Best tyre inflators 2025: the battery-powered pumps to get you moving

It’s essential to ensure your tyres are correctly inflated. Indeed, the Highway Code recommends you should do this every week. That’s because flat or over-inflated tyres can be dangerous – and as a recent What Car? investigation found, could cost you £450 in extra fuel.

There are many tyre inflators on the market which not only allow you to check your pressures quickly and easily, but can help you inflate your tyres on your driveway or at the roadside without the faff of running cables and locating a convenient power socket.

These rechargeable or cordless tyre inflators can be very compact and easy to keep in the car, and modern battery technology means that they can often maintain their charge for months of inactivity. They can be deployed within moments to top up – or even inflate from fully flat – a tyre to bring you up to the right pressure or get you out of trouble. 

Some will have additional features, such as a light – to illuminate the work areas as well as signal other road users if you have a problem – or a carry bag to keep the unit and its accessories together. You might also get a power bank facility, where you can charge devices such as mobile phones if necessary. 

But which should you choose? We’ve tested five of the best new entrants to see which tyre inflator is best

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

Best tyre inflators 2025

1. Ring RTC4000 – Best tyre inflator
2. Ferrex air compressor – Best tyre inflator for performance
3. Two tyres (Carsun) inflator – Best value tyre inflator

1. Best tyre inflator – Ring RTC4000

What Car? rating - 5/5

Pros

- Solid performance
- Great features
- Extra-long hose

Cons

- Connector didn’t swivel well
- Heavy and bulky
- Joint second-loudest

The RTC4000 is a hefty unit, weighing a chunky 758g and filling the hand easily. It comes with four rubber feet to keep it stable and quiet when in use and the extra-long hose means the connector will reach the valve even when it's positioned at the top of the wheel.

There’s a large screen displaying the tyre pressure and you can store labelled multiple presets for car, motorcycle, bicycle, football pressures, plus a further non-specific setting. The controls are easy to use, and there’s a simple on/off LED lamp and hose stores in the back of the unit. The base has two rubber covers to reveal the USB and the included car power socket lead, plus the bundled accessories, including a football inflator, a Presta valve adapter and a toy inflator. It comes with a bag that stores the charging leads on the outside and has a flap to reveal the charging ports – so you don't have to take it out to charge it. 

In use, the long hose makes it easy to reach the valve, but as we tightened the connector, it would lock up and not rotate on the hose, meaning the hose had to be twisted to get it to tighten fully – not a massive issue but a little annoying. Setting the target pressure was easy, as was changing the units, and it inflated three and a half tyres before the battery expired and it shut itself off completely. 

Tester’s insight
“The Ring is a chunky item but feels solidly built and of decent quality. It was towards the top in all our tests and its combination of performance, and its price means it’s a great all-rounder. I found it will pretty much fill your glovebox, though.”

Buy it if

- You want a solid, all-round performance
- You have an eye on value

Don't buy it if

- You are limited on storage space
- You might struggle getting the connector on

The facts

2. Noco Air AL5

What Car? rating - 5/5

Pros

- Solid construction
- Good performance
- Excellent build quality

Cons

- Heavy
- Expensive
- Highest noise figure

The Noco AL5 is a monster in every sense; it's the heaviest, the largest (notwithstanding the odd shape of the Ferrex) and the most expensive. It feels solid and the apparent quality, from the packaging to the unit itself, is excellent. It is finished in matt plastic, its controls are easy to understand and it has a large, clear display. It comes with a carry bag and enough features to make it stand out, too. 

The built-in hose neatly stores along the side, but you need to pop the connector out to get to the USB-C charging port which acts as a charging port for the unit as well as a power outlet to charge devices, which is very neat. The hose pops out easily and is a decent length, but while the connector is also excellent quality, it was slightly tricky to get on to the tyre valve. That said, it does come with a screw-in clamp-type connector to make it easier to get a proper connection. 

There are no presets like some of the other units – just one figure you set as the cut-off. It displays the actual pressure as it inflates, along with the battery status, and there’s a manual mode, where it will inflate until you press the button to stop it. The LED lamp is useful and has a setting where it spells out “SOS” in morse code. The Noco comes with a Presta valve adapter, football inflator and toy nozzle stored in the back of the unit, along with a separate clamp-on adapter and charging lead. 

