Top-Rated Car Power Adapters : A Comprehensive Guide

Read update

• We’ve reviewed our recommendations and are confident these are still the best car chargers you can buy.

If you spend a lot of hours behind the wheel, a good car charger is a must-have accessory. The perfect car charger will keep your phone topped off so you can use GPS or Spotify easily.

UPDATE: 11/28/2023

We’ve reviewed our recommendations and are confident these are still the best car chargers you can buy.

• 
  
  Anker

Anker 535 Car Charger

Best Car Charger Overall
$32 at Amazon

Scosche PowerVolt CPDC8C8

Best Budget Car Charger
See at Amazon

• 
  
  Ainope

Ainope 6-port Car Charger

Best 6-Port Car Charger
$22 at Amazon

• 
  
  Ugreen

UGREEN 130W Car Charger

Best High-Speed Car Charger
$40 at Amazon

iOttie Auto Sense

Best Wireless Car Charger
$35 at Amazon

What to Look for in a Car Charger in 2023

While cars are getting all sorts of upgrades to become smarter, many aspects aren’t standardized yet—such as built-in USB ports to plug your smartphone into. If you need to use your phone for GPS directions or for emergency calls, you don’t want to run out of power. A car charger that you can plug into your cigarette lighter port can keep your phone powered up on the road.

Even if you do have a built-in USB port or Qi wireless charger in your vehicle, your phone can take hours to charge. If you need a faster charge, a dedicated car charger can also help.

However, while picking a car charger, you have to keep a few things in mind to ensure that you get the best, instead of something worse than what you may already have.

It’s always a good idea to buy a car charger with more than one USB port. Multi-port chargers offer a better value and allow you to charge two or more devices simultaneously. No more fighting over the one USB slot with passengers!

Additionally, the fast charging protocols supported by a car charger can impact how fast it can charge your devices. For example, you will need a USB Power Delivery (USB PD) compatible car charger to fast-charge an iPhone or a charger supporting Programmable Power Supply (PPS) to juice up the Samsung flagship phones at their top speed. Check to see what you might need before you buy.

Your car charger’s maximum wattage is also important, especially if you are looking to charge laptops on the go. Some devices need more power to charge quickly, and unless a car charger can deliver that power, your device will charge slowly, if at all. Check the power requirements of your smartphone or laptop and adjust accordingly.

With the basics out of the way, let’s jump into our recommendations.

How-To Geek’s product recommendations come from the same team of experts that have helped people fix their gadgets over one billion times. We only recommend the best products based on our research and expertise. We never accept payment to endorse or review a product. Read More »

Best Car Charger Overall: Anker 535 Car Charger

Anker

Anker has established itself as a reputed power accessories manufacturer by consistently producing high-quality products, and the company’s Anker 535 Car Charger is no exception. It’ll make a solid addition to your car. Featuring three USB ports, it can produce up to 67W of power via its USB-C ports when only a single port is being used. So, whether you want to charge a phone, tablet, or USB PD-capable laptop, you are in good hands.

Additionally, the Anker offering uses the company’s PowerIQ 3.0 technology to support all popular fast-charging protocols, such as USB PD and PPS via the two Type-C ports and Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 (QC 3.0) via the single Type-A port.

Other highlights are that the charger is built well and has a compact design. It also works with both 12V and 24V outlets in vehicles. Plus, you get a fast-charge capable USB Type-C to Type-C cable in the box.

There is much to like about the Anker 535 Car Charger. But some people may not like that the power delivery of two of its ports drops to a meager 9W when all three ports are being used simultaneously. But you will find similar behavior with most multi-port chargers.

Best Car Charger Overall

Anker 535 Car Charger

$32 $40 Save $8

From 67W power delivery via its USB-C ports to a relatively compact design, the Anker 535 Car Charger has everything most people need in a car charger.

$32 at Amazon

Best Budget Car Charger: Scosche PowerVolt CPDC8C8

Scosche

While the feature set of the Elecjet car charger is worth the price tag, the Scosche PowerVolt CPDC8C8 is an excellent option if you want something inexpensive. It comes with two USB Type-C ports, allowing you to charge two phones, earbuds, or smartwatches simultaneously.

Scosche has also included support for USB PD, so if your smartphone supports the standard, it’ll get the full 18W charging.

