The Best USB Car Charger (Review & Buying Guide) in 2020

Just take a look at this gadget. You probably won’t even bother to unplug it, as it will happily blend into any modern style of dash array. It’s not just the looks that impress on this model though, it’s also packing some very useful features.

First up is the power on this model, with 4.8 amps and 10 volts spit between each port – that is an excellent level of power that will do a great job of charging up your electrical devices. It also packs the punch to charge iPads, which not all USB chargers do, so bear that in mind if you ever travel with tablet style devices.

All that power has excellent control too, with the Maxboost Intelligent circuit design providing protection against short circuits, over heating and over charging. Add in the fact that the device comes with 2 ports, both of the same power output (a feature not as common as you may assume) and you have an extremely well designed product, really well built and boasting an array of useful features.

Best of all, it currently costs less than 10 bucks. Incredible value for such a well made tool.

This is our second entry from Ainope, which has already impressed us with that very attractive model above. This product is also good looking, with a zinc alloy finish that is scratch resistant. This model doesn’t sit quite as flush in the accessory port as the previous one however, and the reason for that is the built in LED screen that is mounted in the faceplate.

It is however very well worth having the charger be a little more bulky in order to accommodate that screen, because it is monitoring your car battery health. Yes that’s right, and how cool is that? The number displayed corresponds to the voltage that is currently in the car electrical system, allowing you to keep a constant eye on the car batteries’ health – and top it up when you need to.

Aside from that function, if it’s to be a good USB charger it also has to, well, charge stuff. This model has you covered there too, with a very useful 4.8 amps of power split equally between the two ports. You’ve also got the built in overcharge, short circuit and over heating protection you would expect from a high-end manufacturer like Ainope.

RAVPower claim that this is the smallest USB charger on the market right now and, looking at the product, its kind of hard to disagree. Frankly, we struggle to picture a charger that could be even smaller – it weighs less than half an ounce.

Aside from being small, it is actually also a very well designed product with a number of impressive features. The main thing that does jump out is of course the dual 2.4 amp charging ports. That’s a very good power level, especially for something so small.

Inside however, RAVPower has iSmart 2.0 charging technology. What they claim is that this software is always learning. That in turn means that the charger can adapt the amp output to better match the device being charged – remember that not all devices are going to need those meaty 2.4 amps of power.

That in turn helps to make this a very efficient little charger, with an equally small price tag too.

Another style of dual USB chargers quite similar to the one we looked at above, this is another excellent model with a number of standout features. The most eye catching is probably the 4.8 amps of dual power, which the device routes to each port as 2.4 amps per port. That is going to supply enough power to effectively charge up even tough, high amp batteries like those found in iPads and other tablets.

The device comes with something called PowerIQ. To us it sounds like Neil deGrasse Tyson with a battery taped to his head, but apparently it helps the device to manage the power load that is placed on it by connected devices. By doing that it funnels power to exactly where it needs to be, making this something of a fast car charger.

Anker is well known for producing well built electrical devices, and that’s true here with a device that is sleek but tough. It’s also covered by the ever-popular 18-month warranty. All in all then a very good little charger for an excellent low price.

Some people are reluctant to buy a USB charger because they have visions of a big, funny shaped lump sitting up out of the dashboards. For most people, the practical abilities of larger USB chargers outweighs their sometimes less than aesthetic looks. If you have a modern, flush dash and you don’t want to ruin its visual appeal with an unsightly, bulky charger then this could be the answer to your prayers.

Of course, if you’re praying about USB chargers, it might be wise to redirect some of that energy.

This model looks great but to a certain extent that doesn’t really matter too much. You see, the body of the charger will be hidden out of sight, with only the top plate visible, completely flush with the accessory port. The part that is visible boasts an all aluminum construction (with black paint job) whilst the port glows with a very pretty – and actually very useful – blue light.

This thing looks good and will be a credit to the inside of any car. It’s not just looks though, with each port capable of pumping out 2.4 amps of juice. A great design but also highly effective? Looks like we’ve found the Black Widow of car chargers.

Another Dual car charger, and another model designed to sit flush inside the accessory port. This one, we should point out, is a few bucks cheaper than the model we looked at above so there are a few bells and whistles missing from this model.

In particular, you’re not getting the high-end finish. There is no black painted aluminum face here, just regular old plastic. The ports themselves also don’t light up. That’s not just an aesthetic consideration by the way (though the lit up blue ports do look kind of cool). A lit port is easier to find in the dark, and stops you fumbling around like a pair of back seat teenagers.

Whilst it may not be as good looking as the model above, it is still a highly effective car charger. Again, we have a total output of 4.8 amps split evenly between the two ports, so again this product can happily take on just about any charging job thrown its way. It also has some excellent built in safeguards against over charging and over heating whilst it also claims a very wide compatibility with a range of device manufacturers.

Everything about this product, from the aluminum alloy construction to the nifty red glowing ports screams premium product. Yes, this is certainly one of the better looking models on the market right now, but it is what it has inside that truly makes this one of the standout chargers out there today.

It’s called Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, and it’s those last two digits that should really make you sit up. The 3.0 refers to amps, as in how many can be pumped out of each port. That is a super level of power and helps make this one of the quickest chargers out there – provided of course your phone is compatible with Qualcomm Quick Charge.

Even if it isn’t, this device is still kicking out excellent power levels so it can be relied upon to charge just about anything. The all-metal construction, in addition to looking great, also allows for superior heat dissipation too – a design choice that is a nod to the incredible power that will be flowing through this bad boy.

After a big run of dual USB chargers, check out this five port beast of a charger from Anker. The Anker name means you have a build quality you can trust. After all, when you have a device that it throwing out the power of this product, you need to know that a well constructed device is delivering power.

Speaking of power, just take a look at those item specs. 10 amps of total power, spread over the five ports with a max output of 2.4 amps per port. Now, anyone with some math skills will have seen that 2.4 does go into 5. You are very unlikely to be charging 5 iPads or tablets at the same time. You could of course be charging up to 3 tablets and a pair of phones, still a phenomenal level of capacity.

Since it is such a large and complex device, and manufactured by such a reputable company, it does carry a relatively big price tag of over 20 bucks (which is expensive compared to other, smaller chargers). Still, if you need a well made, high capacity USB charger then this should definitely be near the top of your list.

The standout feature with this model has to be the dual front piece with variable amp ports. This is the first such charger that’s made it onto this list, because whilst it is an extremely effective design, it takes bit more from the manufacturer to pull it off successfully. HUSSELL seems to have done everything it can to guarantee it pulls it off however. 

So as you see, the lower port is a 2.4 amp standard port – that level of amps by itself is impressive enough. But right above it – and built in red so you can’t miss it – the Qualcomm 3.0 quick charge port. If you have a phone or device compatible with Qualcomm quick charge technology, that port can charge your device up to 4x times faster than a standard port.

This really is a fast car charger, but it also has the built in safety features you would expect when that amount of power is in play. We have built in protection from over charging, from over heating – the works. There is other tech at work here too, as the charger can also detect the model of phone you plug in, and adapt the power flow to suit it best.

To be perfectly blunt, there’s not really much about these products in terms of stand-out features. Yes, they are dual 2.4 amp ports. Yes, they do have wide compatibility across a range of electrical devices.

They are of a very durable and compact design too, and they contain built in safe guards against overcharging, against over heating and against current surges. All very worthy, all very impressive, but by this stage of the list (we’re into double figures for anyone who is counting along at home) it’s all very similar, isn’t it? We’ve seen several models with near identical features – so what has this done to make the cut?

Well, quite simply, it’s a two pack. Not only is it a two pack, but it also has a total price of about 15 bucks, making this a really good value. If you have a modern car with a couple of accessory ports in it, and if you don’t necessarily need the bells and whistles that come with products from the premium end of the market, then we would strongly suggest you take a look at this offering from Trianium.

