People owning a car often buy protecting equipment for some part of their vehicle such as the rearview mirror, leather seats, etc. However, they often forget to get an air compressor to protect the tire and themselves in some case.
We are here to present our prove why you need this product, testing process and the list of the best portable air compressor for car. From that, you can choose for yourself the most suitable one.
Top 5 Best Portable Air Compressor For Car in 2023
Why We Need An Portable Air Compressor
Imagining you are on the go, then your tire is suddenly sprayed, so what would you do now?
More dangerous if you are on the highway, so there are only two solutions in this case, which is you can call for help or use a portable air compressor to fill up your tire.
Do you see it? Now a portable air compressor is your savior.
Besides, an air compressor has a range of functions. For instance, you can use it to pump your tent on camping, or to clean the dust stuck in some part of your car.
Now you can see the reason why we need one air compressor, but how to buy a suitable product on many others on the market? The next step shows you how to pick up a good product.
How To Choose A Quality Portable Air Compressor
Size
Using compressor too small is a common mistake many people make because smaller products will be cheaper.
However, you know that the steam of a truck or SUV tire can be twice or three times the amount of a regular tire especially on the sedan, and you need to base on the type of car to choose the appropriate automotive electric pump.
But if it is an SUV or semi-truck, it is recommended to use a large, 2-cylinder or 1-cylinder type, but the pump capacity must reach about 60 – 80LPM (liters/minute).
A large air compressor can help you to inflate an SUV or semi-truck in just 3 – 4 minutes, but if you use a small compressor, the time will be double or triple.
Auto Shut off Features
It’s essential to fill your correct tire pressure, as the tire will explode if you fill exceed pressure need.
But how do you know when to stop pumping? This is why the need the automatic shut off feature, the air compressor can measure and manage the proper air you need for your tire.
Then it can auto shut off pumping when your tire is filled enough.
So you should prioritize the products to have an automatic shut off a feature while finding the products.
The Display and Work Light
The compressor has best-LED screen can display the quality-images, allowing you to read accurate information of the pressure inside the tire.
Besides, a LED can provide enough light for you to inflate your tire in the dark place. So it’s essential for an air compressor to have the LED screen.
Convenient Power Source
In the market, there are four kinds of power source, which is a cigarette lighter charging cord, car’s battery, batteries, and the wall plug option.
But the cigarette socket and car’s battery is someway better in a breakdown situation
Take an example, you are on the road, and there is no power outlet, and the battery is over so that the only power source can work these two types I mentioned above.
Therefore, Having a cigarette socket power source or car’s battery is quite essential for a portable air compressor.
It’s all the features that you should take care before purchasing the product, but do you know how to inflate the tire properly by portable air compressor?
Let’s continue reading to find out.
Steps To Properly Pump Car Tires
Not everyone has the experience in inflating tire properly, so here give you some important steps to.
Just a few simple steps, you can easily do it by yourself.
Be careful; each vehicle has a different pressure level, so rely on the manufacturer’s tire parameters to pump the car’s tires.
So do you know how to read the parameter?
You should remember 1 PSI (Pound per square inch) = 6,895 KPa. In which, 1 KPa = 1,000 Pa = 1,000 kg / cm2. In which, 1 KPa = 0.01 Bar; PSI, KPa or Bar are popular tire pressure measurement units on manuals or pressure gauges.
You have to read through the manufacturer’s instruction manual; then you should place the air compressor in a flat position. Just two simple steps as follows:
Step 1: Pre-inflate to a pressure of about 1.5kgf / cm2 and then check if the tire has any problems. If the tire is damaged like tearing, deforming, so it is best to bring it to those with professional repair experience.
Step 2: When you inflate the tire to the required pressure. Nitrogen gas inside can be used to protect tires and maintain tire pressure.
Be careful, to prevent objects from falling off when the tire explodes; the compressor should stand in line with the tire a distance of 3m.
Now it’s time to show you the best fire portable air compressor in 2023
Best Portable Air Compressor
1. JACO SmartPro Digital Tire Inflator Pump
Editor Rating: This model owns a smart pressure technology, meaning it can preset the value refer to your tire’s PSI level and automatically shut off the pump when it reaches that value.
It has a powerful motor as Jaco can inflate auto tires up to 45 PSI and the bike tires up to 100 PSI. You only need to wait 3-4 minutes to finish inflating a tire.
You can find in this model a digital air gauge feature; it helps you to work well in the dark place, making the user feel excited about this model,
The producer also inserts to this model a heavy duty woven air hose. You can seal to the tire while inflating without breaking the valve.
The power cord of Jaco has 10’ length, which can reach to the different tires around a car. Now you don’t need to move the compressor to each tire; you need to move the cord.
However, the sound when you start this machine is very loud, my ears almostly blow up when I first tried it.
