again." — David Carlisle
Trending review: "Well I was really excited to get this in the mail today. I have a grandson and would like to keep him safe. This is a really great made product for the price. It was pretty easy to program. It’s very fast acting so when seconds count this could be a very valuable tool if ever needed in a situation. So here’s. Just a. Few suggestions: the bladder is ok to be portable. But shakes in my F150 so I’m gonna make a 5” angle bracket and screw to the floor. Then I could move over 3” toward the passenger seat so it had plenty of room to access door without putting on passenger side. Then I won’t need a safety cable tied to the seat frame. I know I’ll have to purchase another for wife’s car but I can always keep bladder for a spare if it blows. Now the second thing, the cable says to thread their seat and secure to box with screw and nut. Ad I won’t need on this one in my truck but will I plan to just secure cable to box on the one for wife’s car and use a padlock thru the loop and I can always just unlock and set aside if she doesn’t want to ride with it in her way. Lol I really doubt that anyway, because carrying now is just a way of life and I always need a secure place for my tool, just in case we go on a hospital or somewhere that it’s illegal to carry on a property, I will need this security of my valued tool in a dfw place. Good luck everyone, I would give a 10 if rating was that high. I really think Hornaday outdone theirs self with barrel key, a number code or bracelets and keychain and 2 rf stickers. Good deal is I say so
Update: I didn’t like the way it was far over on passenger side of pickup so it was better on driver side but little floppy. So I’ve included a picture and made a small bracket to fasten to center of floor of pickup permanent. Of course any try thief can pry out but keeps kids and honest from dragging out of the truck. Check out pictures. I put security screws on the bracket to keep from a normal drill unscrewing" — Amazon Customer
Reassuring review: "This is one of my favorite purchases this year. Pricey, but nothing else out there like it. It's a bit of a hassle to install if you want to put this on the passengers side (I'd imagine most would given the lack of leg room for this next to the drivers knee). Each attempt to get the angle right requires you to completely disassemble the mount. Other than that, once it's dialed in, it's great. No movement. The air bladder doesn't leak. It's sturdy and just does what it's designed to do in a sleek, out of the way execution." — ryanovelo
2. RPNB - Smart Pistol Safe
Top-Rated: 3,301 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: If you have young children who don’t understand the potential danger of firearms, it’s essential that you keep them safely stored. It also provides secure storage for handguns, ammunition, passports, cash, credit cards, watches, jewelry and more at home, on a nightstand, in the car or when traveling.
Helpful review: "I just received my gun safe and set it up. I read many reviews before making the purchase and saw many that mentioned the programming of the fingerprints did not work well. There were many others that said it was fine if you followed the directions. For me, I had absolutely no trouble programming fingerprints by following the simple instructions in the booklet that came with the safe. I added one fingerprint at a time to test it. I ended up adding 4 prints in total. After the addition of each print I attempted to open the safe with each programmed finger and with fingers that were not programmed. The safe worked just at it should. It always opened with my registered prints and never opened with prints that were not registered. Programming was simple. Use the included screwdriver to open battery compartment, put in the batteries (it did not bother me that the batteries were not included), and press the reset button. It beeps once and the light around the sensor blinks blue. Hold your finger on the sensor until it flashes green, do it twice more and it flashes green twice indicating your print is registered. There is also a button inside the safe you can press to disable or reenable the electronic beeps. You can use the screwdriver to press the button.
I have not yet attempted to erase the prints so I cannot attest to how well that works. Also, I have not used it over time yet to see if the prints will work as well after several days - though I don't know why that would matter.
As for the safe itself, it appears to be solidly constructed and quite secure. I am planning on using it in the home and taking it in vehicle so I can put it under a car seat. It certainly is low-profile enough to go under the car seat. I am using it to hold a Ruger Security 9 Compact and two stock 10-round magazines and there is plenty of room.
If anything changes I will update my review but so far it has been just as advertised." — RJ in WA
Trending review: "I've researched, and researched for a portable safe that had a good footprint, biometric scanner and a tether that I could attack on the railing of my car seat to keep my gun in the car on places where I'm not allowed to carry my pistol.
This portable RPNB safe seemed to check all boxes.
There's a high demand for these gun safes so it took a long while for Amazon to fulfill and ship my order.
The safe finally arrived today and I was anxious to see how good this thing was.
