Your car tires are an important part of your vehicle. They have to be maintained at the right conditions for optimal performance. Not having the right tire pressure can reduce your fuel economy and compromise your safety.
Portable tire inflators are small, lightweight air compressors specifically designed for car tires and other inflatables. Unlike air pumps, tire inflators supply pressurized air. They save you the stress of manually pumping it.
Why you should buy a portable tire inflator?
Light and portable
They are easy to carry around and can easily be kept in your trunk. They are particularly useful in an emergency. Portable inflators use the cigarette lighter or the battery in your car. Some come with dedicated, rechargeable batteries.
Simple to use
Portable inflators are easy to use. Most come with a digital display to monitor and regulate the tire pressure. Some even come with an auto-off feature that shuts the inflator when it reaches a preset value.
They are a worthwhile investment
Portable tire inflators are good value for money. Instead of going to the gas station to pump your tires, you can do it from the convenience of your home.
We have selected the 6 best portable car tires for you. Have a look.
LYSNSH 12V DC Portable Air Compressor
- Easy to read digital display
- Auto-shutoff
- Good flow rate
- Bright flashlight
- Can’t be used for truck tires
- It is the heaviest inflator on this list
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AstroAI Tire Inflator
The Astro AI is a good inflator for cars that ticks all the boxes.
This tire inflator uses the car’s cigarette, and it comes rated at 12V, 120W. It also comes with a 10 ft cord. The cord could be longer on this unit. This tire inflator is light and weighs only 2.2 pounds(1Kg)
It can work for only 15 minutes at a time to prevent overloading. This good thing is it comes with a fast flow rate of 35L/min. It can fill up a 195/55/R15 car tire from 0-35 psi in five minutes.
It gives an accurate reading with an error margin of 1.5%. Just like the auto-shutoff features in other inflators, the AstroAI comes with its programmable inflation.
The display is bright and easy to read. You can quickly change through different pressure units for convenience. It also comes with a good flashlight for easy night time work.
It comes with extra accessories so it can be used on other inflatables. It comes with a three-year warranty.
- Digital display
- Programmable inflation/auto shutdown
- Good flow rate
- Light and portable
- Can’t be used for truck tires
- The cord could be longer
- Low operation time
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VacLife VacLife Air Compressor & Tire Inflator
The Vaclife tire inflator has a sleek and stylish design. It is one of the lightest tire inflators on our list. It is small enough to fit in your trunk and light enough carry around. Do not let the size fool you. The Vaclife tire inflator performs very well.
As long as you don’t own a truck, the Vaclife will work well for your cars, bikes, and sedans. It makes use of the 12V cigarette lighter in your car. It comes with the much-needed auto-shutoff feature for convenient use. Just set the required pressure and let it do its thing. It comes with a large LCD display, which you will have no problem reading values on it.
If you need to fill up your tires at night, the power led lights on this portable tire inflator will serve you well. It comes with an 11.9 ft long power cord, and the total useful length of the tire inflator is 13ft. The power cord is long enough for you to reach all four tires without needing to unplug.
The Vaclife Air is not as fast as some of the other inflators on this list, but it offers superb performance.
- Digital display
- Bright led lights
- Long cord.
- Sleek and portable
- Can’t be used for truck tires.
- Not so fast
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GSPSCN Silver Tire Inflator
The GSPSCN Silver Tire inflator is a reliable, powerful inflator that can be used on all vehicles.
It only requires the cigarette lighter in your car. It can deliver an impressive flow rate of 70L/min. This tire inflator is capable of inflating a 225/60/R18 tire from 0-30 psi in just three minutes. It has a maximum working pressure of 60 psi. It has a solid build and weighs 6.6 pounds.
The GSPSCN uses two cylinders for more power output and stability. It doesn’t come with a digital display and auto-off feature. You have to watch your tires closely when you use this inflator. It comes with a 10.8ft cigarette lighter power cord. You can also use it directly with the battery if you desire.
The rubber feet of this inflator makes it more stable and reduces noise. This inflator can only work for 20 minutes at a time. You have to let it cool for 5-10 minutes before you can use it again. Given its powerful flow rate, this is very acceptable.
The GSPSCN tire inflator is good for trucks, SUVs, and cars. It comes with extra nozzles for other inflatables.
- Light and portable
- Can be used on trucks and all cars
- Impressive flow rate
- No flashlight
- No auto-off
- No digital display
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Avid Tire inflator
The Avid tire inflator is great for cars and small trucks.
It comes with a ton of features that will make inflating your tires an easy work.
The Avid tire inflator is a cordless super- portable inflator. You will find this tire inflator to be very simple to use. It uses a dual power supply for more convenience.
It comes with a 1.5Ah, 20V Lithium-ion battery that should be more than enough for your tires. In case of an emergency, you can connect the Avid tire inflator to your car with its 12V power adapter and carry on using it.
The pressure on this inflator is capped at 100psi. It is not suitable for large cars and trucks. It has a useful automatic stop feature. The tire inflator shuts off once the tire reaches a preset value. It also comes with a flashlight for easy use at night.
Apart from being a good tire inflator, it can be used on other inflatables. It comes with different sized nozzles that will make quick work of balls, kayaks, and others.
- Digital display
- 1.5Ah Battery and a dual power supply
- Cordless use
- Can’t be used for truck tires
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Kensun AC/DC Power Supply Portable Air Compressor
The Kensun AC/DC air compressor offers decent performance for your cars and trucks.
As the name suggests, you can use this tire inflator at home or in your car. It comes with 110V AC and 12V DC power cords. You can plug it to an outlet or use the cigarette lighter.
Both the AC and DC cords are long enough to inflate all tires. They are 9ft 10in and 9ft 2in, respectively. It weighs under 3.5 pounds and is small enough to fit your trunk.
It sports an analog pressure gauge, and it has a maximum pressure reading of 120 psi. It has an operating time of 30 minutes at 35 psi.
This tire inflator with pressure gauge won’t be as easy to read as those with a digital gauge. Nonetheless, it gets the job done.
The Kensu tire inflator is capable of delivering air at a flow rate of 20L/min when plugged to an outlet. The flow rate here may not be fast enough for some car owners. It doesn’t come with a flashlight.
- Light and portable
- Dual power supply
- Low flow rate
- No auto-off
- No digital display
Conclusion
Your tires do not always need to be punctured to start losing pressure. It is important to keep them in the right condition for safety and performance. You do not want to be stuck with flat tires. For this, you will need a portable tire inflator. They are lightweight, portable, and very easy to use.
Making the right choice depends on what you need. There are many portable air compressors that will fit your budget, but sometimes they may be missing some useful features. If you own a truck or a car with large tires, you should go for heavy-duty portable tire inflators.
