The flat car battery scenario is never ideal. It always happens when you’re running late or it’s torrential rain and you’re wearing your Sunday finest. It’s this fear of a flat battery that makes a battery charger such a compelling idea, especially the latest range of units like the NOCO Boost X GBX45 that promise to get a dead battery going again in an instant.
The NOCO Boost X range is a best-selling range of battery boosters, using a single button to instantly provide a burst of electricity, much like a shot of espresso, to a flat battery and get the engine working. The NOCO Boost X GBX45 may be the entry-level of this range but still promises to pack some serious punch.
This portable device is designed with jump-starting performance in mind. NOCO talk at great lengths about its clever ‘PX Lithium Technology’ and versatility which begs the question, is this the perfect product for any flat battery scenario?
Verdict: Exceptional performance and quality, it’s the best way to start a flat battery.
Score: 5/5
The best jump starter
Pros
- Exceptional jumps-starting performance
- Compact but durable design
Cons
- Overkill for small car owners
| Weight | 0.59kg |
| Dimensions | 17.3cm (L) x 8.3cm (W) x 5.3cm (H) |
| Max engine capacity | 6.5-litre petrol/4.0-litre diesel |
| Amps | 1250A |
| Flashlight | Yes |
What’s good?
It can effortlessly jumpstart 99% of modern cars. Rated for 6.5-litre petrol engines and 4.0-litre diesel motors, the NOCO Boost X GBX45 covers pretty much every car on sale bar the Rolls Royce Phantom.
Case in point, its performance starting a Mazda MX-5 with a flat battery was exemplary. Jump-starting the battery with a set of jumper cables and another car had proved fruitless, minutes were spent desperately trying to get it to turn over, but to no avail.
With the NOCO connected to the battery and the power button pressed, the car fired up immediately. This performance by itself proved the worth of the NOCO, and that’s before considering its quality and other uses.
The small size makes it very portable, perfect for any flat battery emergency. Slipped inside a draw-string carry bag, the NOCO will quite happily sit in a boot, glovebox or even a door pocket, taking up next to no space.
The quality is also top-notch. Despite the 0.6kg weight, the NOCO had a nice tactile feel to it with robust-feeling plastics that made the NOCO feel indestructible. The rubber corners are also indicative of this quality, offering protection against dropping and providing extra grip.
This battery booster also doubles as a torch and power bank, two things it excelled with. The torch featured a number of different brightness levels and even included an SOS feature, potentially life-saving in a winter accident. The power bank was equally useful, with a 60W USB-C port that’ll effortlessly charge up a mobile phone while still retaining enough electric juice to start and engine.
What’s okay?
There’s very little to fault with the NOCO, the performance and price make it an exceptional battery booster. It’s not the last word in battery chargers as it won’t maintain or recondition car batteries, but there aren’t any battery boosters that’ll then work as a battery maintainer. For the time being, you’ll be needing a secondary smart charger to fulfil all your car battery needs.
Any negatives?
The only jarring feature I found with the NOCO was the exceptionally short cables it shipped with. There is a benefit to the short length in that it keeps everything nice and compact but a little more length would be nice. While the clamps quite easily reached both battery terminals, the charger often didn’t have anywhere to rest while jump-starting a car, something that would have been avoided with just a little more cable length.
The other downside to the clamps is the requirement to have them half-engaged to fit back in the box. Thankfully NOCO ship a small plastic block for the clamps to bite down on, but lose this small block and the clamps simply won’t fit back in the box.
More items to consider
Clarke JSM400 Multi-Purpose 7000mAH Lithium Polymer Jumpstarter, RRP £119.98
Draper 12V Power Pack Jump Starter, RRP £106.84
GOOLOO Jump Starter Power Pack, RRP £99.99
How we tested the NOCO Boost X GBX45:
The NOCO was tested as a battery booster for jump-starting flat batteries. During our testing, it jump-started two cars with flat batteries and never missed a beat. beyond this the power bank and LED torch features were tested on a road trip, being used to keep a smartphone charged up and looking for dropped change once the daylight had gone.
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