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Best Jump Starter: 13 Tested on Gas & Diesel Engines
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More head-to-head tests from Automotive / Power & Charging
Thirteen jump starters, from $50 lithium bricks to the $370 NOCO GBX155 and
Milwaukee's supercapacitor Hot Shot, faced an escalating series of engines: a
Ford Ranger V6 with a completely dead battery, a small-block Chevy 350, a
454 big-block, and finally a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel running on one real
battery and one wooden dummy. A carbon-pile load bench test then measured
what each unit actually delivers — which matters, because advertised
cranking-amp ratings in this category turn out to be nearly fiction.
The combo units' tire inflators raced to fill a 15-inch car tire, with noise
and pump temperature logged, and every unit was drained as a battery bank
and measured for light output.
Most powerful jump starter and only diesel-cranking powerhouse. NOCO’s GBX155 topped nearly every test: longest and strongest cranking, top-tier bench-test watts, excellent battery capacity, and flawless diesel performance—at a premium price.
Top-tier performance if you don't need diesel support or a built-in pump. The Gooloo nearly matches NOCO’s real-world cranking while adding huge battery-bank capacity and 100 W USB-C I/O at around $100.
Fastest tire inflator with serious jump-start power. YaberAuto blows away other inflator combos in tire-fill speed, cranking performance, and diesel capability—making it the standout choice if you want a built-in compressor.
Premium NOCO GBX155 jump starter rated at 4,250 cranking amps and weighing about 5.61 lb. No inflator, but an extremely strong pure jump starter. Boost mode allowed it to dominate every cranking test: it spun the dead V6 and 454 better than a fully charged car battery and easily handled everything Project Farm threw at it. Light output is about 154 lm, battery bank capacity a strong 79.1 Wh, and it delivered an enormous ~10,816 W on the bench test (1,044 A at 10.36 V). One of only three units that could start the diesel three times in a row, and clearly the strongest of the bunch.
High-end lithium jump starter (no tire inflator) rated at 4,000 cranking amps, 24,000 mAh, 400-lumen light, and fast 100 W USB-C in/out. Weighs about 2.23 lb. With boost mode it was the fastest cranker yet on the V6 (~13 seconds), handled the small-block 350 and the 454 for over 10 seconds of strong cranking, and has excellent battery bank performance. Light output ~152 lm, top battery capacity at 80.43 Wh, and ~5,049 W in the bench test. Safety circuitry prevented it from fully feeding the diesel, but it finished second overall on Project Farm’s scorecard.
Heaviest combo unit at ~2.82 lb, rated for 8,000 cranking amps, 160 PSI, 65 W charging, up to 160 W DC output, and 600-lumen light. Has a boost button and absolutely dominated the dead V6 test with over 11 seconds of cranking. On the small-block 350 it behaved like a fresh car battery on all three attempts and powered the 454 for over 10 seconds. Tire inflator was by far the fastest: 6:37 (397 s) at ~94.8 dB and ~249°F. Light output ~45 lm, battery bank capacity 59.85 Wh, and about 4,637 W in the bench test. One of only three units to start the diesel three times back-to-back.
Compact high-performance jump starter (no pump) rated at 4,000 cranking amps with 65 W USB-C in/out, weighing about 1.89 lb. Boost mode let it easily crank the dead V6 for over 10 seconds and it matched Gooloo-like performance on the 454 with over 10 seconds of strong cranking. Work light is about 91 lm, battery bank capacity 66.22 Wh, and ~5,679 W in the bench test (second only to NOCO). Diesel attempts tripped safety protection with repeated fault codes.
Supercapacitor-based jump starter that uses any 18V Milwaukee battery (battery not included). Claimed 2,000 cranking amps, weighs 6.9 lb bare and ~9.25 lb with battery. Needs about a minute to charge the capacitor before each attempt and requires a specific boost sequence. On the V6 it quit after just over 2 seconds of cranking. It did manage three starts on the small-block 350 and about 3.5 seconds on the 454. The light is extremely bright at ~429 lm. Bench test showed around 503 A at 7.13 V (~3,586 W). It could not start the diesel engine.
