The Best Portable Jump Starter (1 Winner, Several Reasons)

Now, looking back, about five years later, that portable jumper remains one of the best things I’ve ever bought in the course of my vehicle ownership and mechanic venture.

The twist in the tale is that not everyone who sets out to buy a portable jumper for their vehicle will be as lucky as I was.

This is because there are more models now available in the market, making the selection process tougher and overall, complicating what was a relatively easier decision five years ago.

However, in my usual style, I’m not just offering you my counsel and expecting you to take things hook, line, and sinker simply because I’m a mechanic and an automotive writer.

Instead, I’ll explain the several reasons why the portable jumper of my choice also doubles as the preferred candidate for the best portable jumper, and importantly, why it ultimately wins and effortlessly claims the title.

If you’re in a hurry, the best portable jump starter is the Noco GB50. However, if you’ve got a few minutes to spare, continue reading to understand why and, ultimately, how that conclusion was reached.

First things first, though: why trust me and, importantly, why do you need a portable jumper in the first place?

Why Trust Me?

The internet is a wild place: anyone can come online, create a webpage (using a premade template, actually), pay for hosting, and share their opinions with the world.

Now, this appears harmless in theory, except that most of the time, such folks have no idea what they’re talking about, making taking their counsel cash draining for you (at the best) or potentially dangerous (at the extreme).

Aside from the noob with a webpage and hosting plan, there’s the dedicated online hustler who knows nothing about what they talk about but is passionate about not starving. Such individuals usually share almost anything, provided it appears to have the potential to attract attention from an audience.

Finally, there are the big guns/corporations with more budget than they know what to do with, run by folks with fancy journalism degrees but GROSSLY lacking in real-world experience, relating to cars.

Just like the initial ‘press testing’ of a new car vs long-term ownership experience from actual owners, these inexperienced journalists (with fancy-sounding degrees) simply buy whatever it is they want to review, run a few ‘tests’ and declare ‘winners’, without any consideration for long-term use case, product longevity, or generally, reliability. If it works when new/out of the box, then it must be VERY good – that’s the logic (their logic, that is).

This is where I differ from the noob, the hustler, and the fancy journalism degree-wielding guys.

First, I’m a DIY mechanic – and have made it a matter of principle to use, usually, daily (not just ‘test’) all the auto-related things I review here, and this portable jumper isn’t any exception. My conclusions are thus rooted and tilted toward long-term reliability and use case, not just how such products perform outside the box.

For context, I’ve used the Noco GB50 for about 5 years running now; in rain and shine, through weather extremes, year in, year out. I’ve seen its best – and worst, too. Who else is better qualified to talk about it than yours truly?

Second (and closely related to the above), I periodically update all the content on this website to reflect changes in product quality, should there be any. This way, if there are any updates to my experience, you get them in real time when you read my reviews. This is especially easy for me, being a DIY mechanic, since I actively repair my vehicle(s) and have a healthy relationship with them. It also helps that I pen down every word here, manually, without any help.

Third, I don’t just make claims to be an auto DIY mechanic. I actively wrench and share my passion for cars on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (I have tens of thousands of followers between these platforms). This is what actively separates me from the noob, hustler, and fancy journalism degree-wielding journalists (who often can’t change their flat tires!)

Finally, I recommend only the products I have no challenge using myself. This philosophy is what guides my activities here on ThrottleHolic as summarized in my Review Policy. In summary, if it’s not good enough for me, I won’t recommend it to you.

Why Do You Need a Portable Jumper (In the First Place)?

Most of the time, what you’re persuaded as a car owner to buy isn’t what you need (or worse, what will serve you).

Instead, if any interest is served, it’s that of the seller (or advertiser); the ultimate end being to make sure that you part with your hard-earned money.

As a vehicle owner, why is a portable jumper different from all the other purchases that you’re likely to be bombarded with daily as you navigate your life and do your thing?

Here are my reasons.

1. Your Starter Battery Can Pack Up Anytime

There was a time when most vehicles came from the factory with manual transmissions. With the manual way of shifting gears, it was easy to push a vehicle down a slope, hop into it, slam the door shut, and as the vehicle gathered momentum going down the slope, engage second gear (with the ignition in the ‘on’ position) and by suddenly releasing the clutch, get the engine to fire right up.

Heck, I did this all the time, growing up!

Things have changed now. With less than 1% of new cars in the US rolling off the assembly line with a stick, you should count yourself extremely lucky to find a manual transmission car that isn’t a truck (or a sub-compact).

Such changing realities demand a different way of looking at the world…and, as you know, if your starter battery packs up in an auto tranny, you’re as good as toast.

Granted, battery testing technology has improved, but the grand truth remains that it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for war, even when you’re actively expecting peace.

If I hear you quietly think that you can easily jump your car and be on your way, the next point is for you.

2. The Pack-up Can Happen in an Isolated Place…

If you’re banking that with a traditional jumper cable, you can easily get help from a friend, family member, or even a total stranger and be on your way, let me bring to your attention something very important: starter batteries always have a way of packing up in places where you’re almost guaranteed to be alone and without help.

