160W Baseus car charger.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/

If you spend time in a car, then having a charger that can keep your devices batteries topped up is essential.

Recommends

Thebest wireless chargers

There are many options for topping up your phone, headsets, and watches without plugging a cable into the mobile gear.

Read now

The problem is, there are a lot of car chargers out there that promise a lot more than they can deliver.

There are three things I look for from a good car charger:

• I want enough power -- 100W -- to charge my MacBook Pro.
• I want three ports (two USB-C and one USB-A ports) for maximum compatibility.
• I want a car charger that doesn't overheat when pushed to its limits!

The 160W Baseus car charger delivers on all this.

Also: Tiny USB-C charger packs a lot of power

160W Baseus car charger

$39.99 at Amazon

This car charger has three outputs:

• USB-C1 Output: 5V/3A,9V/3A,12V/3A,15V/3A,20V/5A (100W Max).
• USB-C2 Output: 5V/3A,9V/2.22A,12V/2.5A,15V/2A,20V/1.5A (30W Max).
• USB-A Output: 5V/3A, 9V/2A,10V/2A,12V/2.5A (30W Max).

Along with the charger comes a quality 1-meter 100W USB-C-to-USB-C cable.

The car charger comes with a 1-meter 100W USB-C-to-USB-C cable.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/

On the front of the unit is a subtle blue LED. It's bright enough to let me know it's working, but subtle enough to not be annoying in the dark.

Blue indicator LED on the front of the car charger.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/

Each port can output the maximum power independent of the load on the other ports, giving the car charger a maximum output of 160W. The 100W output is enough to charge my16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro (not at the full 140W, but 100W is ample when on the move).

Also: This USB-C charger can power four devices at once and look good doing it

Testing the power output of the Baseus 160W car charger.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/

As for temperature management, the unit stays below 50