Battery Jump Starters

While portable battery chargers are really useful if you have some time to spare while they get to work, sometimes you need to get moving much more rapidly. A jump starter is what you – or a fellow motorist you spot stuck at the roadside – need in a tight spot as it delivers a sudden jolt of electricity to kick-start your battery. Once you’re back up-and-running, your engine will charge the battery further.

Most jump starters are highly portable

The smaller jump starters can be stashed away in your car boot or even in your glove compartment, so as long as yours is fully-charged, you’re good to go, no matter what. The Ring 6000MAh Lithium Jump Starter weighs 0.52kg and 168×90x19mm so it’ll fit easily in your glove compartment or motorbike panniers. It also functions as a powerbank, so you can charge mobile devices with this jump starter, as well as make use of its integral LED light for late nights.

The Ring 6000MAh jump starter does pack a punch, but the larger starters can, not surprisingly, jump start larger vehicles or provide several jump starts from one charge.

You can charge lights, laptops and other mobile devices with your jump starter

Most modern jump starters have USB ports, so you can charge up your phones and other devices, with a mini USB socket used for charging your jump starter up once it’s been used.

The larger jump starters might even have plug sockets so you can plug in a vacuum cleaner or a jet washer without dragging an extension lead out from your house. As you might imagine, these jump starters need to be charged via a wall plug. The GYS Gyspack Pro 025523 weighs 9kg but delivers 1750A peak and can jump start larger vehicles like camper vans and commercial vans.

You should look out for a jump starter with an integral torch

The thing about flat batteries is that they don’t always happen during daylight hours. It’s a good job, then, that lots of jump starters feature at least one torch to help you to see what you’re doing.

The Ring 3.0L Lithium Jump Starter has a powerful LED torch built into its side so you can hold it up and angle it to illuminate wherever you need the light. At just 0.7kg, this jump starter is an invaluable addition to your boot or glove compartment.

Lots of jump starters are surprisingly cheap

The Ring 6000MAh Lithium Jump Starter, for example, is £45, so you don’t have to spend a fortune to make sure you can restart your flat battery or help another driver to get going. Larger jump starters usually range from £100 to £200, with professional models going up to £400 or more.

However, don’t just plump for the cheapest option you see; you should always make sure that your starter is powerful enough for the size of your engine. AutoAdvisor can help you to make the right decision if you need advice.