These Editor-Approved Portable Jump Starters Are a Lifesaver on the Road in Any Season

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At some point in life, nearly every driver experiences the awkward and inconvenient situation of trying to start their car and failing due to an undercharged battery. If a vehicle is sitting for weeks or months, the battery may easily drain to a point where it won't turn the engine. While this can happen in any season, winter is especially tough on your car and extreme temperatures can cause the battery to fail to supply enough amps to the starter motor.

A portable jump starter is a lifesaver to get you where you need to go quickly and safely if there isn’t another driver around to give you a boost — or if you don't want to engage with a stranger while stranded. If the car battery is old won't hold a charge, a jump kickstarts the engine so you can drive to an auto store for a replacement. Ahead, we recommend the best portable jump starters and provide advice on what to look for while you shop.

The Best Portable Jump Starters

• Best Overall: Gooloo GP4000 Portable Jump Starter

• Best Value: Avapow A07 Portable Jump Starter

• Best Water-Resistant: Noco Boost Plus Portable Jump Starter

• Best Display: Hulkman Alpha 85 Portable Jump Starter

• Best Power Bank: AstroAI 8-In-1 Portable Jump Starter and Power Bank

What to Consider

Thankfully, portable jump starters are quite simple to compare to one another. These devices, sometimes called battery jump starters, are essentially heavy-duty backup batteries equipped with jumper cables, so take into account metrics like capacity, amperage, and interface ports.

Battery Capacity

Battery capacity is important because larger packs re-fire a greater number of vehicles and devices before they need to be recharged—bigger numbers equate to more capacity. Although some manufacturers measure battery capacity in terms of how many vehicles or devices it can charge, the standard unit of measure is milliampere hours (mAh). We recommend looking for jump starters that have at least 10,000 mAh of capacity, though you can get one that's nearly double that size, like our best overall pick.

Peak Amperage

Along with capacity, peak amperage is another important metric to look out for. This measures how much electricity the battery can supply in a given moment. More amperage generally leads to faster charge times and the ability to start bigger engines—as long as your vehicle can handle it. However, this is most relevant when starting your vehicle, as anything above 1,000 amps would fry your mobile device in an instant.

Additional Features

Outside of their main function, battery jump starters can also recharge phones, tablets, and other portable tech, so pay attention to interface ports. Most jump starters provide a number of USB ports, but the real kicker is to look for a 12-volt outlet. Along with faster charging, a 12-volt rail expands the range of devices that you’ll be able to power.

How We Selected

For the past five years, I’ve worked as an automotive journalist. In that time, I’ve tested a variety of vehicles and automotive products, including jump starters. Prior to becoming a journalist, I also worked in a garage, where our responsibilities often included testing batteries and jump starting dead ones. In my personal life, there have also been plenty of times that I’ve had to jump vehicles for myself or for others.

During the research phase, things like overall capacity, peak amperage, clarity of digital display, water resistance, and the number of ports factored into our decisions while making our selection, were just a few factors that helped inform our selection, along with price point.

GP4000 Portable Jump Starter

Along with its mighty impressive capacity and performance, the GP4000 takes our top spot for being one of the only portable jump starters with a 12-volt outlet and two fast-charging USB-C ports.

Its battery is a whopping 19,800 mAh and it offers 4,000 peak amps—enough to jump start a truck—plus there's an LED light with strobe and SOS features.

While this device is one of the more expensive picks our list, you can save about $100 on a lighter duty 2,000-amp option if you don’t need or want such a large pack.

A07 Portable Jump Starter

For under $100, this portable jump starter is capable and reliable, reaching 1,500 peak amps, and powerful enough to start any vehicle with up to a seven-liter engine. (There’s a 2,000-amp version for even larger gas and diesel engines.)

Reverse polarity protection is standard fare when it comes to jump starters, but Avapow has a weatherproof case and built in safeguards for reverse connection, overcurrent, overvoltage, overcharge, and short circuiting. It's also rugged to withstand drops and gets bonus points for a super-bright LED light.

Boost Plus Portable Jump Starter

Noco’s Boost Plus is one of two portable jump starters on this list with IP65 water resistance, thanks to the rubberized over-molded casing. Despite the extra protection, it’s also one of the lightest jump starters here at just 2.4 pounds.

Its 100-lumen flashlight has seven different modes, and while the specs of the Boost Plus aren’t eye-popping, they don’t have to be. It’s an affordable model that’s good in bad weather.

Alpha 85 Portable Jump Starter

The clear party piece of this portable jump starter is its 3.3-inch digital display. The backlit screen makes it easy to read and adds peace of mind for nighttime emergencies. Even with that sizable screen, all of the guts are protected by an IP65-rated water-resistant shroud.

Unlike many of the other models on the list, the Alpha 85 fully charges in a speedy 1.5 hours, and you can start your vehicle so long as the device is 20 percent charged.

8-In-1 Portable Jump Starter and Power Bank

This chunky portable jump starter is equally as useful in an emergency if you need to revive a dead battery while charging mobile devices.

To jump your car, connect the cables and push the Boost button, which gives you 30 seconds of 2,000-amp current. If the cables are reversed or misplaced, the light-up LCD warns you. You get two USB outputs, one of which has quick charging to get a phone powered up fast, as well as a 12-volt outlet dongle.

The power bank itself charges via a single USB-C and can hold most of its battery life for up to a year between plug-ins. A bright LED flashlight comes with constant and flashing modes, along with a red bulb (which is on the dimmer side). On the back is a tiny compass. AstroAI also provides a two-year warranty.

Jump-N-Carry

Although they are larger and a bit lower tech than newer options, professional mechanics have depended on the Jump-N-Carry line of jumpstarters for decades. Thanks to its pro-grade, the jump box features extra-long 68-inch cables that wrap around the casing for easy storage. The built-in voltmeter is another highlight, as it allows you to conveniently review the car battery’s state of charge before and after jumping.

You also get an internal battery with a high capacity of 22,000 milliamp hours. Unlike most other jump starters, this battery is designed to be user-replaceable. Additional features include an LED worklight, a 12V charging outlet, and two USB-A ports.

Bolt Compact Jump Starter

This simplistic Halo jump starter is extra compact comes at an unbeatable price. While its size means a relatively low peak amperage of 500, it should be enough to start mid-size and smaller vehicles.

Additional features include a small LED light on the front of the device and two USB-A charging ports. USB charging output caps out at 2.4 amps, so you won’t see any quick charging speeds.

MF139 Portable Jump Starter and Air Compressor

This portable jump starter has a unique feature; a built-in air compressor to inflate tires. This makes the device doubly useful in the winter, since air (including that in your tires) is denser when it’s cold, potentially lowering the psi. This function also contributes to the MF139 being the largest jump box here, since it has to contain a pump motor in addition to the battery.

The front LCD displays both jump-starting and tire-inflating info. Use the simple buttons to set your desired pressure, and it automatically inflates the tire up to that point in about a minute. Other charging options are limited, with just a single USB-A port. One LED flashlight is also included along the top.

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