5 Top-Rated Portable Spark Plug Socket Sets For Your Emergency Road Kit

Spark plug sockets can be just as essential in your emergency road kit as a standard socket set, as you never know when you might need to swap out or clean a plug on the fly. It's important to know exactly how often you should change spark plugs in your particular engine, as failing to do so can lead to stalls, misfires, or completely dead engines. Standard sockets can crack the delicate insulators of spark plugs, which is why many spark plug sockets include rubber inserts to protect them as well as grip them, which standard sockets can't do. Plus, standard sockets are also too thick to fit where spark plugs are installed.

Certain major socket set brands are better than others, but spark plug sockets are more niche and often aren't included in basic socket sets. If your socket set is lacking spark plug sockets or an adapter, a simple fix is to supplement it with a compact spark plug socket set. Fortunately, there are plenty to choose from that are small enough to store in your car and include cases to keep pieces from rattling around your trunk. The majority of cars these days use 5/8-inch spark plug sizes, while 13/16-inch is also fairly common, especially with trucks and older vehicles.

You'll want to make sure the spark plug socket set you buy is compatible with your engine. You'll also want a set that is reliable and high-quality. Those with strong user reviews are a good indication of quality, since the feedback is based on firsthand experience. Here are five top-rated portable spark plug socket sets based on user reviews. More information on how these sets were evaluated can be found at the end of this list.

Ares makes useful third-part accessories for Makita tools and other brands, including sockets that can be used with a wide range of ratchets you may already own. These include various top-rated spark plug socket sets such as its 3-piece and 5-piece options. Its 10-piece Extra Deep and Standard-Length Magnetic Spark Plug Socket Set works with standard ⅜-inch drives and includes both standard and deep sockets for harder-to-reach plugs. It includes 6-point sockets that are 2.5 inches and 6-inches long, which come in 9/16-inch, ⅝-inch, and 13/16-inch sizes. Two thin-walled 12-point sockets are also included in 14- and 16 millimeters.

Each piece is cold forged and made of heat-treated chrome vanadium steel for enhanced durability. The finish is also chrome-plated to prevent corrosion from the various types of chemicals the sockets may come into contact with in your garage. Size markings are located on each socket for quick identification, and the set comes with a foam tray to keep everything organized. The tray is compact, allowing you to keep it pretty much wherever you want to.

Embedded magnetic inserts in each socket are what allows them to securely grip spark plugs when you're installing or removing them. You'll always want sockets that offer a strong grip, because nothing can be more annoying than one slipping and falling, either deep into the engine well or down to the ground and rolling away to who-knows-where. The set doesn't include spares, so you'll certainly want to make sure that doesn't happen. Ares includes a limited lifetime warranty for the kit. The Ares 10-piece Extra Deep and Standard-Length Magnetic Spark Plug Socket Set (model 11033) is available from Amazon for $98.

If you're looking for spark plug sockets from GearWrench, one option is to go with the massive GearWrench 1,268-piece tool set, which includes sockets, ratchets, and much, much more. But, if you're looking for something just a bit more modest, there's always its 5-piece set, which is one of the highest-rated on Amazon. The GearWrench 5-piece ⅜-inch, 6-point Magnetic Swivel Spark Plug Socket Set has an excellent 4.7 out of five overall customer score based on over 1,700 Amazon reviews, with users appreciative of the convenient swivel mechanisms each socket is designed with.

This swivel design allows the sockets to bend at an angle and be used in tight spots or awkward spaces. Rubber inserts center the socket and protect the spark plug while you tighten or loosen it. A magnetic insert will hold the plug and, ideally, keep it from falling from the socket and getting lost or stuck. With only five pieces, this is a very basic set, but still has sockets you'll get plenty of use out of, as they're designed for a 3/8-inch square drive and come in 9/16-inch and 5/8-inch sizes.

A blow mold case is included to store and protect the pieces. The sockets are pretty durable in their own right, though, and should last you quite a while. They're constructed from alloy steel and include a bright chrome finish. Some users note that the magnetic hold of the sockets could be stronger, but with overwhelmingly positive reviews, this small specialty socket set is still one of the best GearWrench tools and accessories for mechanics. The GearWrench 5-piece 3/8-inch, 6-point Magnetic Swivel Spark Plug Socket Set (model 80601) is available from Amazon for $52.99.

Cheap spark plugs may not last as long as expensive ones, but they still typically offer premium performance and connectivity. Similarly, you can find a spark plug socket set that's affordable but also high-quality, such as the top-rated TecoTek 17-piece Drive Tool Accessory and Spark Plug Socket Set. Based on over 435 Amazon reviews, the set has a very strong 4.7 out of five overall user score and is more than twice as cheap as many other options with high customer ratings.

