Best Compact Jump Starter with Air Compressor
Get the WOLFBOX MegaVolt16 Air if your engine is a gas 8 L or smaller or a diesel 6 L or smaller. If your engine is larger, buy a separate jump pack and inflator.
Your owner's manual lists your engine size, so check it first. Ratings are each maker's own, and brands don't share one scale: Lectron's manufacturer guideline, as quoted by Consumer Reports (CR), puts engines over 3.0 L at 2,000 to 3,000 peak amps, while other makers such as NOCO rate engine size on a different basis. If you're within a liter of a rating, take the bigger pack.
Where the pack lives matters as much as which one you buy. In a hot climate, keep it indoors: the Seattle Fire Department says not to keep lithium-ion batteries in hot vehicles. In a hard freeze, none of the packs CR tested could start a weak or dead battery with the car and pack both at 0°F, and a lithium pack charges only at or above 0°C, so warm it before you recharge it. Wherever it rides, recharge it about every three months, and monthly in extreme cold.
- Your owner's manual lists a gas engine up to 8 L or a diesel up to 6 L, and you want the compact pick, a 5.3 lb pack rated 3,000 A with a 160 PSI compressor that passed a three-start rapid test: the WOLFBOX MegaVolt16 Air.
- Your engine is in that same range, the pack will ride in the trunk instead of the glovebox, and you want strong clamps and a long air hose on a 2,000 A pack: the NOCO Boost Air.
- Your engine is a gas over 8 L or a diesel over 6 L, and you want GearLab's top pick for big engines at 4,250 A, paired with a separate inflator: the NOCO Boost X.
- That big-engine vehicle also runs tires up to 37 inches and needs air as well as a jump, and you want the inflator to pair with the NOCO Boost X: the Viair portable compressor.
Skip the Stanley jump starter: it's the lowest-rated of the 13 packs GearLab ranked and delivered less current under load than its rivals. Skip the 1,600 A sealed lead-acid jump starter with compressor too. It weighs 17.5 lb and must be recharged after every use, which rules it out of a glovebox.
Whichever you buy, follow the pack maker's and your car maker's jump-start instructions. Set the inflator to the cold pressure on the label at your driver's door, not the pack's maximum. If you only need air and no jump, the best portable air compressor page is the one to read.
Questions
Which engine sizes suit the WOLFBOX MegaVolt16 Air jump starter?
The WOLFBOX MegaVolt16 Air suits a gas engine up to 8 L or a diesel engine up to 6 L. Your owner's manual lists your engine size, so check it first. If your engine is larger, buy a separate jump pack and inflator instead. Ratings come from each maker and brands don't share one scale, so if you're within a liter of a rating, take the bigger pack.
Where should I store a jump starter in hot or freezing weather?
In a hot climate, keep the jump starter indoors rather than in the vehicle. The Seattle Fire Department says not to keep lithium-ion batteries in hot vehicles. In a hard freeze, none of the packs Consumer Reports tested could start a weak or dead battery with the car and pack both at 0°F. A lithium pack also charges only at or above 0°C, so warm it before recharging.
How often should I recharge a jump starter?
Recharge your jump starter about every three months, and monthly in extreme cold. That applies wherever the pack rides in the vehicle. One exception is the 1,600 A sealed lead-acid jump starter with compressor, which must be recharged after every use. It also weighs 17.5 lb, so the page rules it out of a glovebox. Warm a lithium pack before recharging it in freezing weather.
Which jump starters should I skip?
Skip the Stanley jump starter and the 1,600 A sealed lead-acid jump starter with compressor. The Stanley is the lowest-rated of the 13 packs GearLab ranked and delivered less current under load than its rivals. The sealed lead-acid unit weighs 17.5 lb and must be recharged after every use, which rules it out of a glovebox.