Draper 28815 12V DC-AC Inverter 400W
- Price: around £62
- Connector type: battery clamps
- Ports: USB-A and BS 3-pin
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: drapertools.com
Draper’s 400W unit is compact and smart, and if it were a little cheaper, it would have been in with a chance of being the winner here – that’s worth considering, because there are sometimes very good deals online. It’s not the most powerful unit but we like its safety features, which include a reverse-polarity indicator, overload alarm and low-voltage indicator. The detachable battery clamps also feel well made and, being the smallest sine wave unit here, it’s more portable than its rivals.
BG Fox 300W Power Inverter
- Price: around £35
- Connector type: 12V plug
- Ports: 2 x USB-A and BS 3-pin (plus USB-C adaptor)
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
You can’t fault the sheer value for money on offer with the BG Fox inverter and we also like its sturdy alloy case, which makes it feel tougher than the other in-car units tested here. It comes with dual USB sockets, too, and some adaptors to convert them to USB-C, but we think the Halfords twin USB-A and C set-up is better overall. The internal fan is also a little noisy. It passed all our practical tests though, despite not being a sine wave unit, firing up the laptop quickly and working well with the drill and lamp.
Bestek 200W 12V to 240V Car Voltage Converter
- Price: around £36
- Connector type: 12V plug
- Ports: 4 x USB-A and 2x BS 3-pin
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
The Bestek is part of Amazon’s own-brand range and, on paper, it looks like great value, with four USB outlets and two three-pin sockets. However, unlike the Halfords unit, which supposedly has a similar power output, it took more than two minutes for our laptop to gain enough charge to switch on, and there was clear interference when running our lamp, causing it to flicker. Where its many ports will be useful, though, is in a family car where everyone’s phone needs charging at once.
Verdict
The Halfords 200W Power Inverter is the perfect glovebox companion, and ideal for those who travel for business. If you do need that extra wattage, then the Streetwize P70061 is hard to beat. It’s a great choice if you go camping regularly. The Sealey PS1300 is also excellent, but pricey.
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