Best Portable Jump Starters

One very important item each car enthusiast should own is a jump starter. Not to be confused with old-school cables, a jump starter is a device that has a small but capable battery, some electronics, and one set of cables to connect to the vehicle in need of a jump start. These are affordable, easy to use, and, most importantly, they are a lot safer for the vehicle and don't require risking the electronics of a donor car.

Car Talk's Key Takeaway

• A jump starter is a smart tool to own.
• The budget for a jump starter is around $100 for mainstream vehicles.
• Jump starters are much safer to use than jumper cables.
• Every expert who took part in this story’s creation owns a NOCO jump starter.

Car Talk's Recommended Portable Jump Starters

The following are recommendations based on interviews with ASE-certified mechanics:

• Best Charger, Most Widely Used By Experts: NOCO »
• Best Combination Charger/Air Compressor: JF.EGWO »
• Best Lead Acid Charger For In-Vehicle Storage: Clore »

These trusted brands offer individual models in sizes the shopper can choose, so we have resisted listing specific model numbers.

Car Talk's Top Recommendations

#1 NOCO: Best Overall According to Experts

About NOCO Portable Jump Starters

Among our panel of experts, the NOCO brand was most popular, and one that they all rely on. The NOCO Boost series is available with a variety of battery sizes, but the smallest Boost Plus 40 will handle all typical cars. With a long battery life between uses, and many features, this is the de facto standard in the product class.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Amperage 1,000
• Weight 8 ounces
• Nominal 12 Volts
• Price range: $79-$350

#2 JF.EGWO 3000 Amp: Best Starter and Pump Combo

About JF.EGWO Portable Jump Starters

Why not combine the air pump and jump starter into a single unit? That’s exactly what you get with the JF.EGWO offering. It has a great price point, saves space, and our expert from AAA has had good luck with this unit.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• 12 Volts
• 3,000 Amperes
• Max pressure 150 PSI
• Price range: $79-$169

#3 Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660: Best for In-Vehicle Storage

About Clore Automotive Portable Jump Starters

Lithium batteries make us nervous, particularly large high capacity ones like those in jump starters. So this is a good solution to that issue. The Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 uses a lead-acid battery, so storing it in your vehicle is less worrisome.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• 1,700 peak amps
• 425 cranking amps
• 18 pounds
• 24” cable
• Price range: $134-$225

What is a jump starter, and what does it do?

A jump starter is a battery that you can connect to a car in need of a jump to start. They are designed to be compact, hold a charge of their own for a long time, and to be easy to use in a pinch. These devices also have handy features like a built-in flashlight, LEDs to indicate their state of charge, and most also feature DC power sockets so you can do things like charge up your phone. All of them also have safety features such as an on/off button, some protection against accidentally reversing polarity, anti-spark protection, and similar.

Using a jump starter is not complicated. You prepare for the use by having it charged. This is as easy as plugging it into a wall outlet. The on-board battery holds the charge ready for a future emergency. When it comes time to put it to use, they all have simple instructions to help you connect the correct cable to the correct battery terminal and grounding location.

Why not just use jumper cables?

Think of jump start units as the “donor car” in old-school jump-starting. Instead of possibly frying all the electronics in the donor car, you use this $100 device instead. The included electronics offer a lot more protection against mishaps than simply connecting those gnarly old cables from the trunk of your dad’s 1965 Plymouth Belvedere. Now, if you really must use jumper cables, here’s Car Talk’s guide to using them.

What to consider when buying a vehicle jump starter

If you are a vehicle owner who just wants to be able to jump-start vehicles when they have an occasional problem, don't overthink this purchase. You can pay a lot for a professional-grade jump start kit that will have some diagnostic tools and perhaps the ability to jump more than one car in a day, but how does that help you? If you want a professional jump starter that has literally every possible feature that can work all day, skip this purchase and simply rely on your roadside assistance subscription. The folks who do this for a living will come to you, and they will bring the king of all jump starters with them.