Although the PowerVolt has a plastic housing, its build quality is good. Additionally, the company offers a three-year warranty for the charger, far longer than what charger manufacturers typically provide. If it manages to break down, it’ll be easy to get a replacement.

Unfortunately, there is no USB Type-A port or Quick Charge support. If you need those two things, consider Anker’s PowerDrive III 2-Port 36W Alloy charger . It features two USB Type-A ports, each supporting Quick Charge 3.0.

Best Budget Car Charger

Scosche PowerVolt CPDC8C8

Scosche PowerVolt CPDC8C8 is a great car charger for people on a budget. It has USB PD support and can deliver up to 18W of power.

See at Amazon

Best 6-Port Car Charger: Ainope 6 Port USB Car Charger

Ainope

Are you often out on drives with your friends or family? You need a multi-port car charger like the Ainope 6 Port USB Car Charger to keep up with all the phones and other gadgets that everyone is carrying. It has three USB-C and three USB-A ports to cater to all USB charging devices. And each port is capable of 30W.

Most phones and tablets will get reasonably fast charging, but remember that the total output of the Ainope charger is limited to 90W. So, if you use all ports simultaneously, the charging speeds will drop considerably.

Among other highlights, the charger is divided into two parts: the front portion that goes into the 12V output has two USB ports, whereas the second part of the backseat houses four ports. Moreover, the connecting cable is five feet long, so it’ll have no trouble reaching the backseats of even three-row cars. There is even a clip to secure the backseat portion of the charger in a car seat pocket.

The Ainope car charger supports both USB PD and QuickCharge protocols. Plus, you get multiple safety protections and a reasonably durable build.

Best 6-Port Car Charger

Ainope 6-port Car Charger

$22 $24 Save $2

The Ainope 6 Port USB Car Charger is perfect for family drives. It has enough ports to top up everyone’s phones and other devices. It also offers decent speeds unless all ports are in use.

$22 at Amazon

Best High-Speed Car Charger: UGREEN 130W Car Charger

Ugreen

If you want high-speed charging in your car, it’s hard to go wrong with the UGREEN 130W Car Charger . As the name suggests, this USB car charger can output up to 130W of power. It makes this possible despite getting only 12V from your car by increasing the voltage using a buck–boost converter.

There are two USB-C and one USB-A port on board, and the USB-C2 port can deliver up to 100W of power whether other ports are simultaneously being used or not. You will also be happy that it supports USB PD 3.0, Qualcomm QC 4.0, and PPS fast charging protocols. It can also deliver 45W Super Fast Charging to compatible Samsung Galaxy devices.

As the charger can output high power, UGREEN has included a cooling fan to keep the heat in check, but that’s not always enough. As a result, the charger can sometimes reduce the power delivery to control the temperature. Otherwise, it works as intended, and the company even supplies a 100W-capable USB-C cable in the box.

Best High-Speed Car Charger

UGREEN 130W Car Charger

With 100W power delivery via one of its USB-C ports, the UGREEN 130W Car Charger can juice up most mobile devices, including laptops, at their top speed.

$40 at Amazon See at Ugreen

Best Wireless Car Charger: iOttie Auto Sense

iOttie

While wired chargers are great for speed, you can make charging more convenient with wireless chargers. For the best wireless car charger, we recommend the iOttie Auto Sense . It’s a great charger that you can mount on your car’s dashboard/ windshield. The company also offers variants for mounting in the cupholder or on the air vent/CD slot .

The mounts are secure, and the charger offers excellent flexibility in terms of how much you can adjust it to match your liking.

As the name suggests, the iOttie wireless charger comes with Auto Sense technology that allows it to detect when you have put the phone in and it automatically closes the arms to hold it securely. The company also bundles an optional reflective film that you can apply if the charger has trouble detecting your phone, which can happen with black or matte finish phones and cases.

In terms of charging capabilities, it supports Qi wireless charging, and you get 7.5W charging on iPhones and up to 10W on Android smartphones. Additionally, iOttie bundles the power supply with the charger, so you won’t have to buy that separately.

Best Wireless Car Charger

iOttie Auto Sense

$35 $60 Save $25

iOttie’s Auto Sense is a great choice if you want a wireless charger for your car. It can fast-charge your phone while keeping it mounted securely.

$35 at Amazon Best Buy Target

Also read: