PICTURE it - you’re dashing to work, fly out of the front door, jump in the car and nothing.
But technology now allows us to mitigate against the effects of these banana skins of life.
In our hypothetical everyday situation above, jump starters are arguably metaphorical lifesavers.
Are jump starters any good?
You pull out your phone, text your boss to say the car hasn’t started and buy yourself five minutes of breathing space to fetch your handy jump starter pack and connect it to the battery.
Within seconds, you’re back on your way, as though nothing ever happened.
But what should you look out for when buying one? And which models are the best ones available on the market today?
Here's what you need to know.
What should I look for when buying a portable jump starter?
When picking a portable jump starter, the size of the battery, measured in Amp hours (Ah), indicates the power of the pack.
That’ll help your car start again more easily and keep enough power back for charging other things.
Bear in mind, more power equals more weight and usually, more expense.
If you’re wanting to keep costs and weight down, you won’t want your power pack to do anything but provide an emergency jump start.
In this age of modern technology though, you might find it beneficial to have a multi-purpose pack, versatile enough to handle charging other devices.
Using a mix of expert knowledge, user reviews and industry tests, we’ve created the following list of the best car jump starters in 2019.
1. GB70 2000A NOCO Jump Starter
This portable lithium-ion jump starter pack from Noco delivers a powerful 2,000A charge into the battery, starting your flat battery in seconds.
Providing around 40 jumps on a single charge, the patented safety tech of the Noco GeniusBoost GB70 offers spark-proof connections and reverse polarity protection, easy for anyone to use.
It has USB ports and so can double up as a power pack for smart devices, and other car devices, such as tyre inflators.
It has an in-built torch and its compact size makes it handy enough to store in the glove box, too.
2. ARTECK Car Jump Starter Up To 4.0L Auto Battery Charger
- ARTECK Car Jump Starter, £39.99 from Amazon - buy here
This budget power pack and car jump starter provides up to 20 jumps on a single charge.
The Artek jump starter comes with built-in heavy-duty clamps for attaching to your battery terminals.
The 3.0 USB port provides about 3-4 full phone charges and the LED torch features strobe and SOS signal patterns that will flash for up to 120 hours.
Good quality battery cells and circuitry have in-built safety features to prevent short circuits.
The whole pack recharges in four hours and comes with a two-year warranty—more than respectable.
3. Sealey RS1322HV
This Sealey RS1322HV Roadstart Emergency Power Pack isn’t the most compact of jump start packs, but it’s three times more convenient, at only double the price of our cheapest recommendation.
The RS1322HV combines an air compressor, power pack and jump starter, making a bit more handy to keep in the car in an emergency.
It’s solid build and easy-to-use design, including an integrated torch and safety features, ensure you won’t be left in the dark.
Two 12V socks and a USB outlet enable charging of other devices. Sealey also offers a one-year warranty.
More from sun selects motoring
Found our pick of the best car jump starters handy? Why not check out our best car diagnostic tools.
Looking for more motoring recommendations? Check out our dedicated Sun Selects motoring section.
To browse our full range of Sun Selects recommendations, be sure to head back to the Sun Selects page.
This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.
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