Amazon Echo Auto, Add Alexa to your car, with Alexa+ Early Access

The Amazon Echo Auto with Alexa+ Early Access has completely changed my driving experience and I can confidently say it’s one of the best tech gadgets I have integrated into my vehicle. If you do not have a smart assistant feature in your car (even if it’s already integrated) able to control everything from your smart home to your playlists with just the sound of your voice, this gadget will take you way into the future. Convenient installation & stable connection: The setup process was also hassle-free and painless. To have Alexa inside my vehicle, I simply plug it into a power source, pair it via Bluetooth to my smartphone, and then Alexa is fully connected to my vehicle within minutes. It also reconnects whenever I get behind the wheels. And voice recognition that works while driving: The microphone system is simply very impressive. Even if I have road noise, music playing, and windows rolled down, it hears commands very clearly. I can ask questions, play music, send messages, and control home devices all without needing to raise my voice and look away from the road. This alone makes it safer and very enjoyable to drive. Music, podcasts, and navigation at your fingertips: Being able to command my smart speaker to say things like “Alexa, play my road trip playlist,” “Resume my podcast,” or “Navigate to the nearest gas station” is very convenient. It is seamless and works perfectly well with all my media applications like Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Apple Music, to mention just a few. Calls, messages, and notifications without distraction: The managing of calls and texts is simply fabulous. Alexa displays texts and reads them aloud. It is great for communicating without using your phone. The quality of the microphone is excellent. The management of phone calls is clear. The microphone quality is good. There are no echoes when talking. Smart home control from the road: My favorite feature is to be able to control my smart house from my car. I can turn lights on and off, change the thermostat setting, and view my security cameras before I even get home. All this is worked by simple speaking commands to my virtual sidekick. Alexa+ Early Access adds next-level intelligence: Alexa+ Early Access, though, pushes this over the top. Alexa is more conversational, intuitive, and contextual. Asking follow-up questions or making more complex requests or trying to get personalized suggestions feels smoother and more natural than ever before. Thoughtful design and inconspicuous appearance: The device itself is compact, sleek, and inobtrusive in the car interior. The mount options are flexible, and it doesn't block any vents or feel cluttered. It looks clean and modern without screaming "tech gadget." Outstanding value for the money spent: Given its price, Echo Auto is a wildly capable device that essentially upgrades any car-new or old-into a full smart assistant. This is the relatively affordable way to modernize your driving experience compared to expensive built-in infotainment systems. Conclusion: The Amazon Echo Auto with Alexa+ Early Access is without a doubt one of the best car accessories I have laid my firsthand. It not only improves driving safety and convenience and smarts up my driving experience; it also enriches it. It does it all without a hitch! If you find yourself spending much time behind the wheel of your car, this is absolutely to have it. Once you go back to using Alexa in the car, you won't believe you ever got along without it. Highly, highly recommended.

Echo auto is a very niche product for those who've bought into the Amazon ecosystem. Unlike Echo Dots, Pops, or Shows, or any other standalone smart device, Echo Auto is dependent on the Alexa app on my phone. This is both good and bad. It's bad because if you do not have the app on your phone, Echo auto will not work. It is good because of all the Echo devices inside my home, this one does not spew ads at me trying to get me to buy more items on Amazon. Echo Auto is fully dependent on my car stereo system. I only have the factory stereo in my car, but it is more than adequate to give me a solid sound experience. Echo Auto is very easy to install and set up. Simply power it through the car power port (aka cigarette lighter for all the baby boomers out there), and it's ready to connect to your phone. Connection is as fast as it takes for your car to recognize your phone. Once operating I can ask Alexa to play particular music or to give me a playlist to match my mood. I can ask Alexa all the dumb questions I can think of (68 times 3456, or the capitol of some African country, or the recipe for bbq ribs, etc.) and I get my answers. Echo Auto at full price (@$55USD) may not be a great value, but these often are on sale for up to 75% off. At this point it becomes a no brainer. You can have the convenience of Alexa as you are driving. Ask her to plan a route, play a song, or with the new plus version, have a conversation about a book or a movie.

This Echo Auto has surpassed my expectations. I have an older Toyota Sienna that does not have bluetooth calling or anything like that. This Echo has really improved the driving experience. I connected it to my Aux In on the radio and now I can make calls with it and play music from either my Amazon Prime account or just tell it to play certain radio stations, podcast, etc. The people I have called say that it works and sounds very good despite my older van not being overly quiet in its old age. I recently used it during a 2,000 mile trip and it worked very well. There were a few occasions where it did not initially connect but that was minor. I just reached over and unplugged it then plugged it back in. The only negative is that I don't believe it can be connected to two different phones. For clarity, I do not mean at the same time. I mean, I have been unable to get it to work properly when I pair to my phone and separately pair it to my wife's phone. Then when either of us takes the vehicle out without the other person it will not connect. If I unpair one of the phones, then it works fine. Oh well, she primarily drives the vehicle so I only pair her phone with it. If you have an older vehicle and want to convert it to a sort of smart environment, I recommend this device!