Includes a 160 PSI inflator and even a tire repair kit, claiming 7,000 cranking amps and weighing about 2.42 lb. Has a boost button but delivered noticeably less crank than rated. Performed well on the small-block 350 and 454 (around 5.5 seconds on the 454) but not as strong as the top contenders. Tire inflator: 8:52 (532 s), ~87 dB and ~233°F. Work light around 71 lm, battery bank capacity 47.89 Wh, and ~4,555 W in the bench test. Managed only one successful diesel start before shutting down.
Higher-output combo unit claiming 8,000 cranking amps and a 150 PSI inflator. Required a boost to help with the dead V6 but was the best performer yet at that point. Easily started the small-block 350 three times and cranked the 454 for just over 7 seconds. Tire inflator: 9:33 (573 s), ~87.1 dB, ~311°F. LED brightness about 33 lm and 27.75 Wh battery bank capacity with roughly 3,510 W in the bench test. Failed to start the diesel engine.
Jump starter plus 160 PSI inflator rated at 7,000 cranking amps and 1.7 lb weight. Has a boost button and was the first compact combo to crank the dead V6 well, with a solid ~3-second run. On the small-block 350 it delivered three easy starts, and on the 454 it managed just over 6 seconds. Tire inflator: slowest at 10:43 (643 s), ~88.5 dB and ~271°F. Very bright work light (~182 lm), 26.49 Wh battery capacity, and about 3,890 W on the bench test. Quit early on the diesel test with no successful starts.
Combo jump starter and inflator claiming an enormous 9,000 cranking amps, plus mattress inflate/deflate modes, weighing about 2.4 lb. Initial V6 test produced smoke and an overheat shutdown in about 6 seconds. On the small-block 350 it delivered two successful starts before overheating again. On the 454 it cranked slower than the best units but nearly 10 seconds of runtime. Tire inflator finished in 9:46 (586 s) at just over ~91 dB and ~226°F. Light output around 59 lm, battery bank capacity 48.99 Wh. Bench test fried the unit, so no reliable watts result. Surprisingly, it was one of only three to start the diesel three times in a row.
Jump starter and pump claiming 4,500 cranking amps, 150 PSI inflator, and up to 70 starts per charge. Needed extra help on the dead V6 and barely cranked it. Handled the 350 better with three successful starts but only managed about two seconds of cranking on the 454. Tire inflator: 9:44 (584 s), loud at ~92.5 dB but relatively cool at ~253°F. Only about 17 lm from the work light, 27.0 Wh battery capacity, and ~2,970 W during the bench test. Could not start the diesel (only clicking).
Combo jump starter and inflator claiming 5,000 cranking amps, 20,000 mAh, and support up to 9 L gas / 8 L diesel. Needed a second jumper to wake it up on the dead V6 and overheated after three struggling attempts. Performed much better on the partially charged small-block 350 and the 454 than the very cheapest units. Tire inflator: 8:42 (522 s), ~87 dB, ~275°F. LED around 30 lm, battery bank capacity 16.78 Wh, and about 2,295 W on the bench test.
Compact ~1 lb unit claiming 4,000 cranking amps, 400-lumen light, and support up to 10 L gas / 8 L diesel. Needed another jump starter to “excite” it on the dead V6, only cranked for about a second. Managed three starts on the small-block 350 but struggled badly on the 454 and diesel. Battery bank output only 2 W with 10.23 Wh capacity and about 2,130 W on the bench test.
Budget booster with integrated tire inflator, claimed 5,000 cranking amps and 20,000 mAh. Could not start the completely dead V6 Ranger. Tire inflator finished a 15" car tire in 9:34 (574 s), about 89.2 dB with hose temperature around 295°F. Managed one near-start on the 350 before overheating and performed poorly on the 454. Battery bank capacity 19.79 Wh and only about 1,301 W in the bench-test load.