In our tests, it fully inflated three and a half tyres, putting it level-pegging with the Ring, and when the battery was depleted, it was the only unit here to retain enough energy to display a low battery message. It was easy to use and the display registered 0.5bar as soon as it began inflating and this remained on display until the actual pressure reached that level; then-on it displayed the actual pressure. It was the fastest to inflate our Mini’s tyre by quite some margin, but it consistently displayed pressure around 4.5% too low – so while we still think it’s an excellent inflator, you’ll need to factor this in when you’re inflating.

Tester’s insight
“The Noco may be the largest, heaviest and most expensive here but I think it feels worth every penny. The quality feels excellent, and the weight gives it a feeling of reassurance. It’s a great all-round, faff-free unit.”

Buy it if

- You value quality and performance
- You want an easy-to-use product

Don't buy it if

- You are on a budget
- You want an accurate readout

The facts

3. Two tyres (Carsun) – Best value tyre inflator

What Car? rating - 4/5

Pros

- Compact
- Low price
- Huge screen

Cons

- Limited performance
- No bag
- Short hose

Supplied by a company called Two Tyres, you won't be surprised to learn that this inflator may be particularly useful for motorcyclists – as well as car drivers. The pump itself is made by Carsun and is available online at less than half the price that Two Tyres sells it for, so it’s worth shopping around; do that, and it’s the cheapest here by some distance. 

The packing is fairly basic – a cardboard box and a separate charging lead but that aside, quality is impressive. It feels weighty and solid and has a huge screen when powered up. The hose is fairly short, but it stores in the side of the unit so is easily locatable, and the bundled accessories are located under a flap in the back of the body. The LED lamp is a monster and can beam bright white, flash red or alternate between blue and red. It also has a handy USB-A power outlet, providing a power bank function. 

Once powered-up, it has five presets; car, motorbike, cycle and football as well as a user-definable value. Like the others here, it displays the target and actual pressure simultaneously and shuts off when the target is reached. It also has a deflate button on the side to allow air out if the pressure is raised too high. It is easy to use and comes with a set of instructions printed on a removable screen cover over the display, so you can’t miss them before using it for the first time. 

Getting the threaded connector onto the tyre valve was easy, but depending on the size of your wheel and where the valve is positioned, you might need to support the weight of the inflator. It was the second-slowest to inflate our flat Mini’s tyres, but it put in a solid performance inflating the tyre from flat two and a half times. Noise levels were average but the gauge accuracy was good, with the actual pressure just 0.04bar lower than the built-in gauge. 

Tester’s insight
“The Carsun is very well priced, although that varies by retailer. I was impressed with its performance, particularly given its size. It’s well worth keeping in your glovebox.”

Buy it if

- You're low on storage space
- You are budget conscious

Don't buy it if

- You want ultimate performance
- You want a carry bag to store it in

The facts

4. Ferrex 12V air compressor – Best tyre inflator for performance

What Car? rating - 3/5

Pros

- Low price
- Great longevity
- Quiet

Cons

- Limited availability
- No activation lock
- Large to store

The Ferrex inflator is part of the brand’s 12V range using a swappable rechargeable battery between different devices. But because it’s sold through Aldi, it’s not always available, although some people appear to bulk-buy them and sell them on eBay, at an inflated (pun intended) price. 

The packaging feels cheap, as you might expect, with a basic cardboard box and paper envelopes housing the various accessories. The pump uses a pistol-grip operation and a hose which is fiddly, but will eventually fit into the threaded union on the front of the unit. The display and buttons on the back of the unit are small, so anyone with restricted eyesight or hand mobility might struggle. It feels light and cheap, and lacks a carry bag, meaning the accessories are stored in a small plastic bag. The inflator’s housing is designed to house some, if not all, of them and the hose wraps over the top to store in a slot on top of the housing. 

