GoKawiilLeaving your headlights on used to mean a knock on a neighbor's door—or a long and maybe costly wait for a tow truck. But battery technology changes everything, whether for cars or portable blenders or power packs. Portable jump starters now don't cost much more than the price of a single tow and can jolt your car awake even with a bone-dead battery. Most can also charge your phone or laptop in a pinch.
My conversion moment happened in a remote stretch of northern Delaware, where I'd left my headlights on after a foggy morning drive. I chased phone signal for most of an hour, until a passing parks employee happened to have one of the new breed of lithium-ion jump starters tucked behind his seat. I drove straight to the auto parts store and procured a basic 1,000-amp NOCO jump starter ($100) that saved my hide multiple times thereafter.
NOCO is still a brand I recommend. The same goes for a reliable, low-cost Gooloo A3 jump starter ($70) that I bought after moving cross-country. But after testing eight of the most highly regarded lithium-ion jump starters on the market over dozens of starts, it's the Wolfbox 4,000-amp jump starter ($170) that came out on top for its mix of reliability, price, capacity, and sheer cranking power. The Wolfbox charges fast, starts the engine smoothly, and stays above half capacity after 15 jump starts from dead on a six-cylinder engine.
A newer 1250A NOCO Boost X ($125) is the most compact option for six-cylinder engines or lower. A bulkier and more expensive 2,000-amp model from Battery Tender ($170) offers the most comprehensive solution for battery maintenance, as long as your battery's not stone dead. For this round, I focused on lithium-ion power packs, which may not be suitable for the most extreme weather conditions (see below). In future updates, I'll also look at the newest generation of battery-free supercapacitor jump starters.
For more power-related coverage, check out WIRED's guide to the Best Power Banks, the Best MagSafe/Qi2 Power Banks for more magnetic wireless chargers, and Best Portable Power Stations. Also see WIRED's guide to Essential Emergency Gear.
Best Portable Jump Starter Overall: Wolfbox 4000A Jump Starter
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Video: Matthew Korfhage Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Wolfbox 4000A Jump Starter $170 $108 (36% off) Amazon WIRED/TIRED AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron WIRED More than 15 jump starts possible before needing recharge
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