The Edit — Road Trips
Portable Jump Starters for Winter, Compared
Five packs rated 4.6, from NOCO's 129,470-rating GB40 to budget packs claiming 6,000 peak amps. The one to buy is the one rated for your engine, with an owner record deep enough to trust.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick. How we choose
AAA expected more than 570,000 drivers to need rescue over Thanksgiving 2024, and dead batteries are among its 3 most common calls. Nothing here was used or tested. The 5 packs are ranked by rating and then by how many owners rated them, read on 19 September 2026, as How we choose describes.
NOCO Boost GB40 1000A Lithium Jump Starter
Good fit You drive a gas car or a small diesel and want the proven choice
Not for Your diesel is over 3.0 litres
Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660
Good fit You want a trunk or garage unit with a figure you can compare
Not for It has to fit under a seat
NOCO Boost GB20 500A Jump Starter
Good fit Your car has a small 4-cylinder engine
Not for You drive any diesel or a V8
TREKURE 4000A Portable Jump Starter
Good fit You drive a larger engine and accept a newer, thinner record
Not for You want a maker's figure you can compare with another
Good fit You want a display that shows the charge left
Not for You trust records over headline numbers
Buy by the engine size, not the peak number
The peak-amp figure on these listings runs from 500 to 6,000, and no shared test sits behind it. The line that tells you whether a pack will start your car is the engine size it is rated for, and what peak amps actually measures explains why.
| Pack | Engine rating | Peak figure | Cranking amps |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOCO Boost GB40 | 6.0 L gas, 3.0 L diesel (NOCO) | 1,000A | Not published |
| Clore JNC660 | Cars, trucks, SUVs (Clore) | 1,700A | 425 |
| NOCO Boost GB20 | 4.0 L gas (NOCO) | 500A | Not published |
| TREKURE 4000A | 8.0 L gas, 6.5 L diesel (listing) | 4,000A | Not published |
| OXILAM 6000A | All gas, 12 L diesel (listing) | 6,000A | Not published |
A diesel needs more current than a gas engine of the same size, and a cold morning needs more still. Buy a pack rated above your engine, not exactly at it.
The NOCO GB40 covers most cars on the road
A 6.0-litre gas rating covers 4- and 6-cylinder cars and many V8s, and the 3.0-litre diesel rating covers small diesels. Check your engine size in the owner’s manual before you buy.
NOCO Boost GB40 1000A Lithium Jump Starter
Rated by NOCO for gas engines to 6.0 litres and diesels to 3.0, with the deepest owner record in the category.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Maker's engine rating | 6.0L gas, 3.0L diesel |
|---|---|
| Peak figure | 1,000A |
| Extras | USB power bank, light |
129,470 ratings at 4.6, the deepest record in the category by a factor of more than 6. Owners find the GB40 far easier than jumper cables, powerful for its size and small enough to travel with, and it charges a phone as a USB power bank.
Battery life is where the reports split. Check the charge before a long winter drive rather than trusting a pack that has sat in the glovebox since spring.
Buy it if
- You drive a gas car or a small diesel and want the proven choice
Don't buy it if
- Your diesel is over 3.0 litres
The Clore JNC660 is the garage pack with a figure you can compare
Clore publishes 425 cranking amps for the JNC660 alongside its 1,700 peak figure, the only pack here with a sustained number. It is a lead-acid unit, 18 lb, with #2 AWG welding-cable leads, built for service garages and tow trucks.
Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660
A lead-acid garage pack sold on 425 cranking amps, not just a peak figure.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Cranking amps | 425 |
|---|---|
| Peak figure | 1,700A |
| Weight | 18 lb |
4.6 across 19,866 ratings. Owners say it gets the job done reliably, starts BMW and Mercedes engines with power to spare, and recharges without fuss.
Battery life and durability draw mixed reports, as they do across the category. It is a trunk or garage pack for a household with a large engine or several cars, not one for a glovebox.
Buy it if
- You want a trunk or garage unit with a figure you can compare
Don't buy it if
- It has to fit under a seat
A 4-cylinder car can use the smaller NOCO GB20
The GB20 is rated for gas engines up to 4.0 litres, which covers most compact and midsize 4-cylinder cars. It is the wrong pack for any diesel or a V8.
NOCO Boost GB20 500A Jump Starter
NOCO's smaller pack, rated for gas engines to 4.0 litres.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Maker's engine rating | 4.0L gas |
|---|---|
| Peak figure | 500A |
| Suits | 4-cylinder cars, motorcycles |
4.6 across 13,189 ratings. Owners report it starting most vehicles they tried, a Honda Pilot among them, and several call it something every car should carry.
Battery life draws the same split reports as the GB40’s. For anything bigger than a 4-cylinder, the GB40 is the safer buy.
Buy it if
- Your car has a small 4-cylinder engine
Don't buy it if
- You drive any diesel or a V8
The 4,000A and 6,000A packs claim more on thinner records
TREKURE and OXILAM claim 4 and 6 times the GB40’s peak figure, and engine limits of 8.0 and 12 litres. Those limits are the sellers’ own claims, and neither publishes cranking amps to back them.
TREKURE 4000A Portable Jump Starter
Claims 4,000A and engines to 8.0 litres gas and 6.5 diesel, on a record a thirtieth the size of the GB40's.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Seller's engine claim | 8.0L gas, 6.5L diesel |
|---|---|
| Peak figure | 4,000A |
| Owners praise | Fits under a front seat |
4.6 across 4,496 ratings. Owners describe the TREKURE pack as a lifesaver that starts cars instantly and fits under a front seat, and several report it keeping its charge.
The claim to watch is 8.0 litres gas and 6.5 diesel from a pack sold on its peak figure. It may well start a large engine, but nothing on the listing lets you compare it with NOCO’s rating.
Buy it if
- You drive a larger engine and accept a newer, thinner record
Don't buy it if
- You want a maker's figure you can compare with another
OXILAM 6000A Jump Starter
The biggest peak claim here, 6,000A for all gas engines and diesels to 12 litres, on the thinnest record.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Seller's engine claim | All gas, 12L diesel |
|---|---|
| Peak figure | 6,000A |
| Extras | LED display, USB-C power bank |
The biggest claim on the page: 6,000A, every gas engine and diesels to 12 litres. 4.6 across 2,288 ratings is the thinnest record here, on a pack that adds an LED charge display and a USB-C power bank.
The display is a real advantage, because it shows the charge left before you need it. The engine claim is the part to treat as a claim.
Buy it if
- You want a display that shows the charge left
Don't buy it if
- You trust records over headline numbers
A jump starter is one item on NHTSA’s list; the rest is in the winter car emergency kit, and the days to avoid on the road are in the busiest Thanksgiving travel days.