I promptly opened the box and started removing the included spare keys, steel tether and the actual safe out of the black box it came in.
The safe itself looks well built, but I noticed that there was a major gap between the main body and the lid of 4mm. I could not see any clear photos of this safe showing this wide of a gap. This doesn't look normal.
Unfortunately, there's no way of getting this replaced as there's none available for exchange at this time. The safe isn't available on Amazon...
On top of this lid problem, there's the issue of having no 4 AAA batteries included. At the time I purchased this safe, there was no mentioning of the need of 4 AAA batteries.
Today I reached out to the seller and explained that his $90 safe did not work unless I invested another $15 for decent rechargeable batteries.
Instead of providing a refund, seller ignored my request and instead awarded me a $5 coupon only good for RPNB products on Amazon.
Not only that, but he also altered the product page immediately and included the need for 4 AAA batteries on the product description AFTER I corresponded with him earlier today. I have screenshots from the product page BEFORE seller altered the page.
I am attempting to find a replacement safe and I'll be returning this piece back to Amazon.
For now I'll have to stick with it until I receive a better product from a reputable and decent seller.
Edit:
Changed my 2 star review to 5 star review based on the incredible customer support once I started chatting with RPNB over their email support.
They were able to guarantee me a replacement safe as soon as Amazon sets them up for shipping.
Fingers crossed the next safe will be better than this one.
I'll update my review accordingly once the new safe arrives.
Thank you for taking care of me RPNB team. I greatly appreciate it." — Amazonian Flier
Reassuring review: "7/12/23 Company is still refusing to replace unless I give them a FIVE Star Review. They have received the defective safe in May. So much for the 1 year - 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. The replacement safe we agreed to was less expensive than this model.
The Biometric fingerprint scanner works randomly. I tried 3 different sets of batteries. It was reprogrammed after each set of new batteries. It would never work if my hands had just been washed. I bought this for a 6 week trip and now my return window is closed through Amazon. I'll reach out to RPN3 for assistance. Nice box if you only want keyed operation.
May 24th. I have made contact with RPN3 customer support. After several attempts to reprogram, RPN3 has agreed to swap out for an RFID model. At present, I have not received the replacement. I will add review for this product once received. - 6/1/23 - RPN3 is now refusing to replace unless they get 5 star review. The defective unit has been returned and they have acknowledged receipt of it." — RW
3. SOULYI - Biometric Fingerprint Gun Safe
Top-Rated: 2,744 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Besides the thickest solid steel material (box 1.5mm low carbon steel, door sheet 3mm), the rugged stamping surface enhanced toughness to fight most of violent attack or crowbar impact. The reinforcing steeling of the two sides of SOULYI handgun safe also makes the lockbox stronger. Loop the high strength steel security cable around a solid object to fix it. It is great safety assistant during your car travel
Helpful review: "Soulyi gun safe
I put this gun safe in my Cart for $99. While I procrastinated ordering, it dropped to $79. When it dropped to $59 I ordered immediately before they changed their mind again. When I checked two days later the price was $99. It’s worth the $99 in my opinion.
Construction: The steel shell feels very solid. There is a recess on the sides so the safe may be easily grasped and carried without putting your fingers underneath.
Electronics: The buttons for fingerprint and codes are large and clearly marked. You can turn the lights feature on/off with a simple toggle switch. If the lights are turned on each button has bright green lights and a smaller blue light goes off for each time the button is pressed. If the code is not punched in correctly you can try again in about 5 seconds. The average time to open the lid using four digits as 1-1-1-1 was one second. The fastest time was .78.
The fingerprint scanner lights up blue then green and opens the lid easily and fast. Using a light touch, the lid takes an average of .66 seconds to open. The fastest time was .47.
There is an internal light which is very helpful. It can be toggled on/off when the safe is opened.
Sounds: There is a mechanical “whoosh” sound that can be toggled on and off. It’s good for swag and impressing your buddies but serves no functional purpose. Turn it off to preserve a little battery life. I leave mine on, I like the sound.
Four 1.5v Pairdeer Industrial Alkaline batteries were included, made In China. I did not use the included batteries, I used Members Mark because the latter is a known quality brand in my experience.
Battery compartment: There were two problems here. I read in other comments that the battery compartment was too tight, others said the batteries fit too loose. It turns out both were true.
