We’ve rounded up the 10 best portable car jump starters so you can say goodbye to the days of being stranded for hours with a dead battery. The beauty of a jump starter is you no longer need traditional jumper cables and another vehicle to get your car battery up and running again. With a portable jump starter, you easily can jump-start your car in a few easy steps. We think it is one of the most important things you should keep in your car along with your car emergency kit.
Benefits of Portable Car Jump Starters
First and foremost, having a portable car jump starter allows you to jump-start your car without anyone else’s help! No need to flag down a car or call roadside assistance — just correctly hook up the portable jump starter to your car battery using the attached jumper cables, and you’re golden. Carrying a portable jump starter with you will make you feel safer and more prepared at all times.
Along with the main benefit of effectively jump-starting your car with no assistance, portable car jump starters can also typically charge other devices. If you need to plug in a mobile device or charge a camera battery on the go, you can often plug it right into the portable car jump starter, a convenient way to charge accessory devices when your car is turned off.
When purchasing a portable car jump starter, consider other possible features. Some portable car jump starters also double as tire inflators and/or have other added functionality.
Key Features Of Portable Car Jump Starters
Size
The size range for portable car jump starters varies from small lithium jump starters that you can store in your glove box to larger power stations that would need to be stored in your trunk. Depending on where you want to store the jump starter and how portable you want the device to be, you’ll want to consider the overall size and weight of the jump starter when making your purchase.
Power
To determine the power output of a portable car jump starter, pay attention to the cranking amps and cold cranking amps (CCA). CCA measures how many amps a battery is able to successfully produce within 30 seconds at 0-degrees Fahrenheit. Generally speaking, 400 to 600 amps should be enough to jump-start a battery on a normal car, truck, or SUV. If you have a larger battery or are operating a commercial vehicle, you may need a more powerful jump starter.
Reverse Polarity Protection
This is simply a safety feature that you should look for when purchasing a portable car jump starter. Reverse polarity protection will alert you if the jump starter isn’t connected correctly to the battery. This is a vital feature because connecting the jump leads incorrectly can be extremely dangerous. With this being said, always double-check and make certain that you know exactly how to connect the jump leads to your car battery before beginning this process.
Additional Features
Some portable car jump starters have air compressors, USB chargers, regular chargers, LED lights, radios, LED lights, or LCD screens. If a portable car jump starter has many additional features, it’ll generally be larger and heavier. Whether or not you will benefit from these additional features will mainly come down to personal preference.
The 10 Best Portable Car Jump Starters on The Markey Today
Below, we’ve outlined the 10 best car jump starters available. After our extensive guide on the best portable jump starters, we’ve also answered all of your most frequently asked questions surrounding portable jump starters for cars. With that, let’s get started and find the one that best fits your needs!