If you’re out and about and return to your car only to find the battery flat, don’t regret not paying more attention to that article (this one) you saw about the best portable battery chargers. Sure, you could put on your charm and see if you can borrow a jump off a stranger or call a breakdown service, but the ability to do it yourself sounds much better.
Keep one of these portable battery chargers in your car, and you’ll be able to start your stricken car easily. Fitted with internal batteries and often doubling as a power bank, these devices are quickly replacing standard battery booster cables as an essential car accessory.
They’re especially useful during the colder months as well. Some batteries may become temperamental during the winter, and so maintaining it with a trickle charger is a useful idea. The best part about portable battery chargers is that a lot of them double as trickle chargers too – making a very comprehensive package overall.
The best portable battery chargers at a glance:
While these devices are fairly pricey, especially compared to a plug-in option, there’s no doubting the versatility of these handheld bricks of battery juice. Some also double as jump starters too, which is handy. We’re huge fans of these devices, and here we’re breaking down the best examples for you to keep in your boot.
How we test portable battery chargers
Each of the portable battery charging units listed was tried and tested to each of their individual merits. The jump starters for instance, were tested on the grounds of how we tested the jump starters in our group test. The same applies to solar battery chargers and indeed trickle chargers.
Each unit was tried on cars owned by either Parkers on a company basis or staff members’ private vehicles. The batteries of each cars were flat, which was useful for testing each of the units to their full potential.
The best portable battery chargers
The best portable battery charger
Having tried the Adaptive Boost setting on a 1983 Audi 80 CD, I can confirm that it works brilliantly. The battery was completely flat before I hooked up the CS Free; it required no real input from me apart from pressing the button. It then automatically detected what needed doing and proceeded to provide a bit of boost to the battery.
After about 15-minutes or so, the car fired right up without hesitation. What staggered me more was that the CS FREE did it completely wirelessly. You do have to ensure it has a full charge, but once you're set up, the CS FREE can do just about anything to put a bit of life back into a car again.
Where it failed, however, was in an extreme case: my colleague's Mazda MX5 had a battery that was so dead, that it could only be fired up via the override setting on a NOCO jump starter. The CS FREE didn't even begin a process wirelessly - probably because more power was needed.
In every other case however, it's been brilliant. It even doubles as a power bank, which charges my phone effortlessly as well as providing power to other electronic devices via a USB-C. It's climbed up the ladder to the top five automotive products I've ever tested - I simply can't imagine my motoring life without it.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Is effectively multiple battery chargers in one package: a trickle charger, battery charger, jump starter, and power bank
- Sleek design and very simple to use, thanks to automatic battery detection
- Fired up my editor's Audi 80 without throwing up a fuss
Cons
- Didn't work for us on a completely dead battery - there always needs to be some trinkle of life
| Weight | 1.4kg |
| Dimensions | 24.8 x 9.8 x 7.8cm |
| Max engine capacity | N/A |
| Amps | N/A |
| Extras | Trickle charger, batery maintainer, power bank |
Editor's pick
The GBX45 has a couple of USB ports which essentially means it can act as a power bank for your favourite devices. It's primarily a jump starter your car, so should you need to provide some power quickly, having this in the boot can come in very handy.
And it did; I've used it multiple times both for testing and firing up other people's cars, and it does the task perfectly each time. It's uber-easy to use, provides a greatly sufficient amount of power each time, and never fails.
I wish there was some more rubber padding to make it easier to keep in one place, but I consider this an essential to keep in the back of every vehicle. I've used it to charge my phone many times on journeys, and it continuously does so at a decent pace without losing much charge itself.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Incredibly versatile with power bank and flashlight functions
- Great quality with durable materials throughout
- Effortlessly started each vehicle we tried it on
Cons
- The lack of rubberised pads makes it tricky to keep in one place in an engine bay
| Weight | 0.59kg |
| Dimensions | 9.2 x 12.6 x 20.9cm |
| Max engine capacity | 6.5-litre petrol, 4.0-litre diesel |
| Amps | 1,250A |
| Extras | Flashlight, power bank |
Best value premium portable battery charger
Rrp: $124.95
Rrp: $124.95
It also has a 100 lumen torch, which is also seen on the GBX45, so either NOCO charger can be used as a makeshift torch. Quite frankly, it's just as good as the GBX45, only it caters to engines that are slightly smaller.
As ever, we've tried the GB40 many times on various different vehicles: from Volvos to Audis and the odd Ford, the GB40 never let us down each time. Each start was completely effortless and required no hesitation each time.
Like the GBX45, I've also used it myself on journeys to charge up my phone. It does so at a similar pace to the 45, albeit a little bit more slowly. But even so, a device with multiple uses like this is an essential bit of kit to keep in the back of your car for holidays and so on.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Great quality materials and durable build quality throughout
- Handy USB ports for recharging phones, tablets and laptops
- Effortless starting of each engine we tried it on
Cons
- You're out of luck if you have a petrol enigne larger than 6.0-litres
| Weight | 0.25kg |
| Dimensions | 11.7 x 20.8 x 10.7cm |
| Max engine capacity | 6.0-litre petrol, 3.0-litre diesel |
| Amps | 1,000A |
| Extras | Power bank, flashlight |
The best jump starter and torch
Only that it's also two torches: one normal flashlight, and one inspection light, so it really does have the tinkerer in mind throughout its design. The base of the torch end is even magnetic, so it sticks easily to any metal part of the engine bay - clever stuff, and I found this really handy when jump starting the Parkers MG TF.