The batteries are stacked vertically, two on bottom and two on top. The bottom battery (+) end would not fit into the compartment. The fit was way too tight by about 1/16th inch. I used a drill with a tapered grinding stone to open the plastic holder and the bottom (+) finally fit through. The second battery on the bottom fit with no problem. This was a three minute fix and was easy to do with the proper drill and tapered grinding stone which can be picked up locally for $5 bucks.
The top battery (-) fit in properly but once the second battery was inserted there was a gap between the batteries and this fitment was too loose by a quarter inch. The problem was the spring was so weak it literally collapsed and left a gap. I was able to pull the battery away from the spring and it finally fit properly.
Inserting the batteries should not be this hard nor require a power tool to make the battery fit. This was a quality control issue IMO as both brands of batteries I used had the same tightness problems.
The bottom line is that with the batteries properly seated, the safe functions perfectly. I worked to make the batteries fit because I liked the rest of the safe. The battery compartment problem was not a deal breaker for me but it's a genuine issue. One Star deducted.
Application: The Soulyi claims it can hold four pistols. I used two sub-compacts, an M&P Shield9 1.0 and the new Shield9 Plus, both the same size. This safe could hold 4 sub-compacts but nothing else. It will hold two M&P Shield9 pistols and one additional large capacity OEM mag for each, 8 round mag for the Shield9 1.0 and 13 round mag for the Shield9 plus. Both mags are the same size.
It will also hold both Shield9’s while holstered. I have a small IWB and a OWB for concealed carry and both fit in the safe with both guns holstered.
I plan to use this safe in my car. My Toyota RAV4 has electronics under both the driver and passenger seats and the safe will not fit there, front or back. For quick access to the contents, putting the Soulyi on the passenger seat or the passenger seat floor works really well. In my car putting the safe in the passenger floor rear it is too cumbersome to retrieve the contents quickly.
Cable: The small 18” cable is fairly robust with a loop on one end and a propriety fitting on the other end which goes inside the case and is secured with what looks like a flimsy looking locking slide piece. I don’t have an opinion on how strong the inside fitting is as I could not test it.
I didn’t like the small length of the cable at first but now I understand why it’s that way. It’s designed to be used with a second cable, a longer piece of cable that the owner can customize to length. If you take the safe in and out of car you don’t want a five foot cable to drag around. I would use my own lock where the two cables join and then take the safe with the small cable back and forth from car to home, motel, whatever.
Recommendation: I’m mixed. For the guy who can take a sixteenth of an inch out of the plastic battery compartment, I can recommend the Soulyi. If you can fix it, you get a high quality safe with excellent electronics.
For the average person who expects plug and play and doesn’t want to fix the QC problems, I can’t recommend this safe. It simply will not work out of the box due to the too tight and too loose tolerances in the battery compartment.
Conclusion: Four Stars. Five Stars if the batteries could be easily inserted." — wvu80
Trending review: "I love that there are 3 ways to open this little gun safe. The fingerprint reader is super fast and easy to set up. It can fit at least two full size handguns perfectly. I got it to store a few more items, not only my firearms.The cable lock works nicely to securethe box. It should be difficult to cut the cable. I like the light too.
Overall, this is a solid built safe with resisting quick prying. Decent thickness in metal box and comes with 2 keys. Internal spring for opening is solid and fast for open andclose. The biometric fingerprint works great. We can put this under a night stand, end table, car or just about anywhere you want.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE NEEDING A UNIVERSAL SAFE, not only lock the gun, anything elses you want to lock, suchas medications, watch, or jewels… pick this one, well worth the money!" — gsm
Reassuring review: "This review is for the SOULYI Biometric Gun Safe for 4 Pistols Safe With 3 Quick Access Fingerprint Handgun Safe,Digital Keypad Matt Black Firearm Safety Nightstand Car Seat Safe Hardened Steel Lock Box
This safe looks better in person than in the pictures. Love how all the buttons light up bright. I have another biometric safe from another manufacturer, and the Soulyi is much easier to program. And you can store one hundred finger prints.
I had an issue and contacted Soulyi. They responded super fast, and took care of the problem, and emailed me a video to show me how to do something else.
I just place a finger and the lid pops up fast with led lights. Has an internal switch to de activate light and another for button sounds.
Fits my two along with flashlight and a few other small items. ." — Professor H
4. BILLCONCH - Biometric Gun Safe for Pistols
Top-Rated: 2,692 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The space of this gun safe can store 2 standard size pistols. It also can store valuables such as jewelry. The light and small size can also let you put it in the car, or the bedside table, drawer and other places, which is convenient to carry.
