Best dog guards 2023
Travelling with a dog in the car will be safer for everyone if you install a barrier to prevent them from roaming freely. We've tested a selection to see which are barking up the right tree...
Keeping your dog safe while you’re travelling with them in the car isn’t just a moral and ethical obligation – it’s a legal requirement. And it isn’t just important for your dog’s safety; it’s important for yours, too.
Dogs that roam free in a car can cause distraction or accidentally touch or move important controls, affecting your ability to drive safely. And even if they’re not knocking the gearlever or pressing buttons, in the event of a crash they can cause life-threatening injuries, not only to themselves, but also to other occupants of the car.
It’s essential, then, to suitably restrain your dog when you’re on the move, and that’s where a good quality dog guard can come in handy. But with so many to choose from, working out which is best can be a minefield. So, we’ve brought together a selection of them and put them to the test.
The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.
How we tested the dog guards
For this comparison test, we had the help of Luther, a nine-year-old black Labrador-Staffordshire bull terrier cross. Weighing 35kg, he promised to be a challenge for even the sturdiest of barriers.
We installed each dog guard in a Skoda Superb Estate (one of the most dog-friendly cars around) using only the instructions available in the box. After adjusting them to suit our test car, we used our own body weight to see how weak or strong they were. And as always, price was factored into the final rankings.
1. BEST BUY – Argos Sakura Mesh Dog Guard
Given the value for money that it offers, the Argos dog guard, supplied by Sakura, is a runaway winner. Not only is it very well priced, but it also felt the sturdiest of all our barriers when it was attached, so it should prevent even the most determined of canines from breaking through into the front of the car. The sliding side extensions adjust easily, and the fitting instructions are very clear; instead of the fuzzy set of pictograms that you get with most dog guards, they’re written out properly.
What Car? says 5/5
2. Summit Mesh-Type Headrest Dog Guard
Constructed from a silver mesh, the Summit dog guard consists of a tall, central piece that can be mounted whichever way up you prefer, as well as two additional side sections. We didn’t need these in our test car, because the main guard filled the space well. However, that was just as well, because fitting the extra sections is fiddly. This guard is virtually identical to the RAC one in fifth place, yet costs far less.
What Car? says 4/5
3. Halfords Mesh Headrest Dog Guard
This product is also similar in design to the RAC (and cheaper), with the same fiddly side extensions, but it uses a slightly different style of headrest bracket. Annoyingly, this doesn’t grip the head restraint quite as well, allowing the guard to slide around. On the plus side, the Halfords guard feels slightly sturdier in its construction.
What Car? says 3/5
4. XtremeAuto Universal Deluxe Dog Guard
Although it looks closest in design to the winning Argos Sakura guard, the XtremeAuto features a smaller central section that makes the side extensions more necessary. It also feels flimsier in places. As a result, at full price it would only be a two-star product, but it’s worth considering at the discounted price that was available at the time of writing.
What Car? says 3/5
5. RAC Advanced Mesh Dog Guard
The Summit guard’s strengths and weaknesses apply here too: adding the fiddly side extensions might well need two pairs of hands, but large elephant-foot rubber clamps make for easy attachment to the head restraints, and the instructions are easy to follow. The thing is, there’s no reason to buy this guard when Summit will sell you the exact same thing (aside from the badge) for a much lower price.
How we test products >>
The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.
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