You’ll notice that many of our recommendations have a rating for peak amps. Generally, most portable jump starters will specify the engine size it’s capable of jump starting but that doesn’t take into account the age of your vehicle. Naturally, newer cars with newer batteries won’t require as much power to jump start as an older car with an older battery. Most of our recommendations should cover the majority of vehicles, but when in doubt get something more powerful.
DOES STORAGE CAPACITY MATTER?
Along with peak amps, you’ll also notice some of our portable jump starters have a storage capacity, often specified in mAh. That only really matters if you plan on using the device as a portable battery bank. The larger the number, the more electrical storage capacity it has. Keep in mind that using it as a jump starter will require a bit of its battery storage, so if you plan on using as a portable charger, make sure you have enough juice to jump start your car or fully charge the jump starter afterwards.
HOW DO YOU USE A PORTABLE JUMP STARTER?
Before you begin, you’ll want to read the instructions on your specific portable jump starter just in case there are any special functions or features it has to jump start a car. For example, one of the units I tested had a “boost” button that needed to be used for some cars. Otherwise, most portable jump starters are pretty straightforward:
1.Make sure your device has enough charge to jump start a car.
2.Locate your car’s battery, which is typically in the engine bay. Some vehicles however, have it in the trunk.
3.Identify the positive (red) and negative (black) terminals on your battery.
4.Connect the positive and negative clamps to their respective terminals on your battery.
5.If needed, turn on your portable jump starter and enable any special functions that are required.
6.Your portable jump starter should confirm that you’ve hooked up the cables correctly, and should give you an error if you swapped the two.
7.Try to start your car!
8.If successful, let it run for a couple of minutes before disconnecting your jump starter.
Post time: Dec-12-2022
