Any time you hit the road, whether you’re taking a short or long trip, it’s a good idea to have backups handy. A spare or backup tire, some anti-freeze, windshield wash fluid, a road hazard kit, and, last but not least, one of the best portable tire inflators and a portable jump starter. You never know when cold weather, inadvertently leaving the dome light on, or plain old Father Time can curse you with a dead battery. Ensure you have one of the best portable jump starters that can save you in a jam, kickstarting your car even when there isn’t anyone around to jump the battery. Naturally, that’s why we’ve rounded up what we feel are the best portable jump starters for 2024.
The best portable jump starters in 2024
- Buy the Noco Boost HD GB70 if you want the best portable jump starter overall.
- Buy the Clore Jump-N-Carry JNC660 if you want the best portable jump starter runner-up.
- Buy the DeWalt digital portable power station if you want the best portable jump starter and tire inflator combo.
- Buy the Craftsman CMXCESM262 Lithium jump starter if you want another name-brand option.
- Buy the Yaber jump starter if you want the best portable jump starter for cheap.
Noco Boost HD GB70
Best portable jump starter overall
| Pros | Cons |
| Safe and easy to use | Somewhat expensive |
| Up to 40 jumps per charge | |
| Can charge almost anything |
The Noco Boost HD GB70 is the best portable jump starter because it’s the most versatile. It’s incredibly capable while jump-starting a car, providing a peak output of 2,000 amps. It also stores a ton of power and can handle up to 40 jump starts on a single charge. It’s rated for gasoline engines up to 8.0 liters and diesel engines up to 6.0 liters. The Noco Boos HD GB70 can also charge smaller devices like smartphones and tablets, and it has a flashlight built-in. So, it’s great for nearly all roadside emergencies, including if you need a quick phone charge while on the go.
| Specifications |
| Peak output | 2,000 amps |
| Weight | 5 pounds |
Clore Jump-N-Carry JNC660
Best portable jump starter runner-up
| Pros | Cons |
| Built-in automatic charger | Bulky |
| Multiple jumps per charge | |
| 46-inch heavy-duty cables |
The Clore Jump-N-Carry may not be the best portable jump starter, but it deserves the runner-up spot. The only thing holding it back is that there are many smaller options on the market — at 18 pounds, it’s pretty bulky and pushes the boundaries of what we’d consider to be “portable.” Even so, this portable jump starter has many features that might make it many people’s top choice. It has 46-inch heavy-duty cables, a voltmeter that provides the charge status of the onboard battery, and a DC outlet that allows you to plug in 12-volt accessories for charging. There are also a lot of bundle options, so you can choose extras you might need, like a rechargeable work light, battery system tester, cover, and more.
| Specifications |
| Peak output | 1,700 amps |
| Weight | 18 pounds |
DeWalt digital portable power station
Best portable jump starter and tire inflator combo
| Pros | Cons |
| Name brand quality | Bulky |
| Multiple jumps per charge | |
| Built-in tire inflator |
DeWalt is one of the premier names in power tools, and the brand recognition may draw many to this portable jump starter. It clocks in with a peak output of 1,400 amps and 700 instant starting amps. This is an excellent portable charger to keep around the garage or the construction site, but it’s made all the better for keeping close to your vehicle because it isn’t just a jump starter. The DeWalt digital portable power station is also a tire inflator, as it has a 120 PSI digital compressor as part of the package. And, as the “power station” in the name suggests, it also has a built-in USB port for charging electronic devices.
| Specifications |
| Peak output | 1,400 amps |
| Weight | 17.5 pounds |
Craftsman CMXCESM262 Lithium jump starter
Another name-brand portable jump starter
| Pros | Cons |
| Name brand quality | A tire compressor would be nice |
| Up to 50 jumps per charge | |
| Built-in tire inflator |
Craftsman is a household name in the tool world, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see it on our list. The CMXCESM262 is a remarkably portable yet powerful starter offering USB power to mobile devices. Even with its 4.59-pound size, it can offer up to 50 jumps per charge. It works with 10.0L gas and 8.0L diesel engines and is effective even in frigid temperatures. That’s a plus because if you live somewhere where the climate is freezing, you know how frequently dead batteries happen. Additional features include a built-in LED area light, smart battery clamps, a 24-inch 8-gauge booster cable, a battery status indicator, and cable storage built right into the case.
