Aukey CC-Y48 Dual Car Charger (48W)
The best universal USB car charger
Anker PowerDrive Speed Plus (49 W)
Amazon choice
Aukey CC-A3 Dual Port Car Charger (30W)
Smallest USB car charger tested
Monoprice Car Charger 2 USB Ports (39 W)
Choosing a Budget Car Charger (Update: Not Available)
While most phones come with great batteries nowadays, it’s a good idea to have a backup charger with you wherever you go. Especially in the car – between hopping, flipping Spotifyphone calls and more, it’s easy to drain your phone’s battery. That’s why it’s important to invest in a car charger that can keep your phone running all day long.
Fortunately, car charger technology has improved just as much as home charger technology. You now get some higher wattage options, at least for the category, that can either keep the charge on your phone or quickly charge another device. And here’s the key: You definitely want to invest in a two-port charger that you can plug into your car’s 12-volt adapter (or your “cigarette lighter,” if you’re old-school). And having a device that can charge multiple devices simultaneously is a huge perk when you’re on the go.
There are a wide variety of options when it comes to multi-port car chargers. Historically, those were two or more USB-A ports, the broad rectangular connection we’ve had on just about everything for decades. Recently, there have been an increasing number of USB-C options. USB-C, the little rounded rectangle, is found in almost all (non-Apple) cell phones, tablets, laptops, and more. It’s the new standard in all but name. We decided to focus on chargers that have one of each, as this gives you the flexibility to charge newer USB-C devices, as well as an “old” USB-A port that can connect to any of your USB devices as long as you have the right cable. (You can always choose dongles or adapters to move from USB-C to USB-A or USB-A to USB-C also.)
In our testing, there wasn’t much difference in charging times between the models we tested, although some were faster than others.
The Aukey CC-Y48 48W Dual Charger was a few seconds behind the Satechi in charging speeds. However, it is much cheaper and not as tall. It also supports both QC and PD charging protocols, so it should quickly charge a variety of phones and other devices. It offers a lot of benefits by being partly slower in our tests, plus it’s one of the cheapest car chargers we’ve tested. An easy choice in all respects.
While all of the chargers we tested charged at a more or less similar speed, Satechi charged two devices at the same time as quickly…just a few seconds. But a few seconds is a few seconds. It has a fairly typical torpedo shape, but it’s longer than the others we tested. This could be a strength or a weakness, depending on your vehicle’s design. It’s on the pricey side of the chargers we tested, but it wasn’t the most expensive either.
Satechi doesn’t support the QC fast charging protocol, so if your phone only supports that, check out Aukey instead. Overall, this is a good charger if you don’t mind the height, and a great charger if that height fits your car better.
This Anker’s performance was in the middle of the pack in our testing, which in fairness means it’s only a few minutes behind the leaderboards. However, its price at the time was the highest of any we tested. It is also the largest, with the ejection end nearly twice as wide as the barrel. It’s by no means a bad charger, and if it were cheaper than the winners here, it would be a great alternative.
Unlike many of the other options we’ve tested, this one is still available on Amazon, too. this Similar Anker model A little affordable.
Aukey CC-A3 is very small. On most cars, it will probably stay flush with the top of the same 12v socket. To remove it, there is a small handle that pivots around when needed, and folds up with the top when not in use. It’s a smart design. It’s also the second slowest charger we’ve tested. This equates to about 10% longer to 50% of capacity. However, the smaller size likely makes up for this difference in speed.
CC-A3 supports QC and PD fast charging protocols.
Monoprice has built up a reputation for decent products at low prices, and this charger is a good example of that. In terms of speed, it was an average pack, a few minutes slower than the best, a few minutes faster than the worst. Still, at $13 at the time of this publication, it’s one of the cheapest options here, less than half the Satechi and between the price of the two Aukey models at the time of testing.
Monoprice only supports PD fast charging protocol.
Other products we have tested
Wotobeus PD 65W: Wotobeus provided a splash of color in the form of a removable silicone sleeve that covers the larger half of the charger. Despite having the highest wattage rating (83!), it actually charged slower in our tests. That, along with a similar price tag to some of the faster chargers, put it out of the blue.
How do we test car chargers
Jeff Morrison/CNET
We did industry and real-world testing for all the chargers we considered. using a MakerHawk Electronic Pregnancy TestAnd Uctronics Electronic USB Download Test and a JacobsParts USB C PD DC Voltage Trigger Test Module I tested the maximum possible amperage for each of the USB-defined voltage outputs that each device was capable of. I didn’t waste gas doing this, instead I used a file Knoter AC to DC Converter which has been rated at a much greater capacity than we have been dealing with here. While interesting, and a good test to get a sense of what’s going on “behind the scenes,” these numbers haven’t generated real numbers that are very useful to most people.
