Keep your electronics juiced up while on-the-go
One constant remains in the increasingly complex sea of fast-charging standards: the USB port. At some point in the chain, every phone ends up plugged into a USB charger, even when using a wireless charger. But not every car has a free USB port, and those that do probably lack advanced charging standards like USB Power Delivery and Programmable Power Supply (PPS), both of which are used in phones like Google Pixel 7 and Samsung Galaxy S23.
Of course, there’s no shortage of USB car chargers, but that wealth of products is a double-edged sword. You’ll spend a long time wading through thousands of off-brand chargers at many online retailers, looking for the most advanced and dependable. Instead, consider this roundup of our favorite ones, including straightforward options for standard-speed charging, high-powered models for fast charging and laptops, and a couple of great wireless car chargers (including an Android-compatible MagSafe option). Also, make sure you have a compatible USB-C cable if the charger you choose doesn’t include one.
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Spigen PC2200
Best overall
$26 $32 Save
$6The 45-watt output of this Spigen car charger’s upper USB port delivers enough juice to charge many of today’s great Chromebooks and even Windows laptops, in addition to every smartphone with USB PD support. That includes Samsung Super Fast Charging since this charger supports PPS technology. But despite its high power output and wide-ranging compatibility, it’s not very expensive. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to ensure all your cables are of the double-ended USB-C variety.
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Nekteck PD45W
Best value
$20 $26 Save
$6Offering USB Power Delivery at up to 45 watts, the Nekteck PD45W can accommodate a vast range of devices, including many popular laptops. Aside from the USB-C port, a USB-A output offers the typical 12 watts and is perfect for standard-speed charging. For what it’s worth, you can use both ports simultaneously without seeing a power drop in either one. Other than the fact that it doesn’t support PPS, there aren’t any significant drawbacks.
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Baseus CCZX-160CX 160W USB-C
Premium pick
$40 $60 Save
$20For those who often need to charge far more than a phone, the Baseus CCZX-160CX boasts a remarkable 160-watt combined peak output spread over three ports. The top one supports up to 100 watts, which can charge some of the beefiest laptops at full speed as long as they include USB PD charging support. The charger also utilizes PPS and QC 5.0 fast charging technology, ensuring compatibility with the most advanced power protocols.
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iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless 2
For your car
The iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless 2 makes it especially easy to keep your battery level up, with easily adjusted arms that secure your phone on top of a Qi wireless charging pad. Simply squeeze the arms to open them, put your phone against the trigger button in the middle of the charger, and watch as the One Touch 2 holds on tight. As long as your device supports wireless charging, you can refuel it at up to 10 watts.
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Belkin BOOSTCHARGE Dual Car Charger with PPS 37W
The Belkin CCB004 lets you rest easy with the assurance that comes with one of the world’s leaders in networking and connectivity. Its 25-watt single-port peak with PD 3.0 and PPS support means that all but most high-end smartphones can hit their maximum charging speed. In addition, its soft-touch exterior and rock-solid construction make it well worth the moderate price, and its compact size makes it a great choice for those who want to avoid having overly bulky electronics intruding on their cabin.
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Anker PowerDrive+ III Duo
$32 $46 Save
$14Compared to its predecessor (the non-plus version), the Anker PowerDrive+ III Duo sees an upgrade to the upper USB-C port from 20 to 30 watts. That’s a small difference, but it will let you take advantage of the 25-watt fast charging on many of today’s great cell phones. In addition, Anker’s proprietary PowerIQ dynamic charging technology allows it to tailor output voltage to precisely what your device needs. It helps improve charging speed for a wide range of manufacturers’ products.
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Ugreen 63W Fast Car Charger
Ugreen’s 63W Fast Car Charger is perfect if you own one of the Samsung Galaxy S-series phones with 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0. Out of its two USB ports, you can use the Type-C to juice up your Samsung, Google Pixel, or Apple iPhones, whereas the USB Type-A port can help with low-power devices or phones with QuickCharge support. The company also bundles a free USB-C cable to make it more enticing.
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ESR HaloLock Magnetic
$32 $37 Save
$5The ESR HaloLock is a little different from the rest. It’s essentially a MagSafe wireless charging pad that you attach to your air vent. As a result, you’ll absolutely need two things to use it: a smartphone that supports wireless charging (like a recent Pixel or Galaxy S) and a MagSafe-compatible case with a magnetic ring in it. If you fulfill both those requirements, this is the most convenient way to hold and charge your phone in place while driving.
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Anker 323 Car Charger
Besides its excellent PowerDrive+ III Duo charger, Anker has another great option: the 323 Car Charger. It’s great if you want one Type-A and one Type-C port instead of two Type-C ports. In addition, it supports the company’s PowerIQ 3.0 protocol. So you will get compatibility for everything from USB PD and PPS to QuickCharge. Moreover, the company bundles a complimentary USB-C to USB-C cable with the car charger.
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Scosche PowerVolt PD60
$25 $35 Save
$10A bit different from most of the similarly priced competition, the Scosche PowerVolt PD60 stands out due to a peak charge rate of 30 watts through each Type-C port simultaneously. That’s enough to charge a pair of Galaxy S23+ smartphones at full speed at the same time. The combination of a well-known manufacturer and an above-average three-year warranty make it one of the most reliable options out there.
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Syncwire 60W USB Car Charger
$16 $19 Save
$3This dual-port car charger from Syncwire supports two of the most popular charging protocols – USB PD 3.0 and Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0. So there is an excellent chance your smartphone will charge quickly. In addition, the company has also included 25W PPS charging support for Samsung Galaxy phones. In other features, the charger supports 12v-24v input and has a nifty handle to pull it out from the car socket.
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OtterBox USB-C Dual Port Car Charger
$25 $35 Save
$10Apart from high-quality, rugged cases, Otterbox has several excellent chargers in its product portfolio. And this USB-C Dual Port Car Charger is one of them. Like many of our recommendations, it also comes with two USB ports, but you get both Type-C ports in this. While one of the ports can deliver up to 30W power, the other is limited to 20W. You can use the 30W for 25W PPS charging. Finally, the charger has a rugged build quality for enhanced durability.
Keep your devices topped up while on the go
A handful of brands stand out among phone chargers available today. For example, the Anker PowerDrive+ III Duo comes from one of our favorite companies for portable power solutions, and it can accommodate nearly every high-end phone at its fastest charging speed. Baseus is another popular group — we’ve highlighted its CCZX-160CX charger that delivers a whopping 100 watts at once, leading the category by a wide margin.
If you’re looking for a great value, the Nekteck PD45W offers high performance at a slightly lower cost than most, and the only thing it lacks is PPS support. Then there’s the Spigen PC2200, which receives our Best Overall award due to its versatile 45-watt peak and a plethora of compatible fast-charging protocols.
On wireless car charging
We’ve also added a couple of wireless chargers of two different varieties. The iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless 2 uses a pair of easily opened arms to hold your phone in place on a wireless charging pad. Of course, your phone will need to support wireless charging to use it. The ESR HaloLock, on the other hand, uses magnets to dock the phone and Qi charging to juice it up. One very important note: you’ll definitely need a phone with a MagSafe case to use the ESR charger.
