Get a jump on these battery starters
There’s nothing worse than getting stuck with a dead car battery, especially if you’re busy and on a schedule. You can’t always rely on someone nearby having jumper cables, either.
And you definitely don’t want to spend the money to get a professional if you can help it. That’s why being self-reliant and getting your own portable jump starter is key. As soon as your car battery dies, you can get it up and running almost as quickly with a jump starter.
These portable batteries do what they were originally intended to do: Boost a dead battery to make a vehicle start. All battery boosters come with jumper clamps that attach to the auto battery terminals, and nearly all include reverse polarity protection.
Some come with easily installed, semipermanent attachments that let you quickly connect them to your vehicle’s starting electrics without the booster clamps.
Most of these battery jump starters have some sort of flash or area light and at least one USB port to charge electronics like phones and tablets. Check out these three picks for CNET’s top jump starters.
BEST PORTABLE JUMP STARTER BATTERY WITH A BIT MORE KICK: ANTIGRAVITY BATTERIES XP-10 HD MICRO-START
This is the latest generation of Antigravity’s top-rated XP-10 car jump starter.
It has all the same features as past iterations, 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 juice. It also comes with all-copper, heavy-duty commercial grade battery jumper cable clamps.
BEST POWER BANK BATTERY FOR A CAMPING TRIP: SCHUMACHER PROSERIES 2250 JUMP STARTER
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.
DEWALT DIGITAL PORTABLE POWER STATION DXAEJ14
The DeWalt DXAEJ14 makes our best portable jump starter list with high ratings on Home Depot’s website. 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 portable jump starters on the market.