The cold winter stretch where you must travel for several miles without seeing other vehicles, often in sub-zero temperatures; the midnight meeting that you must attend and emerge from, tired and sleepy – the list is endless.

When such an isolated failure happens, you’re at the mercy of the elements (or whatever holds sway where the failure happened).

A portable jumper in your trunk is a true companion in such an instance; a companion that won’t fail you at your point of need.

3. Helping in the 21st Century Has Gone ‘Smart’

Cars made today are extremely complex, and unfortunately, as demand for more vehicle features continues to climb, things only get worse.

I remember the first vehicle I played with: the old Peugeot 504. With just a motor, a large, thirsty radiator, a fuse box, and an alternator, that was all there was to that engine. However, that Spartan design saw to it that there was little (or nothing) to go wrong should the starter battery be yanked off.

Fast forward a few decades, and the very shifting of a vehicle’s transmission is handled by the ECU, which stores some form of memory, aided by the starter battery to do its thing.

Some vehicles today require you to register, calibrate, or reset a new starter battery that comes into their hoods (or trunks), making removing a starter battery to help someone start their vehicle an extremely risky and inconvenient affair.

This risk and inconvenience don’t end with the provision of a jumper cable; instead, it takes a different dimension and brings all manner of challenges to the equation, if not done properly.

So, instead of looking like a bad friend (or sad family member) who won’t help with their starter batteries when friends or loved ones are in need, why not simply purchase a portable jumper and offer it instead when they ask for your starter battery to help crank their vehicles?

4. A Battery Tester Is Largely a Guide…

A battery tester like the Foxwell BT705 is a true work of art: sturdy, capable, and made to truly last on the job. It’s what every DIY mechanic and serious car owner needs to keep around them, unfailingly.

Unfortunately, a battery tester, at the end of the day, is only a battery tester: it gives you a range and perspective but stops at that point, leaving the details it offers to you (and how best you choose to interpret them), your business.

For example, I’ve used a starter battery that asked me to ‘replace’ it (with the help of a battery tester hooked to it) for an additional six months before finally needing to buy a replacement.

For some batteries, it’s only a month before replacement becomes inevitable.

The difference between a month and six is large and quite impressive. It’s not something you can easily calculate an average on, or worse, prepare against, beyond immediately spending money you may not have.

The only thing that made me keep driving confidently in both instances was the fact that my portable jumper was always in the trunk, so I knew that if/when push came to shove, I’d be able to handle the issue like a true professional.

This may also (likely) be your experience if you’re banking on the predictive powers of the battery tester alone.

So, after all that said, what’s the best portable jump starter for modern vehicles today?

The Best Portable Jump Starter for the Modern Vehicle

The best portable jump starter for a modern vehicle today is the Noco GB50 – and this suitability cuts across compacts, sedans, trucks, and SUVs.

However, in my usual tradition, I didn’t reach this decision lightly, nor did I pull this fact out of thin air.

There are numerous reasons why the Noco GB50 is the best portable jump starter you can buy today for your vehicle.

Why the Noco GB50 Is the Best Portable Jumper on the Market Today

Anyone can wake up today and, after taking their favorite meal, declare that any jumper is the best portable unit there is at the moment.

I’m different.

Besides having first-hand experience with the Noco Boost GB50 portable jumper, I won’t simply declare that it’s the best portable jump starter available for the bucks today or that it’s the best thing after sliced bread.

Instead, I’ll share with you why this is so.

Here:

1. Built like a Tank, in the US

If you check any online platform for a portable jumper today, you’ll be shown at least five hundred (or more) options.

Of this vast array, at least a third of the options are cheaply made units that look like they’ll easily blow up after the first use, or if they survive that, will pack up after the first week or month.

Noco must have been taking notes about this when they decided to offer the GB50: the unit is solid to the feel and ultimately, looks like what will easily survive Armageddon.

The solid build and the US design were what endeared me to the unit when I first came across it.

Based on that initial faith, I bought the GB50 and trusted that I had made the right decision.

More than five years later, the Noco GB50 portable jumper is still kicking fine and ultimately, doing everything that I believed it would do.

From the service the unit has offered so far, I have no doubts that it will effortlessly serve at least another ten years before finally becoming due for replacement.

For the price it’s offered, this remains an obsolete steal!

How many competitors can comfortably serve, even if only for two years, trouble-free?

2. The Battery Has Impressive Staying Power

Besides the fact that the Noco GB50 is built like a tank and designed in the US, one other thing that endeared me to the jumper was the fact that it was advertised to hold a charge for a solid year.

I didn’t take this seriously, initially, thinking it was one of the various ad formats manufacturers employ to sell their merchandise.

However, more than five years later, the Noco GB 50 has consistently been able to sit in the trunk of my daily driver for months on end, doing nothing in the extreme cold (or heat), just waiting to be called upon.

Sometimes, I forget that the unit is there and I’m pleasantly surprised that even after a year of not charging the battery, the juice it sports is strong enough to run an emergency jump, before recharging the unit itself.

