Technology

Best phone and laptop car chargers in 2023

Posted on by Marc Barman

If you are someone who’s always on the move or if you simply want a charger to top off your phone, tablet, or laptop while traveling, then you might want to consider buying a car charger. Having a reliable car charger for your phones and laptops is important to ensure you never run out of charge while you’re in a car. A lot of modern cars and other vehicles come with built-in USB ports for charging your devices, but they often don’t provide the fastest charging speeds. Car chargers, on the other hand, have evolved a lot over the years, and you can find some excellent options on the market right now with multiple ports and support for fast charging.


There are plenty of things to consider while picking up a good car charger, so you may find everything a bit overwhelming unless you know exactly what you’re looking for. We’re highlighting the best car chargers you can buy for your phones and laptops in this article to make things easier for you. These chargers can plug into a 12-volt/24-volt port (or a cigarette lighter) and can also be used to top off your tablets and laptops. But before we begin, let’s try to figure out how you can pick the right car charger for your devices.


How to pick the right car charger?

Picking the right car charger can be quite jarring due to the sheer number of options that are available out there. Just like regular USB chargers, car chargers follow various protocols, have different power outputs, and more. Here’s a quick look at some of the most important things to consider while buying a car charger:

  • Support charging protocol: First, it’s a good idea to check which fast charging standard your device supports. On phones, it could be Qualcomm Quick Charge, USB Power Delivery (PD), USB PD 3.0 Programmable Power Supply (PPS), Adaptive Fast Charging, and more. However, on laptops, you typically get USB PD. You have to make sure the car charger you’re buying supports the fast charging standard of your device to get the best speeds. And if you are using your phone in the car for navigation or other tasks, you may end up using more power than what the slow charger is providing.
  • Power requirement of the device: Another thing to check is the maximum wattage supported by your device for the fastest charging speed. For example, some phones can only support 18W fast charging, whereas others can support 25W fast charging or more. So pick a car charger based on the power requirement of the device that you’re planning to charge.
  • Chargers with multiple USB ports: We also recommend picking up car chargers with multiple USB ports in case you find yourself needing to charge multiple devices at once. You may not get the fastest charging speeds on all ports simultaneously, so it’s important to find out how much power a particular charger can deliver through each of its ports individually and simultaneously.
  • Pick the right USB cable: Lastly, the USB cable you use to charge your phone or laptop is equally important. If your cable can’t support fast charging speeds, your phone won’t charge quickly, even with a fast charger, so make sure to pick a compatible USB cable. To help, we’ve selected the best USB cables you can buy right now. You can also check out how to check if your phone supports fast charging to know more about fast charging in general.

We’ve categorized our recommendations based on the fast charging standard they support to make it easier for you to browse all the options. Keep in mind that some fast charging standards provide cross-compatibility to work on many of the best smartphones, tablets, and laptops too, so you’ll have to consider that while making a purchase decision. For instance, Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 4.0, 4+, and 5 are compatible with the USB PD specification. Similarly, Huawei and Samsung’s fast charging standards also work with USB PD. So if you have a device with QuickCharge 4 or Huawei SuperCharge support, it can be charged faster with USB PD chargers as well.

Best car chargers with support for multiple fast charging standards

The car chargers mentioned in this section support multiple fast charging standards. They also have multiple USB ports, including USB Type-C and USB Type-A.

  • A render of the Anker PoweIQ 3 USB car charger in black color.

    Anker PowerIQ 3 USB-C car charger

    Editor’s Choice

    The Anker PowerIQ 3 is a reliable car charger that uses USB PD to deliver 20W power to two separate USB Type C ports. This charger can output 20W of power across both USB ports simultaneously, so it’s good for charging two devices relatively quickly.

     

  • A render of the Baseus 65W USB C car charger.

    Baseus 65W car charger

    Premium Pick

    This Baseus 65W car charger supports multiple fast-charging standards including PPS, PD3.0, and QC4.0. This means you can use it to charge a variety of devices. It comes with USB-C and USB-A ports, and also an LED to let you monitor the voltage and current.

  • A render of the UGREEN car charger in grey color with two USB ports.

    Ugreen 2-Port Fast Car Charger

    Best Value

    The UGREEN fast car charger features an aluminum shell and packs two ports: Type-A and Type-C. It supports USB PD on the Type-C port, Quick Charge 3.0, Huawei Fast Charge Protocol (FCP), Huawei Super Charge Protocol (SCP), and Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging (AFP) on the Type-A port. The charger can deliver up to 20W power using USB PD protocol and up to 22.5W using Quick Charge.

  • A render of the UGREEN 69W triple port car charger in black color.

    Ugreen Tri-Ports Super Fast Car Charger

    Triple port charger

    The Ugreen Tri-Ports charger comes with three USB ports — one Type-A and two Type-C — and the second Type-C port can offer up to 60W charging if only one port is being used, making it excellent for charging USB PD-compatible laptops. In addition, the charger supports Quick Charge 3.0, PPS, SCP, AFC, and FCP.

