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It’s always a good idea to keep jumper cables in your vehicle if your car battery dies. Having one of the best jump starters is even better. Unlike traditional jumper cables, a portable jump starter can restart your battery without needing a second car, providing extra peace of mind. But what makes a good car jump starter, and which jump starters are the best?
To help you find the best jump starter for your vehicles, we’ve recommended options for different uses and at various price points. Based on a high volume of positive consumer feedback, the products in the table above are our top picks when shopping for a quality jump starter.
TEKGINE Jump Starter with Air Compressor Battery Charger Pack Booster Car Jump Starter Box Portable Tire Inflator 8.5L Gas or 6L Diesel
NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000 Amp 12-Volt UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter Box
DEWALT DXAEJ14 Digital Portable Power Station Jump
LOFTEK Car Jump Starter, 1000Amp Peak Lithium Jump Box for up to 7L Gas and 5.5L Diesel Engines
Powrun P-ONE Jump Starter, 2000A Portable Jump Starter Box
HULKMAN Alpha85 Smart Jump Starter 2000 Amp 20000mAh Car Starter for up to 8.5L Gas and 6L Diesel Engines
Imazing Portable Car Jump Starter – 2500A Peak 20000mAH 12V Auto Battery Booster Portable Power Pack
What are the Different Kinds of Jump Starters?
There are two types of starters that make up the majority of units sold today. They are the plug-in type and the fully portable type.
Plug-In Starters – A plug-in starter is exactly what it sounds like. It is a unit that you plug into a wall outlet and then connect to a battery using standard copper claws. This type of jump starter has its fans, but we’re not quite sure why. If you find yourself in a cold parking lot in a mall and you need to jump, you’re totally out of luck. So what’s the point of having it? The whole idea of a jump starter is so you don’t have to call the tow truck driver and fill out his bankroll. However, if you have a plug-in jump starter, you may find yourself calling the tow truck anyway.
Portable jump starters – this is the kind that makes the most sense. With the advances in lithium-ion battery technology in recent years, there’s really no excuse to use anything else. Sure, you’ll need to plug them in from time to time to make sure they’re charged. But how grateful you would be to have it if your battery ran out of juice in a giant mall parking lot a mile from the nearest exit.
What About Battery Chargers?
Good question. The battery charger sounds like a good idea. And if you’re home for the weekend and are aware your battery is getting low, it might come in handy. But it’s not going to help you out too much if you are stuck in that mall parking lot because, like the plug-in charger, it needs to be plugged in. If you have a portable jump starter you can get the car started and then the very act of driving around will charge the battery. . So the battery charger has a role to play. But it’s a pretty limited one.
What Features Should I Look for in a Jump Starter?
The modern jump starter is more than just a pair of cables you hook up to the tow truck battery on cold days. They are self-contained power packs that provide the battery with the jolt of juice it needs to get the car going. And because most utilize the latest in lithium-ion battery technology they often provide an array of useful accessories as well. Here are some of the things to look for in a jump starter.
Cables – It’s an understatement to say the cables are important to a jump starter kit. Without them you have no way to connect the starter to the battery. It might seem like cables are cables, and in a certain sense that’s true. But some cables provide greater dependability and versatility than others. That’s because they may be longer (say 30 feet instead of 10 feet). Or the gauge of the wire may be thicker. As a general rule the thicker the wire the more electricity it will conduct . And if you’re trying to jumpstart a truck you’re going to need to deliver as much power as possible. So you may need a 4 or 6 gauge cable for that.
Emergency lights – All too often batteries die in the worst possible places at the worst possible time. And because the days are shorter in the winter that often means you find yourself with a dead battery when it’s dark out. This is especially troubling if you find yourself at the side of the road. In such cases it can be extremely helpful if your jump starter has a nice bright emergency light so that oncoming cars can see you. In some cases the emergency light can be physically detached from the jump starter and placed off to the side, like you would do with a flare. Other starters have built in flashlights that help you see what you’re doing and also provide a bit of light for other drivers to see.
Inverter – The inverter converts the stater’s native DC current into AC current . You can then use that to charge your other devices like your smartphone or tablet. This really comes in handy if you’ve got a dead battery and a dead phone. So even if the battery is DOA and simply refuses to respond to the starter you can still charge up your phone and call for help. Even if you don’t need to jump start the car it’s still nice to have an inverter with you on camping trips and such.
Emergency radio – There are a few jump starters on the market today that have built in emergency radios. This can come in very handy in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Or if, say, a hurricane is bearing down on your location. You’ll be able to keep up with the latest emergency bulletins, evacuation notices and more.
Air compressor – Believe it or not some jump starter kits come with an air compressor as well. This is a great thing to have in the car at all times no matter what the condition of the battery or what else is going on. The air compressor allows you to pump up a soft tire in the event you run over a nail or some such thing and your tire begins to slowly lose air. Keep in mind that the air compressor is going to use some of the charge. So if you wind up using this feature you’ll need to plug the jump starter in after you get home and top it back up before returning it to the car. If you can swing the extra expense we’d highly recommend having an air compressor on board. Someday, you’ll be glad you do.
