Our Picks
A dead car battery is frustrating, especially when you're short on time. It can also be dangerous, depending on where you've broken down. What's worse is relying on others for jumper cables isn’t always an option, and hiring a professional can be expensive. That's why investing in a portable jump starter is a smart move. With it, you can quickly revive your battery and get back on the road without hassle or worry.
Portable jump starters can be charged with an extension cord, a USB port in running vehicles and even a wall-plug adapter. It also means you can recharge your jump starter as soon as it recharges your vehicle. The best portable battery jump starters offer some combination of those recharge options.
Portable battery jump starters are essential tools for reviving dead car batteries and getting your vehicle back on the road quickly and safely. Thanks to being equipped with jumper clamps for easy connection to battery terminals, these devices typically include reverse polarity protection for added safety. Many models also feature semi-permanent attachments that allow for fast connections, eliminating the need for traditional clamps, making it easier for you to use. They might also come with other useful built-in features, such as flashlights and USB ports for charging devices. Having a portable battery jump starter is extremely useful.
A portable jump starter battery is a good insurance policy to have in your car.
What else can it do? On a single charge, a portable car battery pack or charger can power your high-draw laptop computer several times longer than its own built-in battery. Want a battery booster with a built-in air compressor so you can fill up your raft at the lake or a low tire before you head home from the airport? No problem. Would you also like a jump starter or battery charger with an AC inverter so you can plug in a radio, a lamp or another small appliance during a power failure or at a campsite? Done. These devices are basically the ultimate power bank. Do you need to charge your phone and another USB device (your kid's Nintendo Switch, for example) at the same time? Many of these have a dual USB ports to accommodate your charging needs.
These features add bulk and mass to a jumper pack (these devices won't fit in your glove box), but their value in capability, convenience and preparation can more than justify the extra weight. After all, you want to have enough power to prepare for pretty much any emergency on the road.
Criteria for choosing the best portable car battery charger
We've assembled a list of our favorite portable car batteries, from basic jump starters to personal power units with battery capacity for camping trips or power outages. We've based our best jump starter recommendations on testing labs such as Consumer Reports, user ratings at popular shopping sites and hands-on experience.
Some portable jump start batteries have other useful features such as air compressors, charge ports for phones, and lights.
Here, in alphabetical order, are our highly rated favorites for best portable jump starter options. We'll be updating this list periodically as we review new options. If you think you want a portable car battery jump starter and battery charger, check the pro tips on safety and proper care that follow.
This is the latest evolution of the top-rated XP-10 car jump starter. It has all the same features, including the LED flashlight with a strobe and multiple charging options for electronic devices, but the heavy duty car battery jump starter can deliver an extra 50 amps of peak starting jolt. It also comes with all copper, heavy-duty commercial grade battery jumper cable clamps.
The DeWalt DXAEJ14 makes our best portable jump starter list with a 4.4 stars rating across 450 buyer reviews at Home Depot's shopping site. This car jump starter has an expansive 21 amp hour battery, an onboard compressor and a patented feature that can tell you if your vehicle's alternator is up to snuff. There's a light and USB ports, but the DeWalt's biggest draw is the power in its initial jump-start jolt. At 700 cranking amps, it's rated among the most powerful portables on the market.
The NOCO Boost GB40 portable jump looks like it's all business. Consumer Reports liked NOCO for its jump starting, but didn't like its low storage capacity for powering other devices. This jump starter device has a flashlight and one five-volt USB port, but it can be pricey for its capacity and relative lack of features.
From a trusted name in automotive electronics, the Schumacher ProSeries 2250 Jump Starter gets 100% satisfaction from buyers on several shopping sites. This car jump starter has a vibration-resistant absorbent glass mat battery, a 400-watt AC inverter with two plugs and enough cranking amps to start just about any light-to medium-duty vehicle with a dead battery out there. Best of all, it comes with one of the largest capacity batteries you'll find. Schumacher says it can feed a 200-watt AC draw for 55 minutes, and 100 watts for 90 minutes.
This one violates the spirit of this list because it's only a jump starter -- no LED flashlight, USB charge port or anything else. It made it because it's really cool, as it applies the next wave in electrical storage technology: ultracapacitors.
Once referred to as condensers, capacitors store energy electrostatically in an electric field. Compared to chemical-based batteries, they store relatively little energy, but the advantages are significant. Modern ultracapacitors can absorb energy quickly and dump it in big jolts, as opposed to something more like a trickle with a battery. And they can operate effectively in a broader temperature range than most batteries. That makes them perfect for jumping a weak car battery.
The Schumacher Ultracapacitor Hybrid Jump Starter delivers 900 amps of cranking power, which should fire just about anything up to a semi-truck. It has a small, replaceable lithium ion battery to prime the ultracapacitors, but if the onboard battery is drained it will still prep the ultracapacitors in roughly two minutes on a 12-volt charge from a vehicle (maybe even the weakened battery in the vehicle that needs a jump). In other words, it's never really dead. It's intended primarily for commercial purposes and it's not cheap. But if you want the coolest, most fail-proof portable jump starter out there, this might be it.
