If you’ve ever owned a portable tyre inflator, you may not have known what brand it was but there’s a fair chance it was a model from the Ring Automotive tyre inflator range. The brand has a well-cemented reputation as a reliable automotive aftermarket choice for car tyre car, battery care, and lighting.
Of course, other brands are out there for your inflation needs. This includes the likes of Slime, Worx, Ryobi, Bosch, and even the AA which cater for more basic units. The competitiveness is huge in the world of tyre inflators, and really, it just boils down to the source of power, inflation time, and convenience.
In regard to tyre inflators, Ring Automotive offers what is probably the widest range of models available in the UK. We’ve three quite different models and had three members of our team test them to see how they perform in the real world.
Ring Automotive tyre inflators tested 2024 at a glance:
The best Ring Automotive tyre inflator: Ring Automotive RTC1000 – buy from Amazon
The best inflator for camping: Ring Automotive RAC830 – buy from Amazon
The best heavy duty inflator: Ring Automotive RAC900 – buy from Amazon
Each Ring Automotive tyre inflator ranges in price, power, and capabilities. They’re also designed differently, are built for different people, and have different purposes in mind. With that in mind, we unboxed the trio, got out the tyre pressure gauges, and put them to the test.
How we test tyre inflators
Primarily, we want to find out how good they are at inflating your tyres. But aside things like the inflation speed, there are some other aspects that are important to the consumer.
Value for money is one of them. A good all-round tyre inflator must represent a competitive price point that reflects the class and capabilities it’s in. We considered this throughout our Ring Automotive test as a particular tyre inflator is pricier than the others, but certainly feels it through its power and build quality.
The other main aspect is ease of use. If a tyre inflator is tricky to set up and is likely to stay on the shelf in favour of an easier inflator, then it loses points. How easy an inflator is to turn on and use is everything for us, and we give a machine points for approachability. Portability is also quite important as we like inflators that are also easy to carry around without being too obtrusive.
The best Ring Automotive tyre inflators tested 2024
Best Ring Automotive tyre inflator
That's a nice touch because the RTC1000 is likely to reside inconspicuously in the boot of a car for most of its lifetime. The RTC1000 is wider than many handheld products on the market. Although sizeable, the unit feels sturdy and above adequate in build.
The high-grade feel of the unit’s main body extends to the 12V power cable and 70cm valve hose, finished in a sleek, black weave with a brass nozzle. The three-way valve adapter secured to the RTC1000’s underside is also a nice touch. It expands its utility to other inflatables such as balls, blow-up beds and bike tyres.
Once plugged into a car's 12V socket, the LCD screen indicates the immediate level of PSI as zero and the intended target. The connecting process was incredibly simple as I only needed to screw the brass head on. To keep your tyre valve safe, there is a designated cup on the unit’s upper side.
Once connected, the LCD screen indicated the PSI on my Citroen C1’s front right tyre in a matter of seconds. Target adjustment was another painless process as only the middle dial needed to be turned for me to reach my desired PSI target.
Ring Automotive says the RTC1000 can inflate a 13-inch tyre from 0PSI to 35PSI in just under two minutes. During my test, I inflated my 14-inch tyre from 28 to 32 PSI in roughly 17 seconds. Once finished, I unscrewed the nozzle head which let out only a small amount of air (somewhat unavoidable), reattached my valve cap and wound the power cable back into its initial position.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the RTC1000. Its build quality and inflation time were exemplary, with the only downfall perhaps being the unit’s size. This is certainly an automotive gadget worth having in the back of your car for the day you need it.
Review by Seth Walton
Pros
- Simple to use, thanks to its easy controls
- Solid build quality and sturdy materials
- Great value for money at under £50 for such good capabilities
Cons
- Quite bulky, which makes carrying it around slightly tricky
| Dimensions | 21.9 x 20 x 8.8cm |
| Weight | 1.5kg |
| Cable length | 3.5m |
| Hose length | 0.7m |
| Auto stop | Yes |
| LCD display | Yes |
| LED light | Yes |
| Extra adaptors | 3 |
Best Ring Automotive tyre inflator for camping
The speed at which it filled a tyre was impressive, taking a couple of seconds to top up a set of 205/55 R16 tyres in a matter of seconds. The RAC830 made a fair bit of noise, but it wasn’t unbearable. Although, the valve did allow for a few seconds of depressurisation whenever the Ring was uncoupled.
The cable management system is another big plus point. The airline wraps neatly around the top while the 3.5-metre power cable neatly slips around the base of the unit. It allows the device can be neatly stored away in the storage bag. This is something that is nigh-on impossible for lesser tyre inflators once the airline has been unfurled.
The chief downside to the device is the price, and it is rather large in a world of glovebox-sized options. Still, if you have the space in your boot, and want a well-made, high-performance tyre inflator, it'll certainly suit you.
Review by Ryan Gilmore
Pros
- Fast inflation, which is great if you're in a rush to get going
- Tidy cable management system, keeping things organised
- Very simple to operate, which improves approachability
Cons
- Relatively bulky, which can make storage slightly tricky
- Doesn't quite represent as good value as some others
| Dimensions | 17.2 x 26 x 12.8cm |
| Weight | 2.7kg |
| Cable length | 3.5m |
| Hose length | 0.85m |
| Auto stop | Yes |
| LCD display | Yes |
| LED light | Yes |
| Extra attachments | 3 |
Best heavy duty Ring Automotive tyre inflator
That's why recovery services use something like the Ring RAC900. It draws power from a 12V car or leisure battery, so it can pump your tyres up in a much shorter time. Ring Automotive claims 90 seconds is all the RAC900 needs to inflate a flat car tyre (13-inch to 35psi), which is impressive.
I've used it to top up car and motorbike pressures and once to seat a stubborn tubeless tyre on a mountain bike. I like the screw-on fittings and long hose but generally think a digital gauge is easier to use than an analogue one. It's a hefty bit of kit, but super speedy and surprisingly quiet.
Other than road rescuers, this would suit camping and caravanning supremely well, where you've got a bit of extra space to carry it and perhaps a leisure battery to hook it up to. Ring could extend its usefulness by offering this pump with a couple of different power leads though. If it was easy enough to fit a three-pin plug for example, I'd happily leave this handy unit set up in my garage.
As it stands though I'm more likely to reach for my more convenient battery-powered pump when it comes to squeezing a few extra PSI into my tyres.
Review by Adam Binnie
Second opinion, Aaron Hussain
Outright power is the number one thing that stuck to my mind in regard to the RAC900. It's more of a heavy-duty compressor than an everyday tyre inflator, and setting it up with the two crocodile clips and the equipment makes it much more thorough than your standard 12V or even a cordless inflator.
With that said however, there's no challenging just how capable this machine is when it's doing what it does best: pumps tyres up - fast. When pumping up my rear Mercedes' tyres from 27psi to the correct 32, it took only seconds to achieve. With that said, with a machine that powerful, it would've been nice to have an auto stop function to prevent over-inflation.
With a machine this powerful and indeed this expensive, you'd expect to have such items. But the lovely sturdy metal build quality and engineering prowess the 900 possesses, it's easy to see where the extra money went over your standard inflator. Though I'm not a fan of sourcing power from the battery terminals myself - I'm more of a socket or cordless person when it comes to tyres.
Pros
- Very powerful and a super-fast inflation as a result
- Very long, seven-metre hose which can stretch to far distances
- Great to use for bigger, more thorough jobs
Cons
- No digital screen, despite the cost
- No automatic stop, which is slightly disappointing
| Dimensions | 18.6 x 33.7 x 23.5cm |
| Weight | 3.5kg |
| Cable length | 2.5m |
| Hose length | 7m |
| Auto stop | No |
| LCD display | No |
| LED light | No |
| Extra adaptors | 3 |
The victor and other FAQs about tyre inflators
RTC1000, RAC830, RAC900: which is best?
Of the three, we can conclude that Seth’s RTC1000 would the most suitable for most people. It’s powerful enough to full inflation when occasionally needed but does top-ups in a jiffy. It’s also quite a bit cheaper but without losing the Ring Automotive quality trademark.
The RAC830 and RAC900 are powerful and still easy to use. They’re just overkill for many. That said, they’d be very welcome companions of campervanners and owners of other large vehicles.
How do you charge a Ring tyre inflator?
If you’ve bought a corded inflator, your source of power will most likely be the 12V socket within your vehicle. With the engine running, this can draw continuous power without the rear of it running out of charge.
With a digital tyre inflator and most others, you simply hook up the battery to a charging cable and plug the lead into a standard socket. Usually, there will be a green light to tell you if the unit is charged. On the odd occasion where you have a heavy-duty inflator powered by crocodile clamps via the battery terminal, you will need the engine running to draw power from there. This is simply to prevent draining your car’s battery, requiring the use of a jump starter.
How do you use a 12V tyre inflator?
Quite simply, there will be an on/off switch which allows you to control when the inflator begins or stops doing its thing. But in terms of setting up, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
Always check what tyre pressures your car’s manufacturer recommends. Too little inflation will lead to increased rolling resistance, a lack of stability, and higher fuel/energy consumption. Next, you take a pressure gauge and check what each tyre is currently reading. If they’re below the recommended pressure, they need air.
Then you simply hook up the inflator hose to each tyre, connect the compressor in whichever way you need to, and turn on the machine until it reaches the correct numbers. – a much less strenuous task than using a foot pump. Remember to keep the dust caps safe, as you’ll need to screw them back on again.
How to choose a Ring tyre inflator
The best tyre inflator to someone is the best one for their individual needs. Consider how much portability you want as well as how easy it is to use. These are two great benchmarks to base your decision off, and as for power and inflation speed, it can be nice to have, but having the fastest isn’t a necessity for some people. Simply having a good quality unit that’s easy to use is a winner to a lot of consumers.
Seth Walton is an Autos Product Writer for Parkers and CAR, specialising in car cleaning and motorsport. He also contributes to What’s The Best with interests in audio equipment and technology.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. A veteran car cleaner; if it details, waxes or washes he’ll be on hand to make sure it’s worth your money.
Aaron Hussain is a commercial content writer at Bauer Media writing for Parkers and CAR. He is obsessed with classic cars and anything with a fascinating story to tell.
Sign up to the Parkers Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews, news, and recommendations from the Parkers team.
Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections – read why you should trust us