Consider where you will store the item. It turns out that keeping it in the trunk of your daily driver is not ideal. Many of these devices mainly use lithium-ion batteries. Powerful ones. You don’t want those in your vehicle or your home. Store them in your detached garage or a shed. These batteries are powerful enough to burn a home down if they have a failure. The heat and cold cycle of a trunk is not a wise place to store such a device, even if it seems logical. If you do need to store the unit in your vehicle, consider one like Clore’s Jump N Carry which uses a lead-acid battery. It comes with some downsides, mainly weight, but it’s safer to keep in your trunk than a lithium-ion battery-equipped charger.

Buy the smallest, lightest, and best-reviewed jumpstarter you can. The jump-starter companies make selection easy. Here’s a sample from NOCO: “Designed for gas engines up to 7 liters and diesel engines up to 4.5 liters for small diesel cars, SUVs, boats, trucks, ATVs, motorcycles and more.”

Don’t get bogged down pouring over cold starting amps and such. Just buy one that is rated to jump-start cars and light trucks and has a flashlight. If you plan to jump-start big commercial vehicles or allow yourself to operate as a roadside assistance tech full-time, buy one appropriate for that, but that is not our focus in this story.

What costs are associated with jump starters?

The budget for a high-quality jump starter for mainstream gas vehicles is about $100. If you plan to jump-start larger pickups, perhaps budget $200, but spending more than that is not necessary. A jump starter can last a decade or longer if kept in your shed or garage.

Combination chargers and air pumps

Jump starters and portable air pumps are very handy. Why not own a single device that offers both? Combo units are available. JF.EGWO is a highly-rated brand for combo units.

Car Talk expert ASE mechanics weigh in on the best portable jump starters

Straight from our experts:

Jr. Damato, Owner of Junior’s Automotive Sales and Service and ASE-Certified mechanic

• I’ve owned a NOCO Boost Pro GB 150 for a long time. I use it at home, but it would do just as well at our shop. It’s more powerful than most vehicle owners would need.
• In our shop, we use a blue Jump Pac 660 (marketed under numerous names, most often as the Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700). The big difference with this unit is it uses a lead-acid battery that is better in the cold and can be carried in your vehicle.

John Paul, AAA’s Car Doctor

• I like the NOCO brand. I have a couple—I keep one in my car and one on my little boat. They tend to hold a charge better than some.
• I also have a JumpSmart with a combination flashlight and jump starter.

John Goreham, Car Talk Staff Writer

I’ve owned a few of these over the span of many decades, but the one that stuck was the NOCO GB40 1000A UltraSafe Car Battery Jump Starter. I’ve had the original since 2017 and have used it many times to jump my own vehicle and those of family and friends. I purchased a second one for my cabin and went with the same unit. I find these hold about 80% of their charge for up to a year, even when left out in a cold shed all winter.

Is a jump starter a good DIY item to have?

If you are the person your friends and family call when they need help, this is an indispensable item to own. If you own a cabin away from quick roadside assistance, you should have a jump starter there. Without any doubt, anyone with a driver’s license should be capable of reading the instructions to make a device like this work properly. Here’s a tip: Some vehicles have the battery in an odd place, like under the back seat or in the trunk. Most vehicles of this type also have an easier-to-access jump-starting location. The vehicle’s manual will tell you how to use it. Even electric vehicles have 12-volt batteries, so these are still very popular tools to own.

Conclusion

NOCO is the top brand for jump starters, owned by all three of our experts. If you need to store a jump starter in your trunk, consider a Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700 with its lead-acid battery. Combination units, including portable air pumps, are available.

Author Note: Like all automotive publications, Car Talk sometimes tests sample products provided by manufacturers. We then honestly report our findings. In this story, none of the products mentioned were such samples. The experts all purchased the products listed using their own funds well in advance of the story’s creation.