Here at the Strategist, we like to think of ourselves as crazy (in the good way) about the stuff we buy, but as much as we’d like to, we can’t try everything. That’s why we have People’s Choice, in which we find the best-reviewed (that’s four-to-five-star reviews, and lots of ‘em) products and single out the most convincing ones. While we’ve written about the best wireless chargers, the best phone cases, and one very long phone charger, here we’ve rounded up the best car phone chargers, as chosen by Amazon reviewers. (Note that reviews have been edited for length and clarity.)
The best USB-C rapid charging car chargers
“These are Benson-approved models and work extremely well. I just wish it had two ports as opposed to the dedicated cable. But with its seal of approval for USB-C devices, I didn’t want to pick anything else. We’ve purchased three at this point and they are all working perfectly.”
“Works perfect for my Pixel 2 XL with USB-C port. Fast-charging, cord is long enough, and has an extra port for other devices. I bought three of these, one for each of my vehicles. The charger is doing exactly as I had hoped it would — it is keeping the charge up even when using active navigation. We are pleased and would recommend this product.”
The best two-port car chargers
“We need to charge an iPhone and an Android phone in the car. I tried attaching a USB hub to our single-port charger, but the iPhone would not charge at all through the hub. With this Maxboost two-port charger, the iPhone will charge from the top port, and the Android will charge from either port. This charger works fine to charge both phones at once, and the illuminated ports are helpful.”
“After throwing away a few duds, I was skeptical that I’d find a car charger compatible with my iPhone 7 Plus, my spouse’s iPhone 6, and my iPad. I am relieved to say I’ve been using this daily, and I’m incredibly happy with this purchase. I am on my cell phone on the road quite frequently for business, and I am so thankful that this simultaneously charges my iPad and iPhone very quickly. This car charger works with every brand and device we own. I feel it’s a practical purchase that’s definitely worth the price.”
“Wow, this thing is smaller than I even thought it was going to be. It hardly sticks out from the socket at all. It was really nice to see the battery percentage on my G3 actually going up while the phone was on and actively running a GPS program. Some consider it a con that it doesn’t have an indicator light. I consider it a pro. My last charger had an extremely bright blue light that lit up the entire cubby area. I dim my interior lights at night, because they’re pretty bright, but the only option with that charger was to cover up the light with tape, paint or marker.”
The best two-port car charger with voltage detector
“This product works well as a charger. It has two USB connections, so it is worth the price. Now, the extras: plug it in and turn your key. You will see your battery voltage. You now have a voltmeter! In the past, I helped someone whose car wouldn’t start and I had to try to figure out whether their battery was dead (and if so, how dead); in this case I had them turn on their car headlights and then I guessed whether the battery was working. Now, with this device, I can plug it directly into their 12V socket, turn the key and it will tell me exactly what their battery is doing. When I put jumper cables between the two cars, the voltage jumps up to show that the second, good vehicle is indeed charging their dead battery. When I’m charging a device, the display alternates between volts and amps, so I know my vehicle’s battery/charging status (volts), while the amps gives me an idea of the amount of power going into my device while it’s charging.”
The best two-port car charger with bluetooth
“This is the best of the three bluetooth adapters we’ve purchased. Its size is perfect for our car and the phone button is in a very easy-to-see-and-reach area of the device. We especially like the ease of adjusting the volume by turning the phone button. The device connects to our phones easily via bluetooth and the radio sound is excellent, with no static. We paired the device with the Google Android Auto app, which brought our older car up to date with current car models. We use the app to integrate Google Maps, the phone’s telephone features, and our favorite music app all into a single, easy-to-use interface.”
The best Alexa-enabled two-port car charger
“This thing is great. I never have to touch my phone. It hears me every time. Does exactly what I expect it to. Plays music. Gets directions. Links to my phone while it’s still in my pocket. The charger works perfectly. I can’t say enough good things about this product. I’ve had it for a few days only but I already know this device will be in every car you own until Alexa starts being built-in by the auto makers”.
The best five-port car chargers
“In this day and age of having multiple USB devices that need to be charged at once, this USB charger stands alone. I have tried many different USB car chargers but so many of them are bulky and take up more space than they should. I drive for Lyft and Uber and needed to be able to charge my two cell phones, plus provide a charging port or two for my riders. This fits perfectly in the cup holder of my Audi A4. The retractable cord is a unique feature, allowing you to have only as much cable exposed as needed.”
“I have had this charger for several months now and my kids and myself use it every time we get in the car. We all like that it charges devices super fast and I like that you can unplug the charging cords and put them in the pockets behind the seats. I have a vehicle with three rows, so I ordered a set of four charging cables in varying lengths so people in the third row could charge, as well. It’s the perfect charger when you have backseat riders. We love it!”
The best micro-USB car charger for Android
“I purchased this car charger in a pinch because I needed to replace the charger for my vehicle’s hands-free Bluetooth speaker. I was going to run to the local drugstore to pick up a generic one, but then saw that the price for a no-name generic charger was like $13. At that point, I decided to quickly purchase on Amazon and have Prime get it here in two days. As usual with all AmazonBasics products, the product works fantastic. It charges both my hands-free speaker and my spare phone quickly — and the extra-long cable helps to keep the device out of the way while I am driving.”
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