| Specifications |
| Peak output | 2,500 amps |
| Weight | 4.59 pounds |
Yaber jump starter
Best budget-friendly portable jump starter
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly-affordable | Cheaply-made cables |
| Up to 15 jumps per charge | |
| Three LED light modes. |
The Yaber jump starter is the best cheap portable jump starter option available because it doesn’t sacrifice much to give you a very reasonable price. Its peak output is 1,500 amps, comparable to what you’ll find among our other selections for the best portable jump starters. But it also comes in a super portable frame and can still start gasoline engines up to 7.0 liters and diesel engines up to 5.5 liters. It also has a built-in light with several different modes and some other extras, like the option to use it as a portable power bank to charge your phones, tablets, cameras, or other devices via USB.
| Specifications |
| Peak output | 1,500 amps |
| Weight | 11.5 ounces |
How we chose these best portable jump starters
We’ve had our fair share of dead batteries and have had to use some portable jump starters because of it. Those experiences went into our considerations for the best portable jump starters and offered valuable insider knowledge when picking out devices with top traits — traits that you can put to good use when choosing a portable jump starter for your road trip backup kit. Here’s what we looked at, specifically, when selecting the top mentions for our list:
Quality
Quality is the number one factor we consider when choosing the best portable jump starters. You’re already in a jam if you have to put a jump starter to use. There’s no worse time for a jump starter to fail than when you’re already staring at a dead battery. Our choices for the best portable jump starters factored in trust in the brand name and many high-quality user reviews to instill even more confidence. In other words, these portable jump starters are what you want in a roadside bind.
Portability
Yeah, yeah, the word “portable” is in the name, but a mobile jump starter isn’t going to do anyone much good if it’s too large to keep in your vehicle or too cumbersome to retrieve when you need it. All the products we chose for the best portable jump starters list needed a relatively lightweight design to make it easier to move from one place to another and manageable when connecting it to your vehicle’s battery. More importantly, we made sure they’re accessible to everyone at any age because you shouldn’t have to hire a bodyguard to drive with you everywhere to handle emergencies and roadside events — you should always be self-sustainable.
Power
Every portable jump starter on the market can handle a few jumps here and there, but the best portable jump starters need to provide more than that. When making our selections, we prioritized portable jump starters that showed consistency with their output and longevity regarding how many jump starts they could handle before recharging. Also, with nearly everyone having chargeable devices at all times, portable jump starters offering charging ports for those devices were awarded bonus points.
Outputs
Most portable jump starters double as power packs or portable chargers for additional devices, sometimes even major electronics. It depends on their available outputs or ports, like extra DC outlets or USB ports. We tried to choose a healthy selection of jump starters that can be used for other electrical means — like charging your phone on the go.
Extras
Beyond their standard use, many portable jump starters have extra features and functionality, such as a built-in LED flashlight or worklight. Some have cable management support to help you stow and organize your jumper cables. Others might include a built-in air compressor to inflate your tires in an emergency. Whatever the case, almost every portable jump starter on our list has a secondary or extra purpose, making them highly valuable on a road trip.
Does the brand matter?
Yes and no. It’s less about the brand name and more about the quality of the jump starter and the cables you use. Going too cheap could mean damaging your vehicle’s battery. We recommend avoiding any devices or brands with a limited selection of reviews. If no one’s ever heard of them, sure, they could be great value, but it’s probably not a chance you want to take, especially when dealing with something like an emergency jump starter.
Do you have to keep the jump starters charged?
Yes. When they’re not in use, from time to time, you want to take them into your home or plug them in somewhere, like an outlet in your garage. That will ensure the battery is always charged, and you’re not dealing with a dead jump starter alongside your dead or failing car battery. They tend to hold their charge for quite some time, but it’s still a good idea to plug them in and maintain that full charge whenever possible.
Can’t I just use any portable power pack to jump-start my car?
No. Absolutely not. Never mind that it’s dangerous, and most power packs don’t have the necessary voltage or electricity protections in place. They probably don’t even put out enough power to charge or kickstart a dead battery. Only use portable jump starters or power stations that explicitly include such a feature.
This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.
