Hack your car’s USB port
You already use it to charge your phone, but your car’s USB port can do so much more. Jonathan Parkyn explains how to unlock its full potential
Car manufacturers started building USB ports into the dashboards of premium models around the mid-2000s. These days you’ll find a USB connection in pretty much every car on the road – typically USB-A but sometimes the newer USB-C. For most of us, the in-car USB socket is just a convenient way to turn our vehicle into a giant, four-wheeled phone charger. But that humble little socket has more tricks up its sleeve – as we’ll explain.
Charge your devices faster
If you’ve ever plugged your phone into your car’s USB port only to discover the battery level has barely budged by the end of your journey, it’s because many ports – especially those in older vehicles – aren’t designed to deliver much power. Some were intended purely as a data connection – for plugging in MP3 players, for example. Many supply as little as 0.5 amps at five volts – just 2.5W. That’s painfully slow for powering modern devices.
To get more than just a trickle of power, use the 12V socket instead. This often-overlooked port (better known as the cigarette lighter) can provide a power output of between 120W and 150W, depending on the vehicle’s age and type. That’s enough to deliver fast-charging speeds to even the most power-hungry devices, including laptops and tablets. Some modern cars may even have multiple 12V ports – on the dashboard, in the rear seats and in the boot.