Top 6 compared
The best car chargers
Arrive with more phone battery than you set off with, even with maps and music running all the way.
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The top 6 at a glance
A car charger plugs into the 12V socket, which started out in the 1920s as the home of an electric cigar lighter, and turns it into USB ports for a phone running maps and music. Most have two ports, one USB-C and one USB-A, and the small ones sit almost flush, so they can stay in the socket between trips. Some keep their own cable inside, pulling out and tucking back in.
The big number on the box is usually the most one port can give, or every port added up. With two devices plugged in, many share the power out and some drop to 12W a port; the table shows each port alone and with two in use. Most come without a lead, so a phone needs its own cable in the car.
What matters
- USB-C with PD for fast charging, plus PPS for Samsung’s quickest speeds.
- A 45W-plus USB-C port for a tablet or laptop.
- A USB-A port as well, for older cables and passengers.
- A firm grip in the socket, so it stays put over bumps.
#1Anker Nano Car Charger (75W, retractable USB-C cable)
£24.99 RRP
The charging lead lives inside it: pull out up to 75cm of USB-C cable and a short tug sends it back in, so there’s nothing to lose under the seat. The cable gives up to 45W, and a 30W USB-C port beside it takes a second device at the same time.
What owners say: Owners like how tidy the retractable cable keeps the car, and say it fast-charges Samsung phones while sitting flush in the socket.
A closer look: The cable slides out from the front and goes back in with a short pull and release, so it stays out of the footwell between trips. It can’t be swapped if it wears, so pull it out straight rather than at an angle, and use the separate USB-C port for anything that needs a longer lead, such as a tablet in the back.
- 24-month warranty
Best for: Keeping cables tidy
- Ports
- Built-in cable + 1 USB-C
- Fastest port
- 45W (cable)
- Two at once
- 45W + 30W
- Fast charging
- USB-C PD
- Cable
- Built in, 75cm, retracts
#2Anker Car Charger (30W, 2 ports)
Under £10
A thumb-sized plug with a USB-C port and a USB-A port, so one charger covers a new phone and an older cable. On its own the USB-C port gives the full 30W, enough to fast-charge a recent iPhone or Pixel on the drive to work, and it sits almost flush in the socket.
What owners say: Owners find it reliable and quick, say it holds firmly in the socket, and like having a port for each kind of cable when there are passengers.
Heads up: With two devices plugged in it shares the power out at 12W each, so on a shared drive plug in the phone that’s lowest first and add the second once it has caught up.
A closer look: No cable comes with it, so pair it with a short USB-C lead that won’t trail across the console, and keep an old USB-A lead in the glovebox for a passenger. It is small enough to leave in the socket between trips, and a plug this short is easy to forget in a hire car, so make it part of the handing-back check.
- Thumb-sized, sits almost flush
- Weighs 14.7g
- Fast-charges recent iPhones, Pixels
- 18-month warranty
Best for: Old and new phones, one plug
- Ports
- 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A
- Fastest port
- 30W (USB-C)
- Two at once
- 12W + 12W
- Fast charging
- PPS (USB-C), PowerIQ 3.0
- Cable
- None
#3LISEN 54W Mini Car Charger with USB-C Cable
Under £10
A small all-aluminium charger that arrives with a 1m braided USB-C cable, so a USB-C phone is sorted straight away. Its USB-C port gives up to 36W, a little more than the 30W ports on the Belkin and INIU here.
What owners say: Owners find it tops up a phone quickly and feel it’s solidly made for its size, but some iPhone users report it not playing well with their phone, and a few had one give up within a week.
Heads up: It fast-charges one device at a time: with both ports in use, LISEN says neither gets full speed, so give the USB-C port to the phone that needs it most.
A closer look: Both ends of the braided lead in the box are USB-C, which suits Android phones and newer iPhones with a USB-C socket; an older iPhone needs its own Lightning cable in one of the ports. A small light glows when the charger is getting power, a quick check that the socket is live.