So I used Uctronics’ USB Load Tester to create a “mock load” of the maximum possible power output on the charger’s USB-A output, then timed how long it would take to charge a fast-charging USB-C device, in this case the Pixel 5. The battery is powered by the charging speed at the upper and lower ends of the maximum battery storage capacity, so I set the time to charge to 10% with the battery not less than 30% and not higher than 70%. Too careful? probably. I also put the phone in airplane mode and waited for the screen to go into standby mode before the timing.
The graph below shows this number, as well as the calculated “to 50%” time which estimates how long it will take to charge 50% of this device’s battery. Charging speeds between phones/tablets/etc. It can vary for a number of reasons. This means that your phone, with the same charger, may charge faster or slower than the numbers listed here. However, approximately the same amount should charge faster or slower than one of the faster or slower chargers.
shipping times
BrandModelTime at 10% with full load on USB-AA approx. Time to 50% Satechi 72W Type-C PD Car Charger Adapter 6 min 43 sec 33 min 35 sec Dual OKI 486 min 47 sec 33 min 55 sec 14 sec 36 min 10 sec Wotobeus PD 65W PPS7 min 25 sec 37 min 05 second
Frequently asked questions about the car charger
The large Anker PowerDrive Speed Plus charger on the left, the winning Aukey Dual (USB-C / USB-A) car charger on the right.
Jeff Morrison/CNET
How fast can car chargers really charge?
That’s a good question. Theoretically, the maximum output from a 12V “cigarette lighter” socket is 180W, since most of it runs through a 15A fuse (15Ax12V = 180W). In practice, it is much less. The last thing any manufacturer wants is for you to blow the fuses in your car trying to recharge three phones, a laptop, an iron or something. For the most part, the fastest car chargers will charge your phone in a similar, albeit somewhat slower, time frame as a decent charger at home.
Are Manufacturers’ Wattage Ratings Real?
no.
However, if you think the number is divided between the different USB outputs… well, no.
The wattage output ratings for each charger are a theoretical maximum based on what can be provided by the selected outputs. It is always all outputs combined into one number; You’ll never get close to that on a single USB connection.
With all that in mind, they should give you an idea, within a brand, which charger offers the highest possible output. One company’s 48W charger should charge devices faster than the same company’s 12W charger. But there’s no way to tell if one company’s 48W charger is faster or slower than another company’s 30W or 80W charger, as you can see in our tests.
Can my phone be fast charged on any charger?
maybe. There are many fast charging specifications and most phones don’t include them all. Most chargers don’t include them all either. Before buying any charger, even our picks, it’s helpful to know what kind of charging your phone can do and make sure the charger supports it. The protocols to consider are PD and QC. PD is very common, QC is found on many, but not all, phones/tablets that use Qualcomm chips.
Will an 80W charger blow my 18W phone?
Unless there is something really wrong with the charger and your phone. The beauty of USB is that the changing device draws only as much power from the charger as it needs.
What about dual USB-C chargers?
There are endless types of car charger outlet combinations. For any reasonable length guide like this, it’s necessary to narrow down. That’s why we’ve focused on chargers that have a USB-C port and a USB-A port, for the greatest flexibility. However, if you don’t need a USB-A port, most of the companies we mentioned above also make dual USB-C chargers that likely work similarly. Click on one of the options above that sounds good to you, and there’s likely to be a dual USB-C option listed as a recommendation elsewhere on that page.
How about 4x USB-C and larger?
A good charger with four USB-C ports will likely charge one device as quickly as our picks, maybe even two. However, there is a lot of energy that can go through one of these devices. Four USB-C devices all charging at the same time will not charge as quickly as one device on the same charger.
It’s also huge. Maybe I’m hypersensitive to this since I drive One of the smallest cars you can buy, and the last thing I want is a USB charger the size of my passenger seat taking up space. If you charge this many devices regularly, and have space to spare, they’re worth considering. Some of the companies we looked at also make great multi chargers, but not all.
Do I need special cables?
maybe. Apple products are very particular about their cables, so you may need an MFi-certified Type-C-to-Lightning cable to enable fast charging. Non-Apple devices should be fine with any suitable USB-C cable.
I’ve found a difference in charging times with the longer USB-C cables, so at best it’s a good idea to keep the cable length as short as possible.
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