Port one: Quick Charge 3.0 USB-APort two: Quick Charge 3.0 USB-A. But it has a larger charging face, usually sells for a few dollars more, and doesnt support 20-watt charging for MagSafe. It sticks out 1.4 inches from the outlet, and its face is an oval 1.6 inches tall and 1.1 inches wide with a blue LED to indicate when its plugged in. Anker is regularly our top pick for electronic accessories of all kinds, and offers an 18-month warranty even on budget models like this. He has been reviewing iPhones, iPads, and related tech since 2011and stopped counting after he tested his 1,000th case. Although we dont think you should buy the PowerCruise C2 only because it supports QC 3.0most phones these days will charge just as fast or faster on a USB-C chargerthe fact that it offers that support, for the same price as non-QC chargers, adds extra value and makes it the best USB-A option for a larger variety of phones. The company also makes a vent-mounted version, along with one that sits in your cup holder, if the windscreen/dashboard model doesnt work for you. As with all Anker gear, youll get an 18-month warranty and easy replacement if something goes wrong. Thats because the built-in USB ports in most cars put out only 5 watts, which isnt enough to charge a tablet or even newer smartphones at full speed. Ankers PowerDrive III Duo is a previous upgrade pick. This car charger is suitable for iPhones and iPads, most Android devices, and many other USB gadgets. Like every dual-port charger we tested, the PowerCruise C2 properly allowed 12-watt power draw from both ports. This makes it the best car outlet adapter for most smaller appliances, including laptops. If you often find yourself needing to charge your laptop in the car, the Satechi is a good choice for you, but most people would be better off with the Nekteck charger, which includes a cable and offers 45-watt charging that also works with most laptops. A five-foot cable runs between them, long enough for most cars, and the box can clip onto a seat pocket to keep it secure and out of the way. With a bit more effort, its not hard to find them with three or four ports either. 2022 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company, The best car charger with two USB-C ports, ZMI PowerCruise C2 36-Watt Dual USB Car Charger with QC 3.0, ZMIs PowerCruise C2 36-Watt Dual USB Car Charger with QC 3.0. (Especially when there are comparable chargers available, were more comfortable recommending models that dont produce errors than those that do.) Here are the essentialand nonessentialitems to carry in your car during winter driving to ensure you get to your destination. Four of those sockets are QC 3.0-compatible, so if your devices use that standard, you can fast-charge them all at up to 19.5W each. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of cheap USB car chargers out there that all do much the same thing for about the same price. The other two sockets put out up to 2.4 amps (12W) each, which is still enough to quickly charge many phones. Doubling as a power bank, theres a USB-A QC 3.0 port, a USB C Power Delivery port (18W), and a 12v DC socket for car accessories like air compressors. Ourprivacy policyexplains how we handle your personal information. At a time when were relying on our mobile devices for pretty much everything, its no surprise that theyre getting more in-car use than ever before. Not enough items available. One size doesnt fit all, however, and its worth thinking about the needs of both your devices and passengers before deciding what to spend your money on. All of the chargers below put out at least 10W. There are a few devices out there that wont fast-charge using either standard, but even those will still charge at normal speed. Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday, January,February,March,April,May,June,July,August,September,October,November,December. InventrKits Flash Sale Get The InventrKits Adventure Kit For Only $49.99 With Code PLM45X, Subscribe to our newsletter and get 10% off your first purchase. Who said a car charger was only any good for topping up your phone or tablet? If you need a wireless dashboard or windscreen mount instead, check out the iOttie version below. Scosches PowerVolt Power Delivery Dual 18W USB-C Car Charger (CPDC8C8) is a good alternative to the PowerVolt PD40, as it performed equally well in our tests. Looking for RadioShack Crypto? A wireless charging mount lets you safely use a phone while driving and keep it juiced up along the way. Weve found the customer support to be helpful, both in response speed and in addressing our concerns. This guarantees that as long as your device supports it, youll get the full 10W of power available from this Qi-compatible wireless charger. Thats why weve put together our picks for the best USB car chargers for all needs, devices, and budgets. Like the iOttie above, the