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Air compressors are the kind of extremely useful and deeply boring objects that rarely inspire a ton of excitement — which I just don’t understand. After all, it’s basically roadside assistance you can keep in your car; a tire pump and jump starter in one.
When your car is stalled on the side of the road or you get a sudden flat, imagine the sweet sense of relief when you remember you have a jump starter and air compressor in your trunk. Yes, your day is still considerably more annoying than it would have been without the accident, but still less annoying than waiting around for help.
The best air compressors can inflate a car tire (often in less than ten minutes) while also acting as a backup power source to charge your devices and small appliances (think cell phone, car vacuum, portable coolers). Most units are also equipped with a sealed lead acid battery, powerful enough to jump start a car. And the best air compressors and jump starter kits will have emergency features built-in like flashlights and hidden storage compartments for your valuables. Whereas you used to have to get both a tire inflater and a separate jump starter, these all-in-one units have everything you need — clamps and cables included.
If you are looking for a reliable air compressor and jump starter kit, but need guidance on what to look for and what your particular vehicle might require, we have listed our favorite compressor and charger combos that we think you should consider.
What You Should Know Before Buying a Jump Starter/Compressor
It’s not rocket science, but pay attention to a few key factors when choosing the product that’s going to be of most use to you.
Power: How much power, measured in amps, is your jump starter and how much power are you going to need? Perhaps rather obviously, larger engines generally need more amps. But unless you’re driving a heavy-duty truck, around 1,000 amps is enough to boost most engines.
Portability:Jumpers and air compressors that live in the garage don’t need to be especially easy to move around, but if you’re looking for something to keep in the car for emergencies, make sure you’re not buying anything that’s too much of a pain to move around. All of the picks on our list are no bigger than a briefcase, and can be easily stored in your trunk or home closet.
Convenience: It should be easy to use. In an emergency situation, the last thing anyone needs is to spend 20 minutes trying to figure out how this one piece of machinery works.
