Drive Better: What to Look for in a Jump Starter Pack for Your Car

There’s nothing worse than turning your key in the ignition and hearing...nothing. A little jump-starter pack, kept in the glove box or your trunk, can save you, though. You can recharge your own car battery without asking for help or waiting for AAA.

The old style of jumper cables require another car—and another person—to work: attach one end of the cables to a working battery and the other to your dead battery to jolt your car back to life. But you’re not always near other people, and those are the exact times when you don’t want to be stranded with a lifeless car. A battery jump starter needs no other car, and no other person. Make sure it’s charged ahead of time and drive around with the knowledge that you’ll never be stuck.

Jump starter packs these days also include a lot of welcome bonuses. Some have bright LED lights, which can make hooking up the cables in the dark much easier. They often have USB or even AC outlets, enabling them to charge phones, tablets, computers or other gadgets on the go. And you can often recharge these packs via USB themselves, in the car via the cigarette lighter outlet.

In general, you should keep these portable jump chargers in your car at all times. Recharge them fully after each use, or once a month if you haven’t used them—these devices do lose a little bit of power while stored.