Affordable USB car chargers

HELP YOUR DEVICES REACH THEIR DESTINATION WITH THESE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL IN-CAR CHARGERS.

NOTHING IS WORSE than hitting the road, only to realise your phone as a GPS won’t make it to your destination before running out of juice. Car chargers are a great way to keep your devices topped up when on the go, but are easy to lose and break. There are plenty of wizz-bang models for $50 and up with all sorts of features, but what about just the el-cheapo chargers? It’s possible to buy them for as little as $1 (including delivery!) from eBay — which is ridiculously cheap. But then, when you’re plugging in an expensive device such as a smartphone, it makes no sense to risk a dodgy charger, even if the chances of damage are very low. Here in Australia, reasonable-quality single-port chargers from known larger brands start from about $15 at most retailers. Better models with more USB ports, higher charging current and can be found for under $30, so we’ve put 10 of the most affordable to the test.

Rock USB Car Charger FOR ALL YOUR DEVICES.

AIMED AT TECH lovers, the Rock charger has three USB ports, and a total output of 6.3A. That’s shared across the ports in a specific way — you can draw up to 2.4A from two ports, and the remaining port will get 1.5A.

In testing, the charger was happy to perform under load, and the third port actually gave a little extra, at 1.7A. It doesn’t matter which ports you plug into, but plug whatever device you are happy to charge slowest in last.

The charger itself is quite well built, with a combination of aluminium and plastic. The three ports squeezed into a wider than usual but still compact array 3.8cm across — small enough for most sockets. The charger will run on 12V or 24V, and has an indicator to show its getting power.

No cable is included, but that’s expected at this price point. The Rock charger can be a little hard to buy, but can be found for under $25 online — don’t forget to check eBay.

Belkin MIXIT Metallic Car Charger FOR WHEN QUALITY MATTERS.

WHILE BELKIN HAS some cheaper car chargers (such as the similar $25 BOOST UP), the MIXIT really stands out. The $30 charger is clad in a metallic finish body, and available in a range of classy colours — black and white, as well as silver, grey, gold and rose gold. In the MIXIT range, you can also get battery banks, wall chargers and cables in the same colours for a coordinated look.

The unit has a single USB port that can output up to 2.4A, for faster charging of smartphones and tablets. In testing, it happily outputted the rated current and has a very slim form factor. The charger does not include a USB cable, but Belkin has a great (if on the pricier side) range available. While there are cheaper charges that are more capable, Belkin has something the others don’t — a connected equipment warranty. In other words, peace of mind that the charger won’t damage your device, or it does, Belkin will cover up to $2,500 to make it right.

Comsol 2 Port Car Charger AVAILABLE IN BLACK OR WHITE.

THOSE PURSUING USB car chargers at Officeworks will notice a very large range of Comsol-branded devices. Sitting around the middle is the $26.88 Comsol 2 Port charger, which has a total power rating of 3.4A (17W), but max 2.4A per port.

During testing, the charger happily outputted 2.4A, or the full 3.4A across both ports. The Comsol unit is made from tough plastic, with a flared end that makes removal easy. It’s still compact enough to fit in accessory ports without much extra room, and measures in at 7.2cm deep, 2.8cm wide and 2.9cm high. The charger includes an indicator light, can accept 12–24V inputs, and as is usual, does not include a cable.

For $7 less there is a single port 2.4A version, while paying $3 more ($29.88) gets a charger with the same power rating, but with a Type-C port instead of one normal USB port. The same price also gets a 4.8A (24W) rated model with a single USB port, and a built-in Micro USB cable.

Comsol 3 Port USB Car Charger AVAILABLE IN BLACK, OR BLACK.

TWO-PORT USB CAR chargers might cut it for some, but we tech-obsessed people can always do with more. The Comsol 3 Port charger is available from Officeworks and will set you back $29.88. While chunkier than lesser chargers, the three-port model is still pretty slim and should work fine in all but the most cramped accessory sockets.

The charger offers a total of 4.8A (24W) output, but that is spread across the three ports, with a max of 2.4A on each. It happily outputs the rated wattage, though, and handily can be plugged into both 12V and 24V accessory sockets. It’s made of plastic, but feels quite solid, and has a LED indicator so you know it is plugged in properly.

Like most affordable car chargers, it does not include any USB cables. The charger measures in at 7.1cm deep, 2.5cm wide and 3.3cm vertically, and is backed by a one-year warranty. Even better, for just $5 more, you can upgrade to a Quick Charge 3.0 rated version.

Jaycar 3A Quick Charge FOR JUICING UP IN A HURRY.

THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH to have a device with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge tech inside will know how much of a lifesaver it can be. In the right circumstances, it can charge your phone up to four times faster, which is very useful when almost flat. The Jaycar charger supports Quick Charge 3.0 at a very affordable $19.95 price point — though you need your own cable. It only has a single USB port, rated for up to 3A, and has a LED indicator to show its getting power. Non-quick charge devices will still charge at up to the usual 2.4A.

