A good USB car charger is something everyone should have, and you want to make sure you have one before you actually need it. Right now, this Lisen charger with two retractable cables is on sale for $29 at Amazon—maybe not the best price it’s ever been, but low enough to still be worth grabbing if you’re going to drive a lot this summer.
Those two retractable cables are the main selling point. The pullout USB-C charges at up to 45W when used alone, while the pullout Lightning (for Apple devices) charges at up to 12W. When you’re done charging, they zip right back into the charger, eliminating cable clutter on your dash and console, and preventing cables from getting tangled. Both cables are 31.5 inches—not quite long enough for the backseats.
But if you do bring your own cables, you can also use the charger’s USB-C port (at up to 15W) and USB-A port (at up to 12W). That means you can simultaneously charge four devices at a time, which comes in handy when your family is on a road trip and everyone wants to juice up their dying phones, tablets, wireless earbuds, etc. The whole thing plugs into your car’s 12V socket (aka the cigarette lighter port).
Note that this charger is, unsurprisingly, for charging only. You can’t use it for transferring data, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or anything else. And when multiple devices are charging together, it maxes out at 69W, which gets split between the connections.
Even if your car already has a USB port for charging, you’d benefit from this Lisen charger. The built-in cables are worth it for the convenience, and the extra two ports are worth it for group travel.