Car Laptop Chargers

Charging a laptop in the car

A car is a good place to top a laptop up between jobs, at a site, or in a car park before a meeting. A car laptop charger plugs into the round 12-volt socket that once held a cigarette lighter and gives the laptop the same kind of power as its mains charger. They suit sales reps, engineers and anyone who works from the car, and families on a long drive.

What you will find here

• USB-C car chargers with USB Power Delivery at laptop power, 65W or 100W, which charge a USB-C laptop just as a wall charger does. Several have a second socket for a phone.
• Chargers with a set of tips for laptops with round plugs, with the voltage chosen by a switch or by the tip, from about 65W to 120W.
• Chargers with a fixed round plug for one plug size and voltage, described with the laptop models they are compatible with.
• A fitted 12V outlet with a 65W USB-C socket, made to be mounted in a dashboard or panel of a van, camper or boat.

Many of them accept both 12 and 24 volts, which matters in vans and lorries, some of which have 24-volt sockets.

How to choose a car charger

Start with the label on your laptop's own charger. For a USB-C laptop, choose a car charger that gives close to the same watts, and a USB-C cable rated for them: above 60W, a cable rated 100W or 240W. For a round-plug laptop, the voltage must be the same as the original charger, the watts at least the same, and the tip the right size and polarity. Set a switched charger's voltage before you connect the laptop, every time.

An inverter, which turns the car's 12 volts into a three-pin mains socket for your normal charger, works with almost any laptop but wastes more power on the way. A direct car charger is usually the neater answer.

Questions people ask about car laptop chargers

Will it flatten my car battery?

In many cars the socket only works with the ignition on. In others it stays live, and a laptop charging for a long time with the engine off can flatten the battery. Your car's handbook says which.

Can I use it while driving?

Plug in and set up before you set off, run the cable clear of the pedals and the gear lever, and never handle the laptop while driving.

Can I leave the laptop charging in a parked car?

Not on a warm day. A parked car heats up quickly, and Apple says temperatures above 35 degrees can permanently reduce a battery's capacity.

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door.

More to look at

• Laptop power banks
• USB-C laptop chargers
• Universal laptop chargers
• USB-C to USB-C laptop cables
• For travellers
• Guide: Charging a laptop on the move: power banks and car chargers
• Guide: Laptop chargers explained: watts, USB-C charging and UK plugs