  • A render of the ANIOPE 6 port car charger with an extended cable.

    AINOPE 70W car charger

    Multi-port charger

    The AINOPE 6 port car charger is perfect for those who want to multiple devices at once. It comes with three USB-C ports and three USB-A ports, and the charger supports both PD and QC 3.0 charging standards. It also comes with a 5ft cable with which it can be used by the passengers who are sitting at the back too.

  • A render of the Spigen dual port 45W car charger in black color.

    Spigen SteadiBoost with QC 3.0

    Small footprint

    Spigen SteadiBoost with QC 3.0 charger supports both USB PD and Quick Charge 3.0 standards. It can provide 27W of power via the Type-C port and 18W via the Type-A port. In addition, the car charger carries a compact form factor and fits pretty much flush with the dash.

Best car chargers with USB PD support

Here are some of the best car chargers that support USB PD.

  • A render of the Spigen 65W dual USB car charger in black color.

    Spigen 65W ArcStation Car Charger

    Editor’s Choice

    This Spigen ArcStation car charger is an excellent option if you want to charge your MacBook Air and iPhone quickly. It supports USB Power Delivery and can provide up to 45W charging through one of the Type-C ports. The other port can deliver 20W.

  • A render of the Nekteck 45W car charger with PD in black color.

    Nekteck 18W 4-port USB-Car charger

    Best Value

    The NekTeck USB Car Charger is an excellent option if you primarily want to charge a USB PD-compatible device. There is an additional USB Type-A port available, but that only supports up to 12W charging. When just the Type-C port is being used, the charger can deliver up to 45W power. Unfortunately, there’s no PPS support.

  • A render of the Baseus 160W USB PD car charger in black color with blue halo ring light.

    Baseus 160W USB PD 3.0 car charger

    Premium Pick

    The 160W Baseus car charger is one of the fastest and best car chargers out there right now. The best thing about this particular charger is that it can output 100W + 30W + 30W across all three ports simultaneously. It also comes with a soft LED ring at the top to make it easier to find the ports in the dark.

Best car chargers with Quick Charge support

If you’re looking for a reliable car charger with Quick Charger 3.0 support or higher, check out the options in this section below.

  • A render of the Anker PowerDrive 3 USB car charger with two ports in black color.

    Anker PowerDrive Speed 2

    Best Value

    The Anker PowerDrive Speed 2 is a simple car charger that comes with two USB Type-A ports with support for QC 3.0. Each QC 3.0-compatible port on this charger can deliver up to 19.5W of power simultaneously, which is enough to quickly top up even the modern phones out there.

  • A render of the AINOPE USB car charger with a pull ring.

    AINOPE car charger

    Comes with a pull ring

    The AINOPE car charger can deliver 36W of power via QC 3.0 to compatible devices. Additionally, it also comes with a USB-C port with PD support for up to 36W of power. You also get a built-in pull ring with this charger that makes it easier to remove from the car.

  • A render of the JOYROOM 78W USB car charger in grey color.

    JOYROOM 72W multi port charger

    Back seat charging

    This 72W car charger comes with as many as five ports that let you charge multiple devices at once. You get three USB-A ports with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support, and two USB Type-C ports with USB-PD. Two of those ports (a USB-C and a USB-A) are connected to an extension cable for back seat passengers. 

Best car chargers for phones with no fast charging

If you’re using a budget smartphone, there is a good chance your phone doesn’t support a fast-charging standard. In that case, you can pick one of the following car chargers. Unfortunately, these chargers won’t work with your laptop.

  • A render of the Belkin 24W dual port charger in black color.

    Belkin USB car charger

    Minimal all back design

    This Belkin USB-A car charger comes with two ports, each of which can deliver up to 12W of power to your phone. It has decent build quality overall and comes with some thoughtful additions, like an LED indicator.

  • A render of the AINOPE all metal USB car charger in grey.

    AINOPE all metal USB car charger

    All metal body

    This is one of the smallest USB car chargers you can find on the market right now. It has a zinc alloy body that looks good and is scratch resistant, and it also comes with two USB ports that let you charge two devices simultaneously.

  • A render of the TOLLEFE 5 port charger with an extended cable.

    Tollefe 5 Multi USB-Car Charger

    Best for back seat charging

    This TOLLEFE multi-port car charger is perfect for long drives or other situations where you have multi people sitting in the backseat. This car charger comes with three ports on the charger itself while adding two additional ports via an extended cable for the back seat.

That wraps up our collection of the best car chargers for phones and laptops. If you’re looking for a reliable charger with multiple ports and support for various fast charging standards, the Baseus 65W USB-C car Charger is a good option to consider. However, if you only want a charger with USB PD or Quick Charge-compatible ports, you can’t go wrong with the Spigen ArcStation 65W PD Charger or AINOPE QC 3.0 car charger, respectively. Finally, the Belkin dual USB car charger is a good option for phones without fast charging.

Which car charger are you planning to buy? If you’re also looking for a USB-PD compatible wall charger, we have selected the best USB PD chargers for phones and laptops.