Pro tips
Portable car batteries and chargers aren't significantly regulated and as Consumer Reports has noted, some manufacturers' performance claims are dubious. Always read the fine print. For safety, look for batteries that are certified for compliance with Edison Testing Labs/Intertec or UL standards.
Always think about temperature. Manufacturers recommend not storing batteries in high-temp environments. If you want to keep a battery in your car, keep it out of direct sunlight in the glove box -- or better -- the trunk. In the summer months, it's better to grab it when you start your trip and take it out of the car when you get home.
Then there's the other extreme. Anyone vaguely familiar with batteries knows that they're not terribly fond of extreme cold. Consumer reports found that when both the jump starter and the weak car battery were cooled to zero degrees, the performance of even the best portable jump starter options degraded significantly. If it's really cold out, warm the portable battery indoors or inside a car first and keep it as warm as possible before you use it to jump a vehicle.
Chemistry does matter when it comes to the care and feeding of a car jumper. Conventional sealed lead-acid cells are heavier and discharge more rapidly than lithium ion batteries when they sit idle, but they can also be less sensitive to temperature extremes and to significant physical impacts. Either way, the care strategy with sealed lead-acid or absorbent glass mat is straightforward. Keep the battery charge as close to full as possible as much of the time as possible.
The chemistry of your portable jumper's battery matters when it comes to caring for it.
"When you get it, charge it fully," says Dan Portwood, senior product manager at Baccus Global, a manufacturer of multiple jump-starter brands. "After you use it, for a jump or something else, recharge it fully. If it sits idle for a month or two, recharge it fully. That limits the amount of sulfur in the cells and ensures both the maximum capacity and the longest life."
Whatever the chemistry, it's virtually impossible to overcharge a jump-start battery. That means you can plug it in and forget it for days at a time. Yet Portwood doesn't recommend charging all the time. That keeps the charge block consistently warm (whether the block is external or built into the battery case), and can shorten its useful life.
The lithium-polymer cells in more compact car jump starters and chargers hold more energy for the relative size. They also hold a charge longer than sealed lead acid when they're idle, but they can be a bit more finicky. To maximize performance over the long haul and ensure maximum life, a more active approach might be in order.
"If you have a reputable brand with good cell structure, you have a good foundation," said Chad Estevez, a product support specialist at Antigravity. "Try not to store it in temperature extremes, and don't leave it sitting for a year at a time. Treat it like a cell phone and exercise the cells. Use it every couple of months. Drain it a bit in some fashion, and then put it on the charger."
Comparison of portable car battery chargers
| Model | Starting amps | Capacity | Weight | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigravity XP-10 Micro-Start Battery | 300 | 18 aH | 18 ounces | AC and 12-volt recharging, two USB ports, LED light | $160 |
| Antigravity XP-10 HD Micro-Start Battery | 300 | 18 aH | 20 ounces | AC and 12-volt recharging, two USB ports, LED light | $198 |
| Black & Decker Power Station PPRH5B Battery | 300 | 17 aH | 20 pounds | AC and 12-volt recharging, air compressor, 500-watt AC inverter with two plugs, USB ports, LED light | $179 |
| DeWalt Digital Power Station DXEJ14 Battery | 700 | 21 aH | 16 pounds | AC and 12-volt recharging, air compressor, two USB ports, LED light | $158 |
| NOCO Genius Boost Plus GB40 UltraSafe Battery | 350 (est) | 4.8 aH | 2 pounds | 12-volt recharging, USB port, flashlight | $100 |
| Schumacher ProSeries 2250 Jump Starter Battery | 550 | 22 aH | 31 pounds | AC and 12-volt recharging, 400-watt AC inverter with two plugs, USB port | $211 |
| Schumacher Ultracapacitor Hybrid Jump Starter | 900 | 2.2 aH | 8 pounds | 12-volt recharging, ultracapacitors | $332 |
| Stanley Simple Start Battery Booster P2G7S | 300 | 2 aH | 2 pounds | AC and 12-volt recharging, USB port, LED light | $50 |
Written for CNET Cars by J.P. Vettraino.
Portable jump starter FAQs
What kind of portable battery jump starter do I need?
How many amps should a portable jump starter have?
Does total storage capacity matter in portable jump starters?
What about battery chemistry of portable jump starters?
What other portable jump starter features do I need to look for?
More for car enthusiasts
- How to Choose the Best Dash Cam
- Best Mechanics' Tool Sets for 2025
- Best Bug and Tar Remover for Cars
- Best Electric SUVs for 2025
- How to Clean a Car Interior Like a Professional Detailer
- Best Sim Racing Cockpit for 2025
- I Built A Campervan. Here's 5 Things I'd Do Differently and 5 Things I'd Do Again.
- How to Use Tesla Superchargers With Any Non-Tesla EV
- Best Wireless Car Chargers for 2025