This is a powerful tool. Not only is it packing incredible power, it’s also extremely well designed, it looks great and it is surprisingly small.

There are a range of eye catching features with this product, but naturally enough the one that is going to grab the attention first and foremost is the fact that it is packing no less than 4 ports.  Look over the specs a little closer though and you’ll see that this device is pushing out 9.6 amps total, or 2.4 amps per port for a total max output of 50 watts. That is a crazy power level, and this is a product that can tackle charging just about any electrical item that it comes up against.

Further, its very well designed. It’s sleek, it looks great, it has built in software to detect your device and tailor the power flow. It also of course has all of the built in protections you would expect. It’s a shame the ports don’t light up, but this is still a remarkably well-designed car charger bursting with power and useful features.

This is a pretty unique little design. If you are the type of person who is always losing your connector power cable (or forgetting to bring it with you) then this product could be of interest. The Achilles heel of all USB chargers is that you need to bring the charger cable with you (or, be a more sensible person than us and permanently store one in the car). No cable though, no charge.

Not a worry with this product however, which has an iPhone charger cable built right into it – note this is a lighting style cable for newer models of iPhone. In addition to the cable though, the manufacturers have also added an extra USB to the design so that it can continue to function like a normal USB charger.

Both the cable and the USB port both kick out 2.4 amps of power by the way, and both can operate at the same time. This isn’t just an interesting design therefore – it’s an interesting design that actually works.

This model is extremely similar to the model we looked at above from Vogel. It is packing a 9.6 amp total output spread across each port, allowing for 2.4 amps per port. As I’m sure you know by now, 2.4 amps is very good.

It also has the built in safety features to protect against overheating, overcharging and all those other things that can damage your electrical items. It’s of a very similar size, it is even of a similar weight an good overall construction.

The only real difference comes in terms of the shape of each charger. The Vogel was a kind of futuristic gear stick looking device, with all the ports neatly laid in a vertical line. This model chooses to pair them, so it is a little shorter but also a little wider. That’s it. They are both very good chargers, packed with useful features. If you need a 4 port device, you probably won’t go wrong with either, so just pick the model that you like the looks of better.

This is an interesting little design from AmazonBasics. In many ways, it mirrors the TrimDish model we looked at above. This model however is even more basic, missing out the additional USB port for a simple wired lighting power cord that connects directly to the base unit.

Unless you exclusively wish to charge Apple products in your car, there may not be enough features and cross platform compatibility to recommend this as an everyday charger. Of course, if you do only wish to charge Apple products, this is a winner.

On the other hand, remember what we said about the TrimDish product above, that the power cord was kind of the Achilles heel of USB chargers? No cord means no charge? Bearing that in mind, this product from AmazonBasics could be a very handy standby charger. Buy it – along with a more traditional design for everyday use – and pop this one in the glove box.

When the day comes when you desperately need to charge your phone, and you’ve forgotten the cable to plug into your USB charger, you can reach into the glovebox and thank your lucky stars you were smart enough to plan ahead.

(And by plan ahead, we mean listen to our sage, Mr Miyagi style wisdom)

We finish up our marathon march through the best USB car chargers with this product from CHOETECH. This is the second style of charger we have come across on our list where the two USB Ports serve separate functions.

The top port contains the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 tech. Again, if your phone is compatible (and most modern models are) it can plug into this port and be charged up to 4x times faster than when plugged into a standard USB. The second port is a standard USB kicking out 2.4 amps to tackle any other charging jobs.

The product itself is small and light, and pretty unobtrusive – there are no bells and whistles here from a design point of view, just a well designed and constructed little device. One extra feature we like is the fact the ports light up. This is a useful feature on any charger as not only does it make them look really cool (in our opinion at least), it makes them easier to use in low light conditions.