Amazon Echo Auto | Add Alexa+

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!

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.