clamp automatically closes when a phone is placed inside it, and releases at the tap of a button on the side. Please check your email for a message from us. However, if you recently bought a multiport USB charger that provides at least 2 amps from each of its ports (look for the output listing in the small print on the body of the charger), you have less reason to upgrade. Even if your car has a USB port designed to sync your smartphone with the cars entertainment system, and even if that port can charge your phone, spending $20 or so for a dedicated two-port charger can be worth it. In our testing, the PowerVolt PD40 charged an iPhone 13 plugged in with a USB-CtoLightning cable from zero to about 53% in 30 minutes and to 83% in an hour. Satechis 72W Type-C PD Car Charger provides more power than any other model we tested, with 60 watts on the USB-C port (enough to charge a 13-inch MacBook Pro at full speed) and 12 watts on the USB-A port. Spotify or Apple Music let you stream your favorite tunes. These are what most people think of when it comes to car chargers, but theyre definitely not all the same. When it comes to wired charging, 20 W chargers arent any faster than 18 W chargers for iPhones. Theres an impressive 72W of charging power available with this unit: 45W in the front, 27W in the back. Its also made of metal instead of the cheaper-feeling plastic of almost every other charger. When the Wirecutter outdoor team goes car campingas opposed to backpacking and carrying gear into the wildernessthis is the gear they bring. A telescopic arm pivots through 225 degrees and extends roughly 3.5 inches, so you shouldnt have any trouble keeping your phone easily viewable no matter what kind of vehicle you drive. On a long trip, even the biggest phone batteries will drain hours before you arrive at your destination. Satechis 40W Dual USB-C PD Car Charger was inconsistent in our tests, frequently resetting its signal and not delivering the necessary 9 volts needed for its top charging speed. You can also use MagSafe wireless chargers at full speed. We think getting a faster USB-C charger is worth spending a little more, but if you simply want a good, inexpensive power source in the car, go with ZMIs PowerCruise C2 36-Watt Dual USB Car Charger with QC 3.0. An inbuilt 400 lumen flashlight has strobe, SOS, and standard beam modes. Ugreens 40W Universal Dual PD Fast-Charging Car Charger also showed errors in our Total Phase tests, and we have tested too many charging products from the company with similar errors to feel comfortable recommending any of them at this point. Swap Is Now live! Relatively light and compact for what it offers, its a useful addition for anyone whose road trip power needs extend well beyond their smartphone. Theres a confusing mess of specifications out there, which means the best fast car charger for your needs depends on the devices you own. No other charger offers as much power for a better price. Ankers PowerDrive 2 ticks all of the boxes. Most phones and tablets support one or the other. Scosche offers a three-year warranty and makes service replacements easy. Because poorly designed and manufactured USB-C chargers and cables can fry innocent phones and laptops, Ive also used specialized testing hardware to confirm the safety and reliability of every charger weve considered for this guide. It also charged the iPhone 13 a bit slower in our tests45% in half an hour compared to the Nektecks 56%, and 79% in an hour compared to 85%. Our pick: Nekteck PD 45W Type-C Car Charger, Budget pick: ZMI PowerCruise C2 36-Watt Dual USB Car Charger with QC 3.0. Like the Nekteck PD 45W car charger, the PowerVolt PD40 has USB-IF certification, which means an independent lab has verified that it meets a set of criteria for safety and performance. This ZeeHoo model does exactly that, and can be mounted on the air vent, dash, or windscreen for maximum flexibility. The larger iPad reached 33% charge in half an hour and 65% in one hour. Wed have liked to see the full 45W available from the front USB C port, but alas, not to be. Best USB-A Car Charger: Anker PowerDrive Speed 2, Best for Fast Charging: UGreen 30W USB C PD Car Charger, Best for Big Groups: Aikenuo 6 Port Car Adapter, Best for Backseat Drivers: Joyroom 5-in-1 USB C Car Charger, Best for Flat Batteries of All Kinds: HULKMAN Alpha85 Car Jump Starter and Power Bank, Best for Charging Everything: BESTEK Car Inverter with Dual 110v and USB, Best for Vent Mounting: Anker PowerWave Wireless Car Charger, Best for Windscreen or Dashboard Mounting: iOttie Auto Sense Wireless Car Charger, Best for Fast Charging: ZeeHoo 15W Wireless Car Charger, Best for Fast Charging: Ugreen USB C PD Car Charger, Best Portable Jump Starter: HULKMAN Alpha85 Jump Starter. Its a sensible length, long enough to get from the charger to a vent or windscreen mount on most vehicles, without having too much excess