Pros:
- Built-in digital air gauge
- Long power cord
- Smart pressure technology
Cons:
- No wall plug
A powerful but very noisy compressor, so it’s suitable for people to work in the garage, not at home.
2. EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump
Editor Rating: We cannot skip the EPAuto products when discussing the car’s equipment.
Although EP has bigger size than almost box-shaped portable air compressor, it is actually light. The product’s weight is only 3.8 pound; you can quickly put it up and transport to any place.
The automatic shut off feature was built in this model, but it doesn’t have the LED screen. What a pity!
But don’t worry as it still works great at night time. Although it only has the LCD screen, it comes with the flashlight when you turn on the power.
For the most compressor, it may get overheat during the operation, so you need to turn it off after a long working hour. But thanks to the automatic shut off features, it can auto cut off the operation when the heat gets too high.
Pros:
- Power/Flashlight built-in
- Auto shut off when overheating
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Big size
- No wall socket
There may be a lot of product with better features, but owning a compressor with many features in this price is different. If you are finding a compressor for your car with a low budget, we recommend this model.
3. Ryobi P737 18-Volt ONE+ Portable Cordless
Editor Rating: In all sincerity, this product has tugged at our heartstrings.
For most people, the first impression of Ryobi P737 is the compact size, but it still can perform excellent like another big size portable air compressor.
In my opinion, a “portable” tool must be convenient in storage, so this model satisfies my feeling.
Different from almost compressor model, Ryobi P737 runs on its batteries, not the car’s battery or cigarette socket.
This feature has both advantages and disadvantages; the good is you can bring the compressor to different tires easily as it lights and doesn’t have a long cord. And in the unfortunate case, it almost useless when the battery run out, so you may have some reserved battery if you use this model.
As I said above, the compressor has high-pressure inflation even higher than some other big-size ones. It can pump up to 150 PSI, meaning you can inflate the big tire with ease.
There are one thing making this model unattractive; it doesn’t have both the LCD or LED screen, so you have to check the pressure on the clock like other classic compressors.
Pros:
- Compact size
- High-pressure inflation
- Ease to use
Cons:
- Classic screen
- Depend on its batteries
If you like a very lightweight compressor that can move to four tires of a car easily, then this model is for you. But remember to bring the backup batteries.
4. Helteko Portable Air Compressor Pump 150PSI 12V – Digital Tire Inflator
Editor Rating: Another modern model compressor in this list, meaning it contains all features you expect such as LED screen, automatic shut off, or Cigarette lighter socket.
The motor of this portable air compressor is powerful, which can inflate a standard car tire for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Bonus, the cord of Helteko has high durable construction as it is made from high-quality plastic and stainless steel. You can utilize for most of the object around the house like a bike tire, sports balls; and it still works effectively.
As it contains a lot of functions, this model is quite more massive and larger than the most air compressor. Although it is a “portable” tool, it’s quite challenging to bring it on the go.
Pros:
- High durable construction
- Cigarette Socket
- Powerful motor
- LED screen
Cons:
- Heavy and big
- No wall socket adapter
This model fits with people who love the eye-catching design. And it also has all the best features that an advanced compressor must have. If you don’t mind about its weight, then you should try it.
5. Viair 00088 88P Portable Air Compressor
Editor Rating: The first impression of most people about this product is the versatile application, which means it can perform well for most type or tires from small ATVs, trucks, SUVs, to sedans.
Besides, the Viair 00088 has impressive portability because of its lightweight and convenient handle designed, meaning you can bring it on the go without any trouble.
This model use the power from the car’s battery, so you don’t have to worry about the power source if you don’t have backup batteries.
However, this is not a modern portable air compressor, so you don’t have some features such as the LED screen or automatic shut off. You still have to look for the clock to measure the pressure correctly inflating inside the tire.
Pros:
- Impressive portability
- Versatile performance
- Strong construction
- Using the car’s battery
- Not expensive at all
Cons:
- No LED screen
- No automatic shut off
In our opinion, we don’t very appreciate it much as it doesn’t have advanced features. But if you want a cheap and have a versatile application for various tire models, then you should pay for it.
Wrapping Up,
We have shown you all the best portable air compressor for the car so far; now you can choose for yourself a suitable product.
We hope this article can ease the pain of endless research, helping you to have a pleasant shopping time
What do you think about our list? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And if you find this article helpful, please share it with your friends.
I am Peter Levick, with over 10 years of experience in the home improvement industry, I have become a seasoned expert in painting and paint sprayers. Through numerous DIY projects, I have developed a keen eye for aesthetics and a deep understanding of the technical aspects involved. My expertise extends to various paint sprayer systems, and I stay updated with the latest advancements. I bring a meticulous approach to every project, ensuring stunning and durable results. Clients can trust in my craftsmanship and commitment to delivering exceptional work.