- All-aluminium shell
- Light shows the socket’s live
- Braided lead
Best for: USB-C phones, cable included
- Ports
- 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A
- Fastest port
- 36W (USB-C)
- Two at once
- Slower with both
- Fast charging
- PD 3.0, PPS, QC 3.0
- Cable
- 1m USB-C cable in box
#4INIU I710 Dual-Port Car Charger
Under £10
At 4.6cm long it sits almost flush in the socket, clear of knees, cup holders and the gear stick, and either port charges a single phone at up to 30W.
What owners say: Owners find it charges a phone at full speed and barely sticks out of the socket, which is also the one grumble: it sits so flush that some struggle to pull it out again.
A closer look: With one phone plugged in, either port gives up to 30W; add a second and INIU’s own figures drop to 12W each, so unplug the other device when a phone needs a quick boost before arriving. It sits so low in the socket that it’s easiest to leave it in place rather than pulling it out after every trip.
- 4.6cm long
- Sits almost flush
- Anodised aluminium body
- Blue port lights
Best for: One phone, low profile
- Ports
- 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A
- Fastest port
- 30W (either port)
- Two at once
- 12W + 12W
- Fast charging
- PD 3.0, QC 3.0
- Cable
- Not included
#5UGREEN 130W 3-Port Car Charger (90413)
£10–£20
Enough for a laptop: its main USB-C port gives up to 100W, which UGREEN says charges a 16-inch MacBook Pro in 90 minutes, with a second USB-C and a USB-A port left over for phones.
What owners say: Owners like that it runs a laptop and a phone together, and find it surprisingly small for the power it puts out, though they’re split on the price and some report it failing in use.
Heads up: There’s no cable in the box: for the full 100W, or Samsung’s 45W charging, UGREEN says to use a 5A e-marked USB-C cable.
A closer look: Plug the laptop into the port UGREEN marks C2, the 100W one, and keep the other USB-C port for a phone. A blue ring lights the ports at night, and a metal collar grips the socket so the charger stays put over bumps and potholes.
- Use port C2 for laptops
- Blue light ring for night
- Metal collar grips the socket
Best for: Laptops on the road
- Ports
- 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A
- Fastest port
- 100W (USB-C)
- Two at once
- Up to 130W shared
- Fast charging
- PD 3.0, PPS, QC 4.0
- Cable
- Not included
#6Belkin BoostCharge Dual Car Charger 42W
£10–£20
A USB-C port for a newer phone and a USB-A port for an older cable, in a charger that’s USB-IF and Apple MFi certified. Belkin says the 30W USB-C port takes an iPhone 15 from empty to half full in as little as 21 minutes.
What owners say: Owners notice how much charge a phone gains on even a short drive, and find it solid and dependable.
A closer look: One port each for the driver and a passenger: USB-C for newer phones, USB-A for an older lead such as a Lightning cable for an earlier iPhone. Belkin’s own tip is that some cars cut power to the socket when the engine is off, so check the handbook before relying on it to charge while parked.
- Certified for use with iPhones
- Recycled plastic casing
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Driver and passenger at once
- Ports
- 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A
- Fastest port
- 30W (USB-C)
- Two at once
- 30W + 12W
- Fast charging
- PD 3.0, PPS
- Cable
- Not included
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Anker Nano 75W | #2Anker 30W 2-port | #3LISEN 54W mini | #4INIU I710 | #5UGREEN 130W | #6Belkin 42W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best budget | Best for laptops | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | £24.99 RRP | Under £10 | Under £10 | Under £10 | £10–£20 | £10–£20 |
| Ports | Built-in cable + 1 USB-C | 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A | 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A | 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A | 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A | 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A |
| Fastest port | 45W (cable) | 30W (USB-C) | 36W (USB-C) | 30W (either port) | 100W (USB-C) | 30W (USB-C) |
| Two at once | 45W + 30W | 12W + 12W | Slower with both | 12W + 12W | Up to 130W shared | 30W + 12W |
| Fast charging | USB-C PD | PPS (USB-C), PowerIQ 3.0 | PD 3.0, PPS, QC 3.0 | PD 3.0, QC 3.0 | PD 3.0, PPS, QC 4.0 | PD 3.0, PPS |
| Cable | Built in, 75cm, retracts | None | 1m USB-C cable in box | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Best for | Keeping cables tidy | Old and new phones, one plug | USB-C phones, cable included | One phone, low profile | Laptops on the road | Driver and passenger at once |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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