Price
Lower is better
Prices are approximate at the time of testing; actual retail pricing may have changed.
Overall Average Finish (Lower Is Better)
Lower is better
Project Farm’s final scorecard average finish across all tests (cranking, diesel performance, tire inflator, battery bank capacity, and bench-test power).
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
NOCO GBX155 Jump Starter (No Inflator)
1.60
2
Gooloo Jump Starter (No Inflator)
2.50
3
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
2.90
4
Wolfbox Jump Starter (No Inflator)
3.40
5
Milwaukee Hot Shot Supercapacitor Jump Starter
4.70
6
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
5.40
7
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
5.70
8
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
6
9
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
6
10
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
7.80
11
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
8
12
Sharmeal Jump Starter
9.70
13
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
10.10
14
IIXWUQ DeWalt-Battery Jump Cables
12
Tire Inflator Speed – 15" Car Tire Fill Time (Seconds)
The eight units with a built-in air compressor — lower is faster
Time to inflate a 15-inch car tire from flat to target pressure. YaberAuto’s compressor was dramatically faster than the rest (lower is better).
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
397
2
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
522
3
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
532
4
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
573
5
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
574
6
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
584
7
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
586
8
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
643
Tire Inflator Noise Level (dB at Peak)
The eight units with a built-in air compressor — lower is quieter
Peak sound levels recorded at each built-in compressor during the 15-inch tire inflation test — quieter is better. Every pump is loud; the spread is between annoying (87 dB) and shouting-distance (94.8 dB, the fast YaberAuto).
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
87
2
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
87
3
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
87.10
4
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
88.50
5
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
89.20
6
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
91
7
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
92.50
8
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
94.80
Tire Inflator Pump Temperature (°F)
Peak temperature during the tire fill on the eight units with a built-in air compressor — cooler is better
Every built-in compressor runs hot enough to degrade its rubber hose over time — the YUSMAN peaked at 311°F. The YaberAuto managed the best combination in the group: the fastest fill and one of the coolest pumps.
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
226
2
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
233
3
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
249
4
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
253
5
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
271
6
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
275
7
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
295
8
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
311
Work Light Brightness (Lumens)
Measured in an integrating sphere — higher is better
Measured light output versus the claims tells the usual story: the Sharmeal advertises 400 lumens and produced 40. The Milwaukee's 429-lumen light is genuinely excellent — the one test it won — with the NACKEO, NOCO, and Gooloo the only others above 150.
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
Milwaukee Hot Shot Supercapacitor Jump Starter
429
2
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
182
3
NOCO GBX155 Jump Starter (No Inflator)
154
4
Gooloo Jump Starter (No Inflator)
152
5
Wolfbox Jump Starter (No Inflator)
91
6
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
71
7
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
59
8
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
45
9
Sharmeal Jump Starter
40
10
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
33
11
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
30
12
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
23
13
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
17
Peak Charging Output (Watts)
Maximum measured output powering a DC load — higher is better
How fast each unit can charge other devices. The YaberAuto's 12-volt DC socket delivered 167.5 W and the Gooloo beat its own 100 W USB-C rating at 123.5 W — genuine laptop-charging territory — while most of the budget units manage phone-charging speeds at best. The Sharmeal's 2 W output would take all day to fill a phone.
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
167.54
2
Gooloo Jump Starter (No Inflator)
123.50
3
NOCO GBX155 Jump Starter (No Inflator)
65.20
4
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
17
5
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
16.26
6
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
12.50
7
Wolfbox Jump Starter (No Inflator)
12.12
8
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
11.61
9
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
10
10
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
10
11
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
9.90
12
Sharmeal Jump Starter
2
Battery Bank Capacity (Watt-Hours Delivered)
Higher is better
Measured watt-hours each unit delivered while powering a DC load until shutdown. Gooloo led this test, followed closely by NOCO, with Wolfbox and YaberAuto also performing very well.
