10 Best Portable Tire Inflators and Air ... - Reviewed
10 Best Portable Tire Inflators and Air ... - Reviewed
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Roadside emergencies never happen on schedule. To stay prepared for unexpected car issues, having the right tools on hand is crucial. A low tire warning can indicate a problem that poses dangers to you and your passengers. Whether it's a slow leak, bad seal, or faulty valve, a portable air compressor will allow you to safely reach the nearest service station for a professional inspection.
After extensive research and testing, the top choice for a portable tire inflator and air compressor is the Avid Power 20v Cordless Inflator (available at Amazon). It's lightweight and reliable, making it user-friendly for almost anyone.
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Our Best Overall pick is a battery-powered, adaptable device that can be held or placed on the ground during use.
Best Overall
The Avid Power 10v Cordless Portable Tire Inflator resembles a power drill. Thanks to the large battery pack built into the base of its grip, you can set it on the ground as you work, keeping your hands free to connect its long air hose and nozzle to your tire. When using it in hard-to-reach places, you’ll find that the Avid is reasonably light, well balanced, and comfortable to hold. We found that this compressor’s backlit digital display was easy to read, night or day.
During testing, the Avid was able to refill a tire from 25 PSI to 35 PSI in just over a minute, making it the third-fastest air compressor we used. More important than its speed, however, was its accuracy: the PSI readings it produced were near the top of the pack with an error rate of about 1 PSI compared to our control tire gauge.
We liked that users can set an inflation target when using this compressor--it’s a great feature that’ll help keep you from overinflating your tires. Once the Avid pumps up your tire to the desired PSI, it'll add an additional 1 PSI before its automatic shut-off kicks in. So, when you disconnect the compressor from your tire, the resulting air loss will leave you with the perfect amount of inflation.
Unlike many of the car tire inflators and portable air compressors in this guide, the Avid can make use of multiple power sources. Its included rechargeable battery, an AC charger, and DC charger adapter make it possible to keep it juiced up, wherever you go. What’s more, its battery pack is equipped with a USB port that can be used to charge additional devices.
The biggest downside is that, at 89.5dB, the Avid was the loudest inflator that we tested. While it should only be one for a few minutes in the case of a flat tire, it’s still something you wouldn’t want to spend too much time listening to.
Pros
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Quick inflation
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Easy to use
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Battery and DC powered
Cons
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Loud
$77.99 from Walmart
Other Portable Tire Inflators and Portable Air Compressors We Tested
The Dewalt DCC020IB 20 V Max Inflator looks more like a tiny boombox than a portable air compressor. But it's almost toyish design hides a heavy-duty, full-featured inflation machine.
Its LED light illuminated digital display and the fact that you can choose your desired PSI with the twist of a dial makes it easy to use, in any lighting condition. In addition to tires, the Dewalt can also be used to pump air into air mattresses, sporting equipment, and pool toys, thanks to its collection of hose-end adaptors.
We did have some issues with it, however, first, while it’s possible to power the DCC020IB with a Lithium-Ion battery, the battery must be purchased separately, adding to this compressor’s overall cost. If you choose to go without a battery pack, the compressor can still be juiced up using its included DC vehicle adapter. And, while its display is well lit, we were disappointed to find that the DCC020IB doesn’t come equipped with a work light. Finally, because of its size, we feel that this compressor is best suited for use with vehicles with a lot of cargo space to spare, or in a home garage. Compact car owners should likely steer clear of the DCC020IB.
Pros
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Inflates tires and air mattresses
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Battery power option
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Impressive display
Cons
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Battery sold separately
$119.00 from Home Depot
One of the smallest inflators we tested for this guide, the EP Auto AT-010-1Z was also one of the quietest. During testing, the AT-010-1Z took close to two minutes to inflate a tire, which is a little on the slow side. That said, once the correct amount of air pressure has been reached, the compressor will automatically turn itself off. This is a great feature that allows drivers to tend to other issues their vehicle might be having, without worrying about accidentally overfilling their tires.
Additionally, we liked its simple, but effective cable management system. We also appreciated the fact that the AT-010-1Z is small and sturdy enough to survive being thrown into the trunk of a car, without having to worry about it taking up too much space or being damaged.