In testing, the charger happily outputted the rated current, as well as quick charging our test phone. The unit is quite compact, and a little plasticy compared to some of the competition, but easy to grip and remove. It can accept both 12V and 24V inputs, and output up to 12V to compatible devices. The unit measures in at 5.1cm long and 2.8cm diameter at the widest point, and is backed by a one-year warranty.

Comsol Single Port USB Car Charger BASIC BUT AFFORDABLE.

WHILE WIZZ-BANG CHARGERS are great, sometimes you just want a cheap model to throw in the glove box. The Comsol charger is available exclusively through Officeworks, and is the lowest price of units tested at $14.88. Sure, there are even cheaper unbranded chargers on eBay, but at least with Comsol, you know it won’t blow itself up or damage your device.

The little charger is rated for 2.1A from the single port, so while quicker than 1A chargers, is not going to handle your tablet quite as fast. In testing, it happily outputted the rated 2.1A. It’s available in four colours — black, white, purple and a kind of light blue called ‘Limpet Shell’. Uh-huh... The charger is very compact and reasonably robust feeling, with some extra texture and angle on the sides to help make removing it easier. It also has a power LED, so you know it’s plugged in properly and the socket itself is working. As is typical at this price, no cable is included. There is also a 2.4A model available.

Cygnett GroovePower Smart BUILT IN USB CONNECTIVITY.

MOST USB CAR charges don’t come with a USB cable — the idea is you can buy it separately or use an existing one. But that costs extra, makes it easy to lose, and can sometimes loosen up enough that it stops charging. Instead, the Cygnett comes with a built-in cable, but no secondary USB port.

It does come in three different models — Micro USB for $20, Lightning for $15, and just $10 for an old-school 30-pin connector. For iPhone users, that’s a decent deal, but less appealing for those using Micro USB, or USB-C. The charger itself is very compact, but the 90° angle cord rules out use in some accessory ports. The charger is also only 1A (5W), so can keep a phone topped up or charge small devices, but will struggle with a tablet. The charger can handle both a 12V and 24V input and has an LED power indicator. It’s backed by a nice two-year warranty, and measures in at 3.3 x 2.1 x 4.9cm (excluding cable).

Cygnett PowerMini DUAL USB CHARGING.

IN A WORLD of two-port USB chargers, the Cygnett PowerMini needs to stand out to justify the $30 price tag. The 2.4A (12W) charging current is standard, and it happily supplied it during testing — either all from one port, or shared across both. The charger doesn’t come with a USB cable, though is available in black or white.

One point of differentiation here, though: the PowerMini is backed by a two-year warranty. While it can be picked up from retailers such as JB Hi-Fi, it’s also available from the Cygnett website for the same price, but including free shipping. The unit itself is robust plastic, and the blue USB ports inside look nice. It’s not the most compact charger we tested, but the slightly flared end is easy to pull out and won’t obstruct anything in most accessory sockets.

All in all, it’s a solid enough charger, but faces some stiff competition at the same, or slightly cheaper, price point. For around $40, there is also a PowerMini 4.8A version for fast charging two devices at once.

mbeat QuickBoost S A SMART USB CAR CHARGER.

QUALCOMM’S QUICK CHARGE technology is a great addition to many smartphone and is especially useful when your device is near dead — 10 minutes of charging can restore 30% or more capacity. The mbeat charger is Quick Charge 2.0 spec, which means the max charge rate is up to 75% than a normal charger, but not as good as 3.0 spec.

The charger itself sports two ports — the top green one being Quick Charge enabled. It can output the usual 2.4A at 5V from either port, or ramp up to 2A at 9V or 1.5A at 12V. In testing, the charger happily outputted 2.4A for normal charging, as well as quick charged our test phone.

The unit is fairly compact, measuring 29.5mm diameter across the top, and will fit just about any accessory socket. It does include a handy power indicator light, but as is typical, no USB cable. Shop around to buy the mbeat for under $30, or grab it direct from the mbeat website.

Samsung Fast Charging Car Adapter A TRUSTED NAME, BUT DOESN’T SHINE.

WHILE MANY MANUFACTURERS sell their own branded accessories, not many are particularly affordable, or widely available. The Samsung Fast Charging Car Adapter, on the other hand, can be bought from retailers such as JB Hi-Fi or Samsung themselves for $29.

Despite the ‘fast charge’ name, the Samsung unit outputs the normal 5V, at a slightly belowaverage 2A. That’s fine considering it only has one port, as it will happily charge a phone. In testing, it outputted a touch over 2A as well, peaking at 2.14A. Handily, the Samsung charger includes a 1.5m Micro USB cable in the package, so it’s ready to go. It can accept a 12V and 24V input, for those who want a charger to use in a truck. The actual build quality is quite good, and while it’s not as compact as some other single port chargers, the flared shape makes it easy to plug and unplug. The Samsung charger might not have the highest output current, but for those who want a trusted brand, it’s not a bad deal.