Helpful review: "I recently purchased the Gun Safe Biometric Gun Safe for Pistols and I must say, it's been a game-changer! This safe offers not just one, but three convenient ways to unlock it - through fingerprint recognition, a digital PIN, or a traditional key. The biometric feature works flawlessly, instantly recognizing my fingerprint every time and granting quick access to my pistols.
The safe itself is built with top-notch quality, ensuring the utmost security for my firearms. The sturdy construction and tamper-proof design give me peace of mind, knowing that my guns are safely stored away from unauthorized access.
Setting up the digital PIN was a breeze, and I appreciate the added security it provides. Plus, the inclusion of a backup key option means I have an alternative unlocking method if needed.
The Gun Safe's compact size is perfect for my needs, allowing me to discreetly place it in a convenient location while still providing enough space to store multiple pistols. The interior padding ensures my firearms remain protected from scratches or damage.
Overall, I highly recommend the Gun Safe Biometric Gun Safe for Pistols. It's a reliable and versatile solution that offers convenient access, top-level security, and peace of mind. Don't compromise on the safety of your firearms - invest in this exceptional gun safe today!" — TMGCJ57
Trending review: "This gun safe is the perfect size to be discreetly stored in the dresser draw, a night stand or the trunk of your car. It weights in under 10 pounds (empty) and can store up to two hand guns or 1 with 2 magazines. The interior is lined with a thin layer of sponge foam on all 4 sides and the base is covered in “egg shell” sponge foam.
The battery compartment is on the opposite wall of the numeric keypad/fingerprint sensor. The reset/configuration buttons for the keypad and fingerprints are on top of the battery compartment. The lid is kept closed with the help of 2 latches and swings open automatically once the correct code has been entered. When the lid is in the open position, a LED light will come ON and stays ON until the lid is closed.
There are 3 access points to open up the safe. A 5 digit numeric keypad, fingerprint sensor and a keyhole. The 1 user PIN can be up to 12 digits and up to 40 fingerprints can be stored. Two keys are included.
When the internal battery level is nearing low, an audio & visual alert is given each time the safe is unlocked. There is a USB-C port situated between the numeric keypad and fingerprint scanner to charge up the battery and as an emergency backup power when the battery is completely drained.
The reaction time for the fingerprint scanner is very fast and accurate, providing quick and easy access to your firearms. This could be a good or bad thing and I personally recommend having a secondary lock physically on the firearm itself." — Vitus
Reassuring review: "This safe is definitely the best in its class and blows away the competition in value for the dollar! I reviewed and researched more than 30 styles and brands before buying this model. It's sturdy, rugged, solid construction, with simple setup and programming. Ignore the newbs who can't read directions or watch a video to turn off the default fingerprint setting. I had this set up in less than 5 minutes including opening the package. This has double the thickness steel than all the other competitors I reviewed plus two heavy locking latches instead of a single small centered one. Having up to 4 ways to open the safe is great. Redundancy is essential with a firearm safe! I chose not to use the app for the phone. It's great to know if I want to install it though, it's there. The fingerprint sensor works very well and holds many prints. My wife and I have both used multiple fingers in case of injury to a hand or finger occurs. Back to that redundancy! The case opens very quietly with the beeping turned off on the keypad. It has enough space for two medium pistols and extra clips or a large and small pistol and maybe a spare clip too. As an added bonus it has a usb-a plug in the front for recharging the battery that is also included and can also be replaced with a top brand for more longevity! The safe is portable and can fit under your seat, in the trunk, dash or wherever you like. Great for going on trips or camping with the grandkids.
My only thoughts on the cons do not lower my 5 star rating. However, in the future it would be a definite plus if they added these things.
1. Needs mounting holes pre-drilled. Tougher to drill your own with the double thickness steel but not impossible.
2. Needs a switch to turn off and on the courtesy led light. I like the choice to leave the safe open next to me while sleeping. Having the light stay on is a nuisance and drains the battery dead. Even a timer for the light would be good. One you could set a time of illumination increments.
