The average car on the road in the United States is over twelve years old, which means a lot of us aren’t riding around in vehicles that have a USB charger installed. Even if it does, what good is one USB charger anyway, especially if you have multiple passengers trying to charge their phones? Not much good at all. That’s where a 12V USB charger that can plug into your cigarette lighter (ew) comes in.
Unfortunately, many USB converters are cheap-feeling devices featuring only one outlet and are way too easy to bump and disconnect. But not so with the Lisen Retractable Car Charger. It comes with two retractable cables (USB-C and Lightning) as well as USB-C and USB-A ports (that’s up to four devices charging at once). The best part? It’s on sale for just $17.
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Why is this a good deal? 💰
Aside from the obvious (this compact charger costs waaay less than a new car), it’s hard to argue with its $17 price tag.
Why do I need this? 🤔
If you’ve ever been in a car with one charger and two dying phones, then you’re probably not even asking yourself this question. Last weekend, while on a road trip, my wife and I realized that while we had two USB ports in the car, we only brought one charging cable and both of our phones were below 20% charged. She won out. The first thing I did when I got home? Bought two more cables.
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You don’t need to worry about that with this charger, because it has the cables built in, specifically, a USB-C and a Lightning cable, perfect for my at-home setup of an iPhone 14 and iPhone 16. Have two newer phones? You’ll have to supply a cable of your own and use either the USB-C or USB-A ports.
One thing to think about if you drive a three-row SUV or van is that these cables extend up to 31.5 inches, which is enough to charge something in the second row, but not to the third row. It’s an easy enough fix, though: Just plug a 10- or 12-foot cable into the charger and you’re good to go, no matter what seat you’re occupying.
Since it houses almost six feet of cable inside of it, this charger ain’t small, but we’re happy to trade diminutiveness for durability. (Amazon)
(Amazon)
What reviewers say 💬
Nearly 8,000 customers have given this charger a five-star rating. If they were all using it to its full capacity, that’s over 30,000 devices charged by this gadget!
Pros 👍
“The retractable connectors are great,” praised one motorist. “This allows [for fewer] cords in the car. High speed allows the charging to be faster.”
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“I’ve been rough on it, so I’ll say durability is solid!” raved raved this roughneck, who was anything but gentle with it. “Charges fast and having the two extra ports is great! Sometimes retracting the cable is a little finicky, but I somewhat expected that just based on the design. I think once you get used to retracting the cable, that will no longer be an issue.”
Another driver uses it in the same way that my wife and I would, utilizing both the lightning and USB-C cables for our two different phones. “I love that there are two corded chargers, both the lightning and the USB-C, as my partner and I have different charging ports, but that you could plug in an additional charger cord if necessary.”
Cons 👎
“The mechanism for it to be retractable can be a bit tricky sometimes, but overall has worked well,” said one shopper, who added, “It is definitely bulky, though.”
“I docked a star for design,” reported this customer. It’s massive. I usually use the port in my arm console, but it will not close. I plugged it in under the radio, and it works, but the cord could be a tad longer.”
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If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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