It’s easy to take for granted your car’s ability to start up when you turn the key — until one day it doesn’t. Then you’re left with two options: Try to get a friend to come over and give you a jump or call a mechanic for help. Both can cost you time and money, two things no one has to spare these days. Turns out there’s another solution: You can invest in a portable car jump starter to keep around for the just-in-case.

Why is this a good deal? 💰

With over 10% already knocked off the price, the additional 50% on-page coupon brings it down to just $40. That’s an all-time low price for this sanity preserver, and a heck of a lot less expensive than calling a tow truck.

Why do I need this? 🤔

There’s a lot to love about this jump starter, like the fact that it can jump your car up to 20 times on one charge with 800 amps of peak current and heavy-duty clamps and cables. It’s also small enough to stash in your glovebox.

This jump starter is safe too. Its spray-gold intelligent jumper clamps have overcurrent protection, short-circuit protection, overload protection, overvoltage protection and overcharge protection to keep you safe when you jump-start your car. Phew, that’s a lot of protection!

An LCD screen shows how much remaining power you have, and a built-in compass can help you get home if you’re lost. Then simply plug the jump starter in at home to fire it up again.

What reviewers say 💬

With over 3,400 five-star reviews, this jump starter has saved a lot of people from being stranded in a parking lot.

Pros 👍

Fans rave about its charge capacity. “I figured this was a ‘too good to be true’ purchase,” one fan shared. “Turns out I was wrong. It started an F-250 V-8 in zero-degree weather after it had already started a Solara Convertible with a 5-year-old dead battery at 10 below. … Every time I used it, it would drop from 100% to 97 or 96 percent per start.”

Another reviewer wrote, “After an electrical error in my car kept killing the battery, this saved me for weeks. It would start up from completely dead in one try.”

Believe it or not, this jump starter is good for more than just cars — one user said it started a household generator. “We had a hurricane here at the beginning of September and the power was out for 4 days. …We managed to jump-start the generator for the duration and after the storm. Bought a new internal battery, and this tiny jump starter for the future. Says it will start a car or truck, so I imagine a large garden tractor engine (generator size) should be an easy task when needed.”

Cons 👎

This jump starter is convenient, but you might want a larger case. “My one and only complaint, which is pretty minor since it works so well, is that the AC adapter and plug doesn’t fit into the zipper case.”

Another shopper said the charging options are limited. “You can charge it with the cigarette lighter adapter or the wall adapter. Since I have an inverter in my car, I can use the wall adapter with that. The only downside is there is no USB power input, just output.”

Sure, the hope is that you’ll never actually have to use a portable jump starter. But it’s important to be prepared.

Amazon

Behold the power of the jump starter — and, with apologies to American Express, don’t leave home without one.

$40 at Amazon

If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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