I was worried how well the Echo Auto would work since a lot of reviewers make it seem like a total POS. So when it went on sale recently for $20 I pulled the trigger and bought one on 8.17.25 - wouldn't have taken a chance for $55 based on the bad reviews. For those whose Echo Auto doesn't work consistently or properly I feel bad for you because mine does exactly what it says it does and it works perfectly every time and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!! The setup was super easy for me in my 2014 Camry SE using a S25+ that I got it to connect to my cars Bluetooth on the first try and I was good to go and I haven't had to reconnect it since. And I have zero problems whenever I get into my car because my Echo Auto always connects within 30-40 seconds every single time. The Echo Auto makes it so easy and convenient to access all my music whether it's from Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, IHeartRadio, etc. with just voice commands exactly like how I do when I'm at home through my three Echo devices. And I'm pleasantly surprised that the music sounds AMAZING even though it's connected through Bluetooth - maybe because I have Amazon Music Unlimited with HD/UHD and spatial audio? I tried connecting through the AUX cable and the music sounded horrible - no bass, very tinny and some crackling. I thought it would sound better since it's a wired connection. But hey, less wires in my car. I absolutely love the simplicity of the Echo Auto because my car came with a USB port that I use with a 64GB flash drive that has over 10,000 songs or roughly 1,000 albums on it so you can imagine how long it would take to scroll through my music list to find what I wanted to listen to. Now I can just use my voice and listen to whatever I want in seconds. For me, the Echo Auto is absolutely magical and worth every penny. UPDATE 8.31.25 - 👀 Check Out My New Video 👀 I tried to upload another video but you can only upload one video per review. So I just combined the two videos with the first video showing how easy it is to control and use and the second video showing how to switch between inputs (starts at 2:05) on your car stereo so you can switch between Bluetooth (Echo Auto) a USB stick or the radio. UPDATE 10.25.25 I've had my Echo Auto now for over 2 months and I've NEVER had to reconnect it. And I have NEVER lost connection while using it whether I'm listening to music or making phone calls. Awesome way to spend $20!

I was honestly hesitant to buy this for my new 2025 Hyundai Tucson because I was not sure how it would work with wireless Apple CarPlay. Let me tell you, it works flawlessly. If you are worried it will not connect properly with wireless CarPlay, rest assured it connects through CarPlay and instantly connects every single time I start my vehicle. No hassle, no delay, it just works. I can now play any song, any station on Sirius XM, control my smart home lights, check information, and handle so many daily tasks all right from my car. With Alexa Plus, this is truly the powerhouse of my vehicle. Being able to do everything completely hands free is a game changer, especially for safety and convenience. Need store hours, quick answers, reminders, or to manage smart home devices while driving? Alexa handles it instantly. Alexa Plus works phenomenal on this and is incredibly smart, fast, and reliable. If you need a sign to buy this, this is it. Do not overthink it. The Echo Auto delivers in every way and has completely transformed my driving experience. I cannot imagine my car without it now.

I feel in love with Alexa Auto first generation! So cool until you shut your car off, then it cannot find your phone & you have to forget it on the app & reinstall. Usually in the parking lot of were you've been. Almost every time. So I thought the 2022 version would be better. Same thing! Stressing out like a bad date! Alexa! Are you connected? Unplugging while driveing! Plugging back in. Why ame I doing this with my hands on a "Hands Free" device? I wanted to show it off to a friend. Cannot connect, try later. Later? I'm already home! I suggest buy one when Amazon gets it right! Great when it works! Witch makes it worse when it doesn't! UPDATE After Amazon read my review, they called me on the day I was going to return the Echo Auto. The Amazon tech was very nice but talked to me as if I didn't know how to set it up. I was asked keep using it & keep a log of when it malfunctioned & to report it back to them. I agreed not to return it & work with them. I reported back through email. I heard nothing back. Then last week I received an email from "James" at Amazon staying that they want to give me a replacement but they don't have my phone number. They have my number. I followed the link he sent. Left a message & my #. Nothing. I've contacted Amazon several times & was told a technician would contact me within 6 hours. Nothing. So I've kept this defective device for no reason. I think the return window is still open. This purchase has been the worst experience I've ever had with Amazon! The hour's I've spent with so called techs that have never used an Echo Auto & only know the script in front of them. Any issues that have been fixed, came from me. I have the old Echo Auto. I want to give it to friend but I wanna keep that friend. Just plugg you're phone into an aux cable & set your phone to Alexa hands free & save some money & your precious time. Man, have they waisted my time! UPDATE Amazon contacted me again. The tech was very cool & she gave me suggestions as she also owns the Echo Auto 2022. Unplug this, unplug that. Rest this, rest that. This tells me that she has the same problems that I have with this device. 3 songs & it disconnects from the phone. The only way I get it to reconnect is to reboot my phone. Not convenient while driving. So, they sent me a replacement. Something I could have done on my own. The new one is worse! It's played 3 songs while parked in my driveway, then lost connection to my New phone. Got it going after an hour & a half, only to disconnect the moment I left the house. Do not buy this! Having spent hours on the phone with the techs, I realized they know it doesn't work right. I would have returned it weeks ago if Amazon hadn't contacted me. They tried but failed. Maybe in ten years they'll figure it out!

This device works great, exactly what I wanted- hands free way to use my phone in car on older car. Why the three stars? You have to completely forget the device and completely reinstall EVERYTIME you switch phones. That's insane! And that's actually Amazon's solution to switching phones. I'm really hoping they fix this. With a teen driver, I need a hands free music app. This is the only solution I've found that's totally hands free. But in order for me to use it too, we have to go through a lengthy process of forgetting and reinstalling everytime we change driving. Not ideal for cars with shared drivers. It really should be able to do this as a mega brand!

The Amazon Echo Auto with Alexa+ Early Access is convenient if your main goal is hands-free voice control while driving. Voice commands work well for music, calls, navigation requests, and basic Alexa functions. That said, the experience is fairly limited beyond voice use. App behavior and integrations can feel inconsistent, and Alexa+ Early Access still feels unfinished at times. It works best when kept simple—voice commands only. Overall, it’s useful if you want basic Alexa functionality in your car, but don’t expect a fully polished or advanced smart experience yet. Good for voice use, but not a must-have.