This, you’ll agree with me, is rare (and ultimately, makes all the difference for a portable jumper).

3. Foolproof Operation

Another reality that has set the Noco GB50 apart is its foolproof operation: it’s designed with reverse polarity and sparkproof protection.

Put together the clamps when the unit is powered on and no harm/damage occurs; instead, you hear a low hum, telling you that something is wrong. Immediately you correct the mistake, you’re all good again.

It’s the same thing with spark protection: no matter how you connect the unit to the battery terminals, you’re assured of one thing – sparks aren’t going to be flying about!

Now, these two features may appear common and are easy to take for granted, except that many new offers today don’t sport them, and importantly, many vehicle users aren’t exactly petrolheads and will certainly need these safety features when needing to jump-start their vehicles.

It’s a solid, standard win.

4. Number of Uses per Charge

Yet another feature that has made the Noco GB50 the best portable jump starter you can buy today is the sheer number of uses per charge: jumping over twenty good cars before needing to recharge the battery isn’t a mean feat!

Imagine waking up to see that all the vehicles in your company’s fleet have poor starter batteries and will need a boost.

Assuming your company has about twenty-five vehicles, this portable jumper can effortlessly deliver enough juice to start up all twenty-five vehicles before needing a charge itself.

This is an impressive and rare feat. Very few options today tick this box.

5. Ease of Recharge

Closely associated with the above is the ease of recharge of the unit itself: after all, you’ll need to replenish the depleted power after you’re done with all the charges the jumper expended to start up the vehicles that wouldn’t start (on their own).

This is where it gets super interesting and completely out of the league of most of the options generally available in the market today: the jumper can be recharged via a standard wall socket, a power bank, or the 12-volt DC cigarette adapter of your vehicle.

With these three standard ways of keeping the juice in this jumper circulating, it’s easy to see that keeping the unit charged, all the time, effortlessly, won’t be a challenge.

6. Other Associated Uses

Over and beyond the standard jump starter option that the Noco GB50 offers, there are a plethora of other functions that the unit comes with: a power bank, standard flashlight, and an array of SOS lights.

These functions make the Noco GB50 not only the best jump starter currently available on the market today, but also the most versatile option.

For instance, when I drove out of civilization, I never needed to bother with a separate power bank, flashlight, or any form of light that would indicate I was in trouble (if/when I was in trouble).

With the portable jumper in the trunk, I always know, by default, that I’m covered, and that usually ends the conversation.

I also never regretted not taking ‘extra’ precautions!

Worthy Contenders to Consider

The Noco GB50 is an outstanding portable jumper that is well worth it, if you’re buying it for what it was made for.

However, there are instances where you may have a slightly different need, and the GB50 won’t exactly serve your interests.

If you’re looking to power trucks larger than 7 liters (gasoline) or 4.5 liters (diesel), then you’re better off buying and using the bigger cousin of the GB50, the Noco GBX 155.

With an impressive 4250 disposable amps, the GBX 155 can easily handle up to 10-liter gas engines and 8-liter diesel models, which are respectable numbers you can’t simply write off.

If you’re looking for the best portable jump starter and have it in mind to also periodically use it to inflate your tires, check out the Lokithor JA300 portable jumper (or its more powerful cousin, the Lokithor JA302 portable jumper). The former can handle vehicles up to 7 liters while the latter easily takes on vehicles up to 8.5 liters!

These units are well made and, like the Noco GB50, take things to the extreme with the built-in lithium battery. If you thought the battery life of a year was impressive, these ‘beasts’ offer two and three solid years, respectively, all without a charge!

In terms of battery life, it honestly doesn’t get better than this.

If fast charges (of the device itself and the items connected to it) and the ability to jump the largest engines out there (while using the most compact jumper) are of the utmost importance to you, then you should consider the Gooloo GT4000S Jump Starter.

The Gooloo can easily jump 12-liter gas engines (and 10-liter diesel engines) all without breaking a sweat. The exciting part, however, is the 100W charging ability, in and out. With that speed, the unit gets a 0-100% charge in about an hour, while also easily charging devices plugged into it at that speed, too.

Few power banks portable jump starters today can match any of the above realities, while also effortlessly holding a charge for two straight years.

FAQs

I’ve taken the time to make sure that I share ALL you need to know about the best portable jumper there is on the market today, the Noco GB50.

However, I’m only human. Accordingly, some bits of info may be missed in the body of the article at the time of writing, or you may miss some, due to the detailed nature of the piece.

To augment, here are relevant FAQs you may wish to take a look at.

Wrap Up

Without question, the best portable jump starter is the Noco GB50 – a unit that delivers unrivaled power, coupled with an equally impressive battery life (and solid construction).

More than five years of use have taught me one thing: this Noco wasn’t designed by jokers. It also wasn’t designed with jokers in mind.

As a mechanic, there’s nothing I can say at this point beyond the fact that all you need in a jumper will be found in the Noco GB50 – or, in the worst case, the alternatives shared above, depending on your needs and use case.

Good luck.

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