Its jump starting effort was also excellent. It was little hesitant at first, but I didn't fix the terminal clamp properly. It only worked after a full, uninterrupted connection, and it worked brilliantly. The torches are also immensely useful; they're professional-grade lights, so you get amazing illumination in the engine bay and underneath a vehicle, should you need it.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Has useful lights, both in torch and inspection form for illumination - and the base is magnetic
- Effortlessly jumps a vehicle's battery, although you have to ensure a tight connection
- Also doubles as a power bank to charge up your devices, like the others
Cons
- Not the most powerful jump starter out there, compared to rivals
| Weight | 0.47kg |
| Dimensions | 31 x 10 x 12cm |
| Max engine capacity | 4.0-litre petrol, 2.0-litre diesel |
| Amps | 1,200A |
| Extras | Power bank, two flashlights |
The best solar battery trickle charger
This happened with all the solar units during our test, and they only began charging once we pumped a bit of life back into each battery and connected the solar panels using the terminal clamps. The Ring was no different, but something rather spectacular happened thereafter.
It's generally recommended to only use solar chargers for keeping batteries topped up when a vehicle is parked outside for a while. But over a period of about two weeks, it generated enough power from the sun to charge up the battery to a healthy level again.
With only 10W of power on hand, this staggered me. Clearly, it's a more capable charger than I first realised, and it kept the Puma's battery more-or-less topped up to the point when it could be started on the button.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Managed to recharge a battery from flat to a moderate level after a couple of weeks
- Easy to use and clip on with the two terminal clamps
- Great value for money compared to other portable chargers on this list
Cons
- Windscreen suction mounts not included, which makes it trickier to keep in place
| Power | 10W |
| Dimensions | 37 x 23.5 x 2.5cm |
| Weight | 1.34kg |
| Connection type | Terminal clamps, 12V plug |
The best battery charger and tyre inflator
The 2,000A jump starter element is capable of starting 8.0-litre petrol and 6.0-litre diesel engines and the 22A air compressor can inflate a tyre from 0-40PSI in as little as two-minutes. So, it's a massively powerful unit, despite being a two-in-one.
However, it also doubles as a power bank for charging up all of your devices. So, really it's a three-in-one machine. It's perfect for digging out a vehicle that's been left idle for a while, and we can't find an equivalent machine on the market.
If you're looking for multiple machines in one powerful package, you really need to look no further than one of these.
Pros
- Powerful jump starter combined with a tyre inflator - ideal for keeping things in one place
- Durable build quality and sublime power with both elements of the machine
- Doubles as a power bank to keep all of your devices in check
Cons
- Commands a hefty price premium over all the other options listed
| Weight | 4.4kg |
| Dimensions | 27 x 18.4 x 16.3cm |
| Max engine capacity | 8.5-litre petrol, 6.0-litre diesel |
| Amps | 2,000A |
| Extras | Tyre inflator, power bank |
Best portable power station
You can use this excellent Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 or an equivalent unit to plug in a standard battery charger and feed life back into your vehicle. You can get all kinds of variants of Jackery units ranging in size and power output, and we believe this one represents a neat bit of middle ground.
You can even option it with a solar panel, so you can keep it charged while performing a task outside. It's also a useful thing to take on camping holidays if you want to keep a number of appliances powered - such as kettles, air fryers and more.
Pros
- Incredibly useful unit for providing power anywhere - including battery charging of cars
- Also handy for camping holidays to keep your devices and appliances powered
- Can be had in a number of variants and optioned with a solar panel
Cons
- It's a bit overkill if all you want to do is charge your battery
| Weight | 10.8kg |
| Dimensions | 34 x 23 x 28 cm |
| Power | 1,500W |
| Features | 3-pin sockets, USB-A, USB-C, |
FAQs
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What do I need to bear in mind?
Before you buy a booster, you should check that it'll work with your engine. The bigger your engine, the more power and a bigger car battery will be required for it to work. Our picks will cover most new cars, meaning you'll have peace of mind with one of these, but there are boosters designed for bigger engines. It's also worth mentioning that some of these boosters will not work with cars fitted with Stop-Start. If you need a general guide, check out our picks for the best car batteries.
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What other features should I look for?
Aside from charging your car's battery, there are a number of useful features that you should look for in a portable battery booster. Look and see if it has a torch, most do, and it can be invaluable if you're stranded at night. If you suspect your car's battery might be at a low point, it will be worth investing in a battery tester.
Also, look for USB charging; this means you'll be able to plug your phone in and charge it up. Again, a great feature if you've broken down and your phone battery is low. And if you need to assist in someone else's breakdown, having a set of jump leads in your car is a useful accessory. -
What are portable battery chargers?
In short, they're wireless battery chargers of some kind. They have to be charged up before use and you can use them to kick some life back into your car again.
They mostly come in the form of jump starters, but there are exceptions such as the CTEK CS FREE, which is primarily a battery charger with an Adaptive Boost setting - a slow jump function that can be performed completely wirelessly. -
How much are portable battery chargers for cars?
The price of portable battery chargers ranges from around £30 for basic jump starters to well above £100 for top-end, comprehensive units. The NOCO Boost Air AX65 device is £300 due to the features and quality of the machine. So, it really does depend on what unit you're after and what features it has.
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