This $16 Car Accessory Solves Cable Clutter And Can Speed Up Charging

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If you're outfitting your new car, you might already have all the essential gadgets like a dashcam, a portable tire inflator, and a battery jumper covered or in place. But there's one other important car accessory you shouldn't go without: a car charger. With just how much you use your phone while out and about, it only makes sense to get a charger to keep it topped up and ready any time. The problem with most car chargers, though, is that they don't usually come with cables built in. That means you have to plug one in, which almost always ends up tangled in your center console and leaves your car looking more chaotic than it really is.

Sure, it's easy to just mount some hooks on your dashboard, where you can hang your charging cables when not in use. But if you're after a mess-free interior, an arguably better alternative is a retractable car charger like the Lisen Retractable Car Charger.

Currently on sale on Amazon for just $16, the Lisen Retractable Car Charger is one of the cheapest gadgets that can upgrade your car's power outlet. It plugs into your vehicle's 12V port and offers four different charging options: two built-in retractable cables (one USB-C and one Lightning) and two extra ports (one USB-C and one USB-A). The USB-C cable delivers up to 30W Power Delivery for fast charging. On the other hand, the rest of the options support lower power outputs. The Lightning cable and USB-A port both max out at 12W (2.4A), while the extra USB-C port can supply up to 15W (3A). With the USB-C fast charging cable, you can charge an iPhone 17 to 88%, a Samsung S24 to 85%, and a 2024 iPad Pro to 64% in half an hour.

You're free to use all four charging options at the same time, but it's important to note that the more connected devices there are, the lower the power output will be. When you plug in two or more devices to the charger, only the retractable USB-C cable stays at full output. The rest drops to 7.5W, so charging will be much slower. You can take advantage of the other ports' max power outputs when only one port/cable is in use.

Design-wise, the retractable cables can be pulled to as long as 31.5 inches. It's built to withstand at least 10,000 retractions to last you a long while. While the Lisen Retractable Car Charger is already compact at just 1.38 by 2.64 inches, its swiveling plug helps you save space even more. You can rotate it up to 180 degrees and make it sit flush in the console, so it doesn't stick out as much.