Pros
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Beefy direct-drive motor
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Auto shut-off function
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Bright, accurate display
Cons
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Slow to inflate
$27.97 from Walmart
The Black and Decker 20v Max Cordless tire inflator can be powered by a rechargeable papery pack… provided you buy one for it. However, it does come with AC and DC cables making it possible to power this compressor with a 12V outlet or a wall socket in your home.
We were disappointed that, like the Dewalt DCC020IB, the 20v Max lacks a built-in work light for those times when you need to inflate a tire in the middle of the night on the side of the road. Additionally, just like the DCC020IB, its larger size makes it a better choice for use at home or in vehicles with a lot of storage space.
These complaints aside, the 20v Max proved capable of adding 10 PSI to a tire, in under one minute. It’s also worth noting that it had the best cable and hose management of any of the compressors that we tested.
Pros
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Great cable management
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AC power
Cons
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No light
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Battery costs extra
$67.41 from Home Depot
$91.54 from Walmart
Like our Best Overall pick, the Air Hawk Pro portable air inflator resembles a cordless drill. It ships with a rechargeable battery but no DC cable. So, if you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and the battery is dead, it’s useless. We found the compressor’s user interface to be just as disappointing: its display is bright but tiny, and the small size of its buttons could make it difficult for some to use. If you can manage to push the right buttons, you’ll find that the Air Hawk Pro allows you to set the desired PSI. When that PSI is reached, the compressor will automatically turn off.
During testing, it was able to pump 10 PSI into a tire in one minute and 20 seconds. Unfortunately, the compressor’s short air hose means that if your tire’s nozzle is at the 12 o’clock position, you’ll either have to hold the Air Hawk the entire time that it’s doing its job or let it hang from the end of its hose, which is less than ideal.
Pros
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Easy to use
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Rechargeable battery
Cons
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No DC backup
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Short hose
$50.00 from Walmart
The Husky HD12A was the second quickest compressor that we tested. It’s a rugged metal inflator that plugs into your car’s 12-volt adapter for power. Unfortunately, in lowlight conditions, despite its display being modestly illuminated, the numbers on its gauge are so small they’re hard to read without using a flashlight.
We were also disappointed to find that while its hose can be tucked neatly away, there’s no cable management for the compressor’s DC car adapter. This is bad news if you need to store the HD12A in a messy trunk, as there’s a chance that it could get snagged and frayed.
Pros
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Quick to inflate
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Rugged
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Cons
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Hard to read gauge
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Poor cable management
Buy now at Amazon
The Stanley JumpIt J5C09 has a lot of things going for it. You can jumpstart a car with it, its internal battery can be used to power USB devices, and, because its battery is so large, you’ll be able to refill your tires using the JumpIt without having to worry about DC cables. But its huge battery is also a huge drawback. Weighing in at 17.75 pounds, it’s too heavy and too unwieldy to be hauling around in your trunk.
If you just need a compressor to use at home, get the JumpIt. If you want something that’ll save you in a pinch in the middle of nowhere, skip it.
Pros
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Can jump start a car battery
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USB hook up to charge electronics
Cons
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Heavy
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Loud
$116.85 from Walmart
If you’re looking for pure speed, the Viair 85P is your compressor. This car tire inflator was able to top off 10 PSI in just 43 seconds. That’s 18 seconds quicker than anything else we tested. Unfortunately, the first time we used it, we didn’t realize that the gauge was off by 5 PSI. On our second attempt, in order to meet our 35 PSI target, we had to adjust the compressor to shut off 40 PSI. This might not sound like a big deal, but given that a normal tolerance for error on a compressor is 1-3 PSI, a 5 PSI variance is pretty high.
We were disappointed to find that the Viair 85P’s work light is so dim that it’s nearly worthless and worse, there’s nothing in the way of actual backlighting to illuminate its gauge.
Finally, this portable air compressor has no cable management system to speak of. That said, users can gather up it, along with its cable and hose, and stuff the lot into an included storage sack. So it’s got that going for it.
Pros
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Quick Excellent
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build quality
Cons
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Gauge isn’t backlit
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Poor Cable Management
$69.95 from Home Depot
$60.86 from Walmart
The Astro angular plastic body looks like something out of a 1970s science fiction movie. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, the quality of plastic used will ensure that the compressor will get banged up pretty badly once it’s been riding around in a trunk full of tools and heavy objects for a while. bad but its plastic outer body seems like it’s going to get banged up pretty bad once it makes its way to a trunk. It does have a bright and easy-to-read display
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