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
Gooloo Jump Starter (No Inflator)
80.43
2
NOCO GBX155 Jump Starter (No Inflator)
79.10
3
Wolfbox Jump Starter (No Inflator)
66.22
4
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
59.85
5
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
48.99
6
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
47.89
7
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
27.75
8
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
27
9
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
26.49
10
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
19.79
11
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
16.78
12
Sharmeal Jump Starter
10.23
Bench-Test Cranking Power (Watts at Carbon Pile Load)
Higher is better
Watts delivered under a heavy carbon-pile load (amps × volts). NOCO’s GBX155 was in a league of its own, with Wolfbox and Gooloo rounding out the top three. The Featou never posted a number — it was fried and no longer working by the time its turn came.
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
NOCO GBX155 Jump Starter (No Inflator)
10816
2
Wolfbox Jump Starter (No Inflator)
5679
3
Gooloo Jump Starter (No Inflator)
5049
4
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
4637
5
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
4555
6
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
3890
7
Milwaukee Hot Shot Supercapacitor Jump Starter
3586
8
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
3510
9
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
2970
10
DECHANIE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
2295
11
Sharmeal Jump Starter
2130
12
WNDFLV Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
1301
13
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
0 (DNF)
Diesel Engine Starts (Ram 2500, 3 Attempts)
Higher is better
Number of successful back-to-back starts on a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel with one real battery and one wooden dummy battery. Only YaberAuto, Featou, and NOCO achieved three successful starts; NOCO did so with the strongest cranking performance. The Gooloo and Wolfbox had the raw power but their safety circuits refused the current draw with fault codes.
Full results table
Rank
Product
Result
1
YaberAuto Jump Starter with Air Compressor
3
2
Featou Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
3
3
NOCO GBX155 Jump Starter (No Inflator)
3
4
TREKURE Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
1
5
YUSMAN Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
0
6
KOLTGOO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
0
7
NACKEO Jump Starter with Tire Inflator
0
8
Gooloo Jump Starter (No Inflator)
0
9
Wolfbox Jump Starter (No Inflator)
0
10
Milwaukee Hot Shot Supercapacitor Jump Starter
0
The Verdict
The NOCO GBX155 is in a different league. It cranked the dead V6 and the 454
big-block better than a fully charged car battery, started the diesel three
times back-to-back with authority, and delivered 10,816 watts on the carbon
pile — nearly double the runner-up. Two years of prior use haven't dulled it.
At around $370 with no tire inflator, it's strictly for people who genuinely
need diesel-class power, but for them nothing else here is close.
For everyone else, the picks split by whether you want a built-in
compressor. Without one, the $99 Gooloo finished second overall (2.5 average
finish): 13 seconds of hard cranking on the dead V6, over 10 seconds on the
454, the biggest battery bank in the test at 80.43 Wh, and 123.5 W of USB-C
output. With one, the $81 YaberAuto is the runaway choice — its inflator
filled the tire two minutes faster than anything else while running cool, it
matched the premium units on the 454, and it was one of only three units to
start the diesel three times. The Wolfbox deserves a mention as the
strongest pure-lithium bench result (5,679 W) in a 1.9 lb package, though
its safety circuit refuses diesel duty.
The cautionary results: advertised cranking amps are marketing fiction
across the board — the Featou claims 9,000 amps and produced smoke, an
overheat shutdown, and a dead unit by the end of bench testing. The $50 tier
(Sharmeal, WNDFLV) couldn't wake a truly dead battery without help from
another jump starter, which defeats the purpose. And the $300 Milwaukee Hot
Shot supercapacitor is a niche tool: unbeatable light, no battery to
maintain, but just 2–3.5 seconds of cranking on the hard tests and no diesel
capability.