This post contains affiliate links and references to products or services from sponsors and other partners. We may receive compensation if you click on or make purchases through those links.
There are plenty of things to think about before heading out on a family road trip: directions, traffic, snacks, entertainment, hotel reservations and, of course, making sure you didn’t forget anything important at home. But there’s another road trip challenge that tends to sneak up on you once everyone piles into the car: keeping all those devices charged.
Think about how many electronics the average family travels with these days. There are phones, tablets, wireless headphones, smartwatches and maybe a laptop or three. Add portable fans, cameras, an eReader or other travel gadgets and suddenly that single USB port in the car just isn’t going to cut it.
That’s why the TESSAN 200W Car Power Inverter ($19.98) is such a clever addition to a road trip arsenal.
Turn one car outlet into eight charging options
The TESSAN inverter plugs into your vehicle’s 12V outlet and essentially turns it into a miniature charging station. Instead of everyone fighting over one charging cable, you get two regular AC outlets and six USB ports—two USB-C and four USB-A. That gives you eight places to plug things in, making it much easier to keep the family’s electronics powered during a long drive.
The USB-C ports support up to 36W charging per port, while the USB-A options provide additional charging flexibility. More importantly for my wife and I, you don’t have to pack a different solution for every member of the family.
And those two regular AC outlets can come in especially handy for electronics that don’t charge directly from USB. The inverter converts the car’s DC power to 110V AC and provides up to 200W of power, so just keep that 200W limit in mind when deciding what to plug into it. Think laptops and smaller electronics rather than anything high-powered.
Made for the Car
I also like that this isn’t a giant piece of equipment taking up valuable road-trip space. It measures about 5.15 x 3 x 1.33 inches and has a 2.3-foot cord, which gives you some flexibility in where you put it.
You could keep it up front, place it between seats or position it somewhere passengers can actually reach the USB ports without passing charging cables back and forth.
It also has built in protections against short circuits, over- and under-voltage, overloads and overheating. There’s an on/off switch and an integrated cooling fan that adjusts as the inverter gets warmer.
One important compatibility note: it’s designed for regular 12V vehicles and also supports 16V vehicles, including compatible Tesla models produced after November 2021.
Don’t Forget a Portable Power Bank
There’s one more piece of the charging puzzle I wouldn’t leave home without: a portable power bank. The car inverter is great while you’re driving and a multi-port charger solves the hotel-room problem, but neither helps much when you’re walking around a theme park, sightseeing all day or sitting somewhere without an accessible outlet.
A charged power bank is also a smart backup for those times when you’re away from an outlet or something unexpected happens. For example, if your car battery dies, a power bank can keep your phone charged so you can call roadside assistance, look up your location or contact family. Just remember that a regular power bank won’t jump-start your car—you’ll need a portable jump starter for that.
A compact car inverter for the drive, a multi-port charging solution for the hotel and a portable power bank for everywhere in between can eliminate one of those small but persistent family-travel headaches. Because the last thing anyone wants to hear two hours into an eight-hour road trip is, “Dad, my iPad is at 2%.” I mean, I could play the license plate game all day but after about 20 minutes, my kids would rather catch up on their shows.
RELATED: How I Kept My Car Battery Alive While Away for Six Weeks