Why Every Driver Should Keep This Portable Power Tool In Their Car

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No matter whether you're heading down the road to the store or on a cross-country road trip, it always pays to be prepared when you're driving. Part of that preparation is making sure you know all the tips and tricks to make sure your car runs smoothly. Another part is making sure you have the right equipment with you should you need to fix something on the road. A common issue that many drivers will have faced over the years is getting a puncture, and if you haven't got the right equipment to fix it, you won't be going anywhere.

That's why keeping a compact, portable tire inflator is a good idea for all drivers, regardless of your annual mileage or the car you drive. This convenient power tool allows you to top up your tire pressures on the go, and when paired with a tire repair kit, can also help you get back on the road if you get a flat tire.

A wide array of major brands offer portable tire inflators, and which one is best for you depends on several factors. Firstly, you'll want to consider your budget — cheaper inflators might look appealing, but some might lack the power of pricier rivals, which could increase the time it takes to inflate a tire. Some tire inflators also offer additional features, while others have a reputation for being particularly easy to use.

SlashGear's review team has put several portable tire inflators through their paces, with a couple of picks impressing us overall. We tested the Syncwire Inflate 190 on both car tires and motorcycle tires, as well as various smaller inflatable items like sports balls. We found its battery life and inflating speed to be consistently strong, while its LCD display made it easy to read. At the time of writing, the Syncwire Inflate 190 is available on Amazon for a retail price of $52.99.

Another compact portable inflator that gained our reviewer's seal of approval was the Denvix tire inflator. It was quick and accurate when inflating car tires and only reported a 3% drop in battery after reinflating a tire from 27 PSI to 32 PSI. It wasn't particularly quiet during operation, but anyone who's reinflating a tire on the side of a road after a puncture is unlikely to be very concerned about the noise. The Denvix inflator is available on Amazon for a list price of $99.95 at the time of writing. That might be quite a bit pricier than the Syncwire, but the Denvix has the added advantage of doubling up as a power bank. Its 15,000 mAh capacity can be used to top up smartphones or other small devices in a pinch, either via its USB-A port or USB-C fast charging port.

With a wide range of portable tire inflators on the market, buyers aren't short of options when it comes to picking the tool that's right for them. Major power tool brands like DeWalt and Ryobi offer their own portable tire inflators, but in order to function, they need to be paired with suitable battery packs. That makes them a pricey proposition for anyone who isn't already invested in their respective cordless tool ecosystems, and so we haven't included them here.

When picking from the current crop of portable tire inflators, we focused solely on inflators that featured integrated batteries and therefore could be bought as standalone tools without the need for costly extra battery packs. Both of our top picks have been put to the test in a variety of real-world situations by SlashGear's review team and have proved to be suitable for quickly inflating car tires as well as a range of other inflatables.