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Jul 23, 2023

Steering wheel desk review: Here's why this thing is so popular

Airplanes have tray tables; why not cars? Oh, right, that pesky steering wheel. I suppose we can't really do away with that, but where the heck are we supposed to eat our drive-thru burger? Take it

Airplanes have tray tables; why not cars? Oh, right, that pesky steering wheel. I suppose we can't really do away with that, but where the heck are we supposed to eat our drive-thru burger? Take it from me: A lap is not a table. I have the ketchup stains to prove it. That's probably why products like the EcoNour Steering Wheel Tray are so popular, as they offer a handy flat surface for eating meals in your car — or even getting a little laptop work done. But are they actually useful? I decided to find out.

If you ever work or eat in your car, you need one of these. It's cheap, it's well-made and it works.

This molded slab of hollow but sturdy ABS measures 16.5 inches across and 11 inches deep. Needless to say, you'll need to slide your seat back in order to use it. Also needless to say (I hope), use this only while parked. If you try to drive with it, well, a Darwin Award awaits you.

The key question is whether it will fit your steering wheel. According to EcoNour, as long as it has a circumference of 4.3 inches or less, you should be fine. (The product page shows a way you can measure using a strip of paper.)

I tested it with the two vehicles at my disposal, a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2019 Kia Sportage. The "correct" way to use the tray is to rotate the steering wheel 180 degrees, which seems like a hassle but did prove necessary in the Sportage; it wouldn't fit properly otherwise.

In the Pacifica, however, it clipped on just fine without any rotation:

The "food" side of the tray has a slightly recessed main area (the better to keep crumbs and errant fries contained) and a place to put your drink — but calling this a "deep cup holder" is quite the exaggeration, EcoNour. In no way is this indentation deep enough to prevent a drink from getting knocked over. It's also smaller than a lot of modern beverage cups.

Flip the tray over and you get what is ostensibly a work surface for, say, a laptop — but because it's not completely flat, you wouldn't be able to use a mouse (or write comfortably on a single sheet of paper). There's a little slot to hold a pen or pencil, nothing more.

Meh. Let's be honest, this is a tray to hold your drive-thru meal. In that respect it works beautifully. And because it measures only about three-quarters of an inch thick, it's easy to stow under a seat or in a rear seat pocket when not in use.

To me this is a no-brainer buy. If you routinely (or even just sometimes) eat in your car, you'll be glad to have this. If you occasionally work in your car, it's nice to have as well — though I do wish one side was completely flat.

Stop making a mess in your lap every time you hit the drive-thru. This simple tray hooks to your steering wheel so you can eat more easily — and more neatly.

Looking for other great car accessories? Check out this $14 car headrest hook and utterly fantastic portable tire inflator.