Best Car Gun Safes

A gun is stolen from a car every 15 minutes in the US. Gun safes can keep your gun, well, safe. When shopping for a car gun safe, consider whether you're more worried about a tamper-proof design or easy accessibility, as well as whether you want a permanent car fixture or a more portable gun safe. 

We like the Fort Knox for a more permanent, heavy-duty car gun safe, but the SentrySafe QAP1BE biometric safe gives you quick one-handed access for self-defense.

If you're looking for a mix of features, check out our full round-up. 

Heavy doesn't mean awkward when it comes to this safe; gas struts help the safe's door raise and lower safely, making it easier to open and close. While it does have holes for mounting, it doesn't come with the hardware needed to secure it to your car.

The smooth steel underside of the Fort Knox safe makes it prone to sliding across carpeting. If you're going to keep it in your car, we recommend purchasing bolts or screws and using the mounting holes in the bottom to secure it to the floor of your vehicle.

Fort Knox attaches a lifetime warranty to its safes and internal locking mechanisms to warrant them "free from defects in material or workmanship" for as long as you own them.

Because Fort Knox manufactures all of its safes right here in the US, the company maintains a high standard of quality control and is highly responsive to concerns about design flaws in its products.

Biometric technology allows you to program in your fingerprint so you can access your safe by swiping your finger across the scanner. You can program up to twenty different fingerprints in the Vaultek, giving multiple users access to the gun safe.

Don't worry about the biometric scanner being unreliable if your finger is wet, dirty, or even has a paper cut. The Vaultek comes with both a coded keypad and backup keys for manual unlocking.

With the free Vaultek app, you can view your safe's history to see when it was locked and unlocked, check the battery status, remotely unlock it, and turn the keypad sound on and off.

The Vaultek has an interior LED light that automatically turns on when the lid opens, making it easy to see your valuables in the dark.

If you're in a dangerous situation, you might not want to announce that you're accessing your gun safe with loud beeping from the scanner or keypad. The Vaultek allows you to toggle off the sound so you can silently access your firearm. 

Note that the Vaultek requires a lithium-ion battery that needs to be recharged every four months. The charging kit is included with the safe, but it might be more hassle than you want for a gun safe.

At only 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches, the Nanovault is about the size of a hardback book, making it just big enough to fit a gun, but small enough to fit neatly in your luggage.

A 1,500-lb. test cable is included with the Nanovault, making it easy to secure to a fixed object in your home or car.

The Nanovault's five-year warranty covers loss against fire and burglary for five years, and it also protects against vault defects for one year.

No need to memorize a code or worry about programming a fingerprint—the Nanovault's keyed lock is straightforward, so it's easy to access your gun in a hurry.

Unfortunately, the keys for the Nanovault have a flimsy plastic casing, and they might not hold up well if they're attached to the keychain you use every day.

At only 1.6 lbs., it's one of the lightest car gun safes on the market, but it's not flimsy: it's made of an impact-resistant polycarbonate, with the same strength as its heavier steel counterparts. It retails for less than $20, and it comes with a security cable to attach to your car.

Like the Nanovault, it may be compromised by someone who's prepared with tools, but it's a decent deterrent for the smash-and-grab criminal.

The safe also includes a backup override key and a security cable, but it doesn’t include the nine-volt battery required for the keypad operation, and its twenty-gauge steel construction is the weakest of the safes on our list.

To research the best gun safes, we compared the various makes and models available, talked to gun owners about the features that are most important to them, and studied a wide variety of reviews from firearms experts and locksmiths. Visit our methodology to learn more.

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