The unit is activated by the trigger grip on a power switch on the rear once connected to the tyre, which is very easy with the clamp-on adapter. There’s a single pre-set; you set the pressure and hold the trigger, so once it reaches that pre-set pressure, it shuts off. The only major issue is that fact that the trigger doesn’t lock on so you have to hold it throughout the process. This is fine if you’re topping up a type, but for our flat-to-full testing we used a cable tie rather than holding the button for an extended period.

It’s a powerhouse in use and was the only unit here to manage more than four complete tyre inflations, each in a reasonable time. Its noise levels were the lowest we measured, although to the ear, there was little in it and when the battery was finished, it simply stopped. It’s a shame that the single LED bulb only illuminates when the unit is triggered.

Tester’s insight
“The Ferrex had a feeling that matched its price tag – budget. However, I found its performance was actually the best here. But – and it's a big but – the fact you have to keep the trigger pulled for it to work is a massive downside; it’d be difficult to operate in the cold, or for anyone with restricted hand strength.”

Buy it if

- You are on a tight budget
- You envisage only ever needing to top-up, not inflate a full tyre

Don't buy it if

- You have restricted eyesight or hand strength
- You are tight on storage space

The facts

5. Goodyear Tyre Inflator

What Car? rating - 2/5

Pros

- Lightweight
- Huge display
- Low price

Cons

- Limited performance
- No storage bag
- Feels flimsy

The Goodyear inflator is reasonably priced but feels lightweight and lacks clout. Despite this, it has a huge display and the controls are easy to use and understand. It doesn't come with a bag, which is unfortunate, considering the short hose can be removed, and the accessories come in a plastic bag and could easily be lost if it is not all kept in the box. 

When powered-up, the huge screen displays the actual pressure, the battery status and which of the four presets is selected – car, motorbike, cycle or football. There’s also a user-definable value, and each of the four are also adjustable to suit the particular vehicle. The lamp is bright and shines solid white or flashing red as a warning, and the free end of the hose can be retained in a recessed section in the top, so the whole thing looks a little like a padlock when stored. 

In use, the connector screwed on to the Mini’s wheel valve easily with a solid connection. Once activated it’s pretty quiet but doesn't register the actual pressure until it reaches 0.2bar, leaving you slightly concerned whether it’s working at all. However, it inflated the tyre twice though, albeit slowly, suggesting it would be better suited to top-ups than inflating one or more completely flat tyres. On its third and final inflation, it only managed to deliver 0.5bar before it completely shut down and refused to re-start. 

Tester’s insight
“The Goodyear is light and not too large so, combined with its huge screen and easy to install connector, it could be very useful to those with limited dexterity. However, in the context of this test, I found it had the most limited performance, managing just two full inflations and barely an impression on the third.”

Buy it if

- Your sight or dexterity are limited
- You are budget conscious

Don't buy it if

- You want ultimate performance
- You want a compact, easy-to-store product

The facts

How we test tyre inflators

Our test process is very simple; we fully charge each unit, then took the spare wheel from a 2004 Mini One, with its 195/55x16 tyre and removed the valve insert to completely flatten the tyre. 

We re-installed the valve core then inflated the tyre to 2.2bar, repeating the process with each inflator in turn, allowing them to cool after each inflation. We recorded the time taken to inflate to 2.2bar as selected on each unit’s pre-determined pressure and shown on the display; and subsequently checked the actual pressure using a digital pressure gauge. 

We recorded each unit’s noise level in use at 1m distance from the pump and repeated the process until each unit’s battery was completely depleted and they would operate no more. 

How we rate tyre inflators

Ease of use

How easy was it to release or install the hose and attach it to the car’s tyre valve? How visible was the display and how easy was it to pre-set the target pressure? 

Performance

How fast did each unit inflate the Mini’s spare tyre? How many times did each complete a full inflation and how much did it put in on the last attempt? How loud was each in use?

Features

In addition to the number or pre-set values, did any of the units operate as a power bank? Was the LED lamp useful? Were the spare nozzles carried on-board or separately? Did it come with a carry bag?

Quality

A purely subjective evaluation of the perceived quality of the unit, from its packaging to the main unit and its accessories.

How we test products

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

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