That's my review and hope it helps in your searching for the right pistol or small safe." — phil marschke
5. Dalmbox - Portable Travel Pistol Safe for Car
Top-Rated: 1,825 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The car gun safe is made of premium and strong material steel. Because of its all-steel structure, it has rust resistance and is difficult to be destroyed. At the same time, the bedside gun safe includes thick protective foam inserts to ensure security and protect your valuables from being scratched or damaged.
Helpful review: "Look don’t kid yourself if you think a $20 safe is the end all be all in the world of safes, it is not by a long shot. If you understand the limitations, it’s an excellent product. Yes I could probably pry it open in minutes with a hammer and screw driver, but I don’t care. It’s a deterrent to keep my property safe, and to keep me from being liable for negligent storage. It locks up tight the cable is secure, it is a great deterrent if someone attempts to rob your vehicle. 99.9999% will see it and be too intimidated to pursue it any further. There is plenty of room to lock a wallet keys cash and a small pistol if needed. In the pick I provided I have a Glock 21 .45acp and two mags configured to allow the safe to close and lock, if it can fit that most all other pistols will fit I assure you. I could have even carried three mags if I had one in the pistol. None the less I’m am very happy with its quality, and it’s capabilities for being $20. My valuables are much safer now than they were before being locked in a glove box with a plastic latch." — Brendan Erhardt
Trending review: "Great Gun Storage Box, no it's not a Gun Safe... It is meant as a place to put your gun when you have to leave it for a bit while going in a place you can't take it, Not to leave it for a extended period of time. It's also used for as a theft deterrent. Can someone get in it, Probably... Can someone cut the cable? Probably... Only if they took time to try, that's why it's sole purpose is to make it hard for the "smash and grab" criminals to get at your gun. I plan on upgrading the cable to a much heavier one and drill the slot out a bit to fit it.
Also I use white fingernail polish to fill in the numbers, if you have trouble seeing up close you might want to do this, the numbers blend together a bit much. Very easy to set the combination you want.
I like it, will buy another for our 2nd car!" — roger
Reassuring review: "Ok it’s not a vault and it can be pried open with tools. With that said this thing is awesome! Solid metal construction, padded interior keeps pistol in place and fat steel cable will be hard to cut. My car got broken into last month and my Glock got stolen. I replaced the Glock but wanted a deterrent or slow down to prevent future thefts. I’m sure this will do it. Unless they come in with bolt cutters or heavy tools this will work. Ordered a second one for the next to keep weapon handy but safe from kids and others." — anonymous
6. MD MADOATS - Portable Biometric Safes for Pistols with Cable
Top-Rated: 147 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: This gun lock box weighs only 3.64 lbs and has a detachable handle for easy carrying, it is made of heat & corrosion resistant ABS material with the highest hardness, available for long-term storage in car, suv, pickup, truck, nightstand, bedside, desk, drawer, and table
Helpful review: "Programming is a breeze, and easy to remember. I especially liked the fingerprint sensor that can store up to 100 prints, so I stored 4 angles if each finger on my right hand and will do the same for my left hand, so that I can open it regardless of my hand or touch angle - excellent! It looks nice and is of quality construction. I loved the smell of the genuine leather handle, and that fact that I can store the cable and bag under the foam for use when I need it. I am very pleased with it, and it looks link a nice piece of furniture sitting on my desk, or anywhere I place it. I envision putting several of these around the property in strategic locations. This is a very well constructed and thought through product worth the value! Get yours today!" — Steven Scott
Trending review: "Easy to set up, for both digital code and fingerprint access. Provides storage for multiple fingerprint accessibility for additional family members. It is lightweight and ample size for a 6 inch barrel. This gun safe allows for peace of mind while traveling to keep handgun or valuables safe and out of sight. I like that there is a light inside once opened and that the key entry is hidden from sight. The tether strap is long enough to lock securely to a car seat frame. The drawstring bag is nice for concealing case when transporting to and from vehicle. Overall a great product!" — JR
Reassuring review: "This attractive safe is built for travel use. I do like that it has a removable handle so I can easily carry it with me when I travel. The interior is large enough for two full-size handguns. You can fit a lot more in here than just a handgun. The safe can be opened by 10 sets of 6-digit codes, 100 fingerprints, or 2 provided keys. The included manual and the videos on Amazon helped me a lot in programming. Once you figure it out, the keypad and fingerprint sensor were easy to program, and they both have worked well for me. It is neither water nor fire proof. It is however, a great way to keep your firearms out of the hands of visitors or children." — Sam
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