length flapping around. In our tests, its USB-C port charged the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tabletsboth of which are capable of laptop-like fast charging with 45 W chargersat their fastest rates, something no other car charger we tested could do. Although in our evaluation we paid attention to each chargers size and fit in a cars dashboard, we concluded that the smallest car charger isnt always the best choice. Thats the same speed as the Nekteck charger achieved, and its roughly 15% more battery life than your phone would get from a standard 12-watt USB-A charger. This iOttie model attaches easily to a wide range of flat or slightly curved surfaces, thanks to the combination of a dashboard pad and sticky suction cup. You can fast-charge phones, tablets, and laptops on its USB-C port and simultaneously charge a second phone on its USB-A port. All in all, its a versatile car charger that has a range of uses for everyone in the vehicle, at a very reasonable price. Google Maps, Waze, and several other good navigation apps help get you where youre going. But you need to bring your own USB-C cables. And you can use the 12-watt USB-A port at the same time to charge a second phone or other device with any USB cable you already have. But they all work fine, and any of them is a decent buy if you find a great sale or its easier to pick up one of these over the ZMI PowerCruise C2. When he's not playing with the latest tech toy or working out how to keep his phone charged for just a few more minutes, he can probably be found sitting in a broken-down bus in some obscure corner of the planet. AmazonBasicss Dual-Port USB Car Charger, Ankers PowerDrive 2, Aukeys CC-S7, and Scosches ReVolt all perform identically to one another. Learn how your comment data is processed. But it doesnt come with a charging cable, and that much power is overkill for most devices. The inclusion of that cable helps make this charger a good value option for a wide range of fast-charging needs. 5 W USB-A charger (such as an iPhone power brick). With all of that, however, comes a problem: keeping everything charged. Its one of the most affordable dualUSB-C car chargers you can get from an accessory maker we trust, and unlike cheaper options, it stays snugly in place to ensure your phone continues charging. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ankers PowerDrive Speed+ Duo has a 30-watt USB-C port (as opposed to the Nektecks 45-watt port), doesnt come with a cable, and generally sells for a few dollars more than the Nekteck. Additionally, Ive tested hundreds of other charging accessories, researching and writing our guides to USB wall chargers, USB-C laptop chargers, and USB-C accessories, among others. While its easy enough to charge a USB C phone from any old USB port as long as you've got the right cable, there are definite advantages to having a proper USB C car charger like this UGreen 30W model. I used this particular car charger for a few weeks, and took the time to confirm the output with an electrical tester. Whereas most car chargers are plastic, the PowerCruise C2 is made of silver-toned brass. Still, if you have one of the few phones that supports 15W Qi charging, youll want a wireless charger that can provide that much power. The 20-watt port constantly reset in our tests, with our target device showing the flow of power repeatedly starting and stopping. In addition to passing our own tests, the Nekteck charger has been certified by the USB-IF, which means it has been independently tested for safety. If yours doesnt have them, or you want to guarantee you can keep the backseat drivers quiet in your rental car, take a look at the Joyroom 5-in-1. From there, you simply wait for the ready prompt, turn the key or press the ignition switch, and all going well, youre up and running in a few seconds. Whether youre driving across the country or just across the city, these are 10 of the best car chargers you can buy right now. If the vent design or position in your vehicle makes it difficult to mount a wireless charger on them, put it on the windscreen or dashboard instead. A tablet for the kids to watch their favorite games and movies can be the difference between an easy trip and high blood pressure. You can find hundreds of USB car chargers that plug into your cars accessory-power jack. Its otherwise a good choice if you prefer the aesthetics of the glowing blue ring around the charging face. Despite its very similar name, Ankers PowerDrive+ III Duo differs a little from the PowerDrive III Duo in looks and function. Its impossible for him not to mentally catalog any case he sees. What about cheap dual-port 12-watt chargers? It works with the majority of vent designs, and through phone cases up to 5mm thick. Since many compact laptops charge at 30 W or 45 W, you can even use this Nekteck charger to quickly fill them up on the go.