Car battery jump starters are not new, but until recently, the best ones were sized like huge hardcover encyclopedias and powered by massive lead-acid batteries. While they are suited for auto dealers and vehicle recovery services, these old-school booster packs are too bulky to carry around in your emergency kit. However, the new generation of compact mini car jump starters that use lithium-ion batteries has changed the game.
Most are the size of a paperback novel, and they rarely weigh more than a pound. While they are slightly costlier than conventional battery boosters, they are much easier to carry. And they can also be used to recharge your portable devices such as smartphones and tablets! Here are three of the best portable car battery jump starters that you should consider. They are highly rated by many users.
Best Portable Car Battery Jump Starters
PowerAll
PowerAll jump starter is the size of a typical smartphone. It has an attractive, ergonomic design that some manufacturers have tried to imitate, but the copies are irredeemably bad. You will like the soft, rounded edges of this device and the great combination of plastic and rubber used to make the housing unit. Because of its small size, it can fit in virtually every glove box, and the rubber housing will protect it from damage if it accidentally falls. It holds 12,000 mAh and can last for more than 500 charge cycles.
Jumpr
In second place is Jumpr, an even smaller battery booster that is no more than 7 ounces in weight. It is 5.5 inches in length, 3 inches wide and 0.6 inches in thickness – an incredible ergonomic feat. It also comes with a USB port for charging your mobile devices.
The capacity of the battery is 6,000 mAh, partly explaining why it is much smaller compared to PowerAll which is about 6.5 inches long and 1.2 inches thick. It can jump-start most four and six-cylinder vehicles and its price makes it the cheapest of the three.
Versapower
This excellent mini jump starter is 6 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. It is also remarkably light – weighing just 14 ounces. Versapower has an LED light and a USB adapter, and included in the package at purchase is a battery clamp attachment as well as a USB adapter that has a 30-pin mini and micro-USB iOS device plug.
The lithium ion battery can hold 12,000 mAh of power with 1,000 charge cycles. A peak of 400 amps means it can even jump-start V8 engines. However, at $189.95, it is the most expensive of the lot.