Plus, with 17 pieces, you're getting a little more bang for your buck than with other compact sets. In addition to spark plug sockets, it includes three extension bars (3, 6, and 10 inches), pivoting U-joints, and drill/driver adapters (1/4-inch and 3/8-inch) and another set of drive-size adapters. The five spark plug sockets that are included are 5/8-inch, 3/4-inch, 13/16-inch, 14-millimeter, and 18-millimeter. Each is equipped with a rubber insert and stamped size markings.

The set is built from heavy-duty chrome vanadium with corrosion-resistant mirror finishing, and TecoTek offers a 1-year quality guarantee. Despite its lower cost, many users report that the set lives up to its description and is high quality. However, some note that the rubber inserts don't hold spark plugs as securely as they should. The TecoTek 17-piece Drive Tool Accessory and Spark Plug Socket Set (model TC015) is available from Amazon for around $26.

Based on over 530 Amazon reviews, the Bilitools 10-piece Spark Plug Socket Set has a solid 4.6 out of five average customer score, making it one of the highest-rated sets available. The kit includes seven spark plug sockets — 14-millimeter, 16-millimeter, 18-millimeter, 9/16-inch, ⅝-inch, ¾-inch, and 13/16-inch. Each magnetically secures spark plugs for better retention while you install or remove them.

Additionally, the set includes a 10-inch extension bar and gap tool, as well as a click-type torque wrench that can deliver between 10 and 45 ft-lbs (13.5 to 61 Nm) of torque. The tool makes a clicking sound once you hit the torque you set so you know when to stop turning, helping prevent any overtightening. The 72-tooth ratchet head allows for a 5-degree arc for use in tighter places.

The included torque wrench is a big reason why the set is highly-rated, with many users singling it out in their positive review and noting its strong performance. However, there are a small minority of negative reviews that mention issues with the magnetic hold and the socket holding plugs too tightly. Also, while each piece is constructed of chrome vanadium steel, some say the sockets and accessories aren't very durable and can break. The Bilitools 10-piece Spark Plug Socket Set (model B1R955293) is available from Amazon for $59.99.

The Aeroforce 14-piece ⅜-inch Drive Swivel Magnetic Spark Plug Socket Set includes seven different sockets and seven other accessories, including a ⅜-inch drive click-style torque wrench. The 72-tooth torque wrench is industrial-grade and is certified calibrated, with a torque range of 5- and 45 ft-lbs (6.8 to 61.2 Nm) within 3% accuracy. The other accessories include two hex sockets, two Torx drive adapters (T25 and T40), a U-joint, and a 10-inch extension bar.

Three of the spark plug sockets are 6-point pieces in ⅝-inch, ¾-inch, and 13/16-inch sizes, with a rubber insert built into each. Two magnetic 12-point spark plug sockets are included and equipped with a 360-degree swivel design for more versatile access. The pieces in the set are made of chrome vanadium steel and a polished chrome finish for durability and corrosion resistance.

The Aeroforce 14-piece ⅜-inch Drive Swivel Magnetic Spark Plug Socket Set has a solid 4.6 out of five overall customer score on Amazon, based on over 460 user reviews. There are mixed reviews when it comes to the sockets' magnetic hold and rubber inserts, however, with reports that the inserts can break after just a few uses, making it impossible to securely hold spark plugs. While an included torque wrench is certainly an advantage to a spark plug socket set, at least one review claims it's inaccurate and will overtighten. Overall, though, users are happy with the set, with eight out of 10 customers giving it five out of five stars. The Aeroforce 14-piece ⅜-inch Drive Swivel Magnetic Spark Plug Socket Set (model ‎AE-JNJD02014) is available from Amazon for $48.

The listed portable spark plug socket sets are all top-rated on Amazon, meaning they have overall user scores that are higher than most sets. Each has 4.5 out of five stars or higher, averaged from hundreds, if not thousands, of user ratings. With so many user reviews factoring into the overall score for each set, any fake or outlier reviews made in bad faith (whether positively or negatively) won't have as much of an impact on the average.

Because this list is focused on top-rated spark plug socket sets that are also portable, only smaller, compact kits were considered. For the same reason, sets that come with included cases were considered more suitable for the list. Because of this, there are some top-rated spark plug socket sets with high user scores — such as the OemTools 22891 3-piece set — that weren't mentioned on the list, due to the lack of an included case. These three sockets wouldn't be much use if they've rolled under your car seat, after all. Finally, price was also factored into the selection of these products. Since it's a smaller, niche set, costing less